(ARA) – Not everyone with a strong set of pipes sets out to be the next American Idol, nor does every young dancer end up with a career on Broadway. A strong educational foundation in the fine arts, however, can lead to an equally rewarding career teaching others how to take center stage.
“Throughout my youth, in high school, at church – I always had a love for music and performance,” says Meredith Borta, principal of a private school in Arizona. After obtaining a degree in music performance, Borta went on to obtain a master’s in education while performing with her college’s singing group. “We were ambassadors for the school, recruiting through our performances, so parlaying that experience into a teaching career was a natural progression for me,” she says.
Fine arts graduates are equipped with the confidence and tenacity they need to survive in the classroom, while music and performance can help educators build bonds with students that can last a lifetime.
“I don’t get paid to work, I get paid to enjoy my hobby,” says Kimberly Bonagofski, a performing arts teacher at a Tempe, Ariz. high school who obtained her secondary elementary education degree after graduating with a fine arts degree. Although her parents encouraged her to pursue a degree in medicine, her passions were in performance. “I was inspired by my own drama teacher, who taught me that you can help people by teaching them.”
While at times it’s a bit melodramatic, FOX’s wildly popular “Glee” demonstrates that music is a bonding agent that can bring together the most diverse students and backgrounds, and the show has prompted a resurgence of support for school music programs throughout the country, along with more acceptance of self-proclaimed “Gleeks.”
“There’s no doubt that the pop culture phenomenon known as ‘Glee’ has helped with our program recruitment,” says Grand Canyon University Dean of Fine Arts and Production, Claude Pensis.
Interestingly, half of the students enrolled in the university’s College of Fine Arts and Production are pursuing music education degrees, indicating strong support for those programs though music programs continue to fall victim to budget cuts.
With the decline of music education in mainstream schools, teachers with fine arts credentials have become a valued asset because of their ability to incorporate their talents into their classrooms. And with today’s more open charter school movement, many schools are focusing on students who want to pursue their creative passions, developing magnet schools for the arts which produce academically gifted graduates.
The link between music education and children’s intellectual development is well documented.
“We know that students with a fine arts background perform very well academically, helping them understand abstract concepts, multi-task, and create; providing them a cultural perspective that is broader than many other academic areas,” Pensis says. “Fine arts graduates are also more focused on community service and civic activities, volunteering in schools and local churches.”
Schools with music education programs have significantly higher graduation rates than those without programs (90.2 percent compared to 72.9 percent), and schools with music programs have significantly higher attendance rates than those without (93.3 percent compared to 84.9 percent), according to a 2006 Harris Interactive poll of high school principals. Higher performance on standardized tests is also well-documented among schools with music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or district.
Recent graduate Rachel Lawrence was a member of Grand Canyon University’s performance choir, and did her student teaching at a Phoenix-area school without an organized music program. She found that incorporating songs about insects and arithmetic helped first-graders with memorization.
“Music can help students learn any subject, including math and science,” she says. “The children seem to enjoy it and are engaged.”
Disappointed that music programs are being cut from so many schools, Lawrence is determined to incorporate it into her teachings, to enhance the learning process.
