The Importance of an Arts Education

 At last Friday’s upper school morning meeting in Budagher Hall, we could not help but notice the many empty spaces in the room.  It felt like we were missing almost a third of our upper school students—that’s because we were!  Following a week of beautiful and emotional concerts at school, music teachers Stuart Fessinger, Joanna Hart, and Nicolle Maniaci, and over 70 Bosque students, traveled on a “Music Tour of the Southwest” and performed for other audiences. Over the years, Bosque students have entertained people in hospitals, houses of worship (St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome), concert venues (Carnegie Hall), and amusement parks (Disneyland), while also receiving high marks and trophies in New Mexico and other states, including Colorado and Texas.   

I remember how crowded Budagher Hall was for a choral concert during my first year at Bosque and wondering where we go next.  We tried St. John’s Cathedral for a venue, and we filled that beautiful church the first time our students performed there.  We now hold our concerts in the gymnasium, and we seem to be able to fit everyone in for the time being.  That first year, though, I could at least comfort myself with the notion that we could still hold our strings and band concerts in Budagher. However, even those relatively smaller programs are growing, and we’re beginning to feel crowded for those evening concerts.   

At a time when so many schools are either dropping their arts and music programs or no longer supporting them financially, Bosque’s arts programs are expanding.  What is going on?  Perhaps it’s the eclectic nature and determination of our students who desire to challenge themselves in a variety of areas and try new things—the gymnast who paints, the flutist who wishes to play tenor sax, the basketball player who wants to sing, the tech crew member who decides to act, or the computer whiz who is committed to playing viola.  Possibly, it’s the excellent teachers who support and challenge their students as they endeavor to express themselves through art and music.   

At Bosque, we believe that the arts are fundamental to our existence, and that a well-rounded education should require students to participate in arts classes.  That is why every middle school student takes a visual and a performing art for all three years, and every upper school student is required to take two years in any of the arts, yet many choose to take more. 

In addition to the holistic benefits of taking arts courses, many studies have demonstrated the ways in which studying music, in particular, helps students in other areas.  A 2011 Arts Education Partnership piece, “Music Matters: How Music Education Helps Students Learn, Succeed, and Achieve,” cites evidence for the benefits of music education in three areas—preparing students to learn, facilitating academic achievement, and developing the creative capacities for lifelong success.  Quoting these studies, the article suggests that among the many advantages of a music education, are these particular ways it helps students:

• improves their working memory,
• hones their mathematical skills,
• increases their fine motor skills,
• boosts reading and standardized test scores,
• strengthens perseverance,
• bolsters their self-esteem in other areas,
• and equips them to be attentive and creative. 

 As a school, we are committed to the arts because they help young men and women be better students and better people.  A friend of mine who is immersed in the local music scene and has children attending another school, and another person who is a long-time music educator at a different school, both recently told me that the word is out—if you want your child to be involved in music, Bosque is the place to be.  I was heartened to hear that the admirable work of our student-artists and teachers is recognized by others. We are proud of them and take great pleasure in their artistic accomplishments.