The Importance of Studying Art

During every year in school I have had to take and study some type of art. Every year in elementary school, my class would attend weekly art classes where we would draw, paint, sculpt things with our hands, and learn about types of art and artist throughout history. I would also have to attend a weekly music class where my class would sing, learn to play different instruments, and learn about music notes. In middle school, I had to be in either choir or band or take an art class. In high school, all students were required to take 2 art type classes in order to graduate. The same is true in college; art is part of the core curriculum. I have always wondered what the reasoning behind all of these art classes was. I used to think that students were made to take art and music classes in elementary school so that they could work on and fine-tune their abilities. It is true that it is much easier to learn and remember things at a younger age. However, this would not explain why art is required beyond elementary level. What would be the reasoning behind the continued art requirement throughout the rest of years in school? I believe that we study art and other creative things for more of a reason than the fact that it is easiest to learn as a child. I believe that studying art allows all of us to learn to become more responsive and creative everything in life. More than just in how well we can draw, paint, sculpt, or perform on stage.

Participating in any type of art allows individuals to be expressive and creative. It can be used as a way to express feelings that a person does not know how to put into words. Art can be a safe and harmless form of expression. It can be an outlet for some people who have a lot of pent-up hatred or aggression. For others, art is a form of relaxation and allows them to become calmer and feel better by simply singing, painting, or performing.

Art allows people to be creative and learn to be creative in all aspects of life, not just to be able paint, sing, or act. It is very important for individuals to learn to be creative especially in this high-tech day in age. In today's world, most jobs require much more thought than strength like they did years ago. Most new jobs require people to be creative on the computer. People need to be creative to be able to succeed in today's job market. Companies compete for new employees who are great at coming up with new, crazy and creative ideas to help their company excel and stand out in today's highly competitive job market.

I also believe that having studied art and the creative process that individuals look at the world a little differently. When people have studied drawing or painting they realize just how complex and beautiful the world is around them. They look at a mountain, stream, rainbow, or valley as a very beautiful thing. They learn to notice and appreciate all the rich colors and textures that nature creates all around them. They also see the human body as Gods own work of art. That every human being is a unique piece of art and that we have been sculpted this way by God. That the imperfections people have are not defects but more what makes them unique. Individuals learn to observe the beauty in everything all around them by studying art.

I also think that we study the creative process so we learn to think more in-depth about all things in life, not just those that are art related. I think that it allows us to think more when we hear a song or look at a certain piece of artwork. Instead of just listening to the words of a song, people that have studied music think about the tone, pitch, style, and rhythm that a particular song has. Or instead of just seeing a piece of artwork for what it looks at first, people dig deeper into their mind and see what the piece of art is saying deeper than just on the surface level. I think the same holds true in other parts of the world as well. People who know and have studied art look more into things and are very observant. They learn to read between the lines or to be able to know what a person is probably thinking or not saying by looking at their facial expressions or body gestures. I also think that it is good for people to know a little more about how music or a play is put together. When you go to a play and know about all the time and effort that has been put into the production, or you know about all the people and time it takes to make a cd they become much more appreciative of what they are enjoying.

Studying art also helps to stimulate the five senses. When a person has played music or knows how to listen to it, he or she gets more out of it than the words the singer is singing. When people learn to be a better listener, they learn to be able to hear pitches of sound more correctly or to be able to pick up subtle sounds. Playing instruments helps with hand eye coordination and also helps with an individual's sense of touch. The creation of art pieces and learning about what a piece of art is trying to say helps with a person's sight. When people know about artwork they begin to develop a trained eye. They look at art as well as the world around them differently. They do not just see the obvious, but are able to look deeper and see small details and about what subtle things pieces of art say. Also, when people stimulate and improve one of the five senses they also stimulate the other four senses to a degree. Although not one of the senses, a person's memory can also be stimulated and improved with the help of art. Listening and learning to hear music is very beneficial for improving a person's memory. Just think about how good a memory a musician has to have to be able to know how to play or sing tons of songs at once and not get all the notes and words confused.

Knowing about art and the creative process is a very important part of a person's education. Taking art classes helps a person to become well rounded just like taking math, science, and social studies classes does. Art classes are not really required to make people better artist, musicians, or actors. Becoming better in those areas is more of a bonus. Art and creative classes are required to help individuals make their five senses stronger and also to help them learn to look beneath the service in all areas of life. And also to help them to become more creative which is so vital in this high-tech day all of us are living in.