Local school fine arts programs have lasting impact

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, May 2, 2018

In recent weeks the local community has delighted in the efforts of Ren McCormack as he dared to dance his way through his new hometown in “Footloose” and witnessed young Dorothy’s journey to the Land of Oz in “The Wiz.” We’ve also lauded a local prep literary team for capturing its seventh straight state championship title and just last weekend were wowed by musical performances at JazzFest. 

That’s just a taste of what local students have recently brought to the stage, reminding us of the creative talents they possess and also the value of introducing them to the arts and encouraging their artistic capabilities to flourish. 

It’s certainly not unheard of in this day and age for school districts to face difficult budgetary decisions, and oftentimes arts programs are some of the first on the chopping block. For those who truly appreciate the arts and realize their potential impact beyond the stage, that’s a sad reality. 

Recently the Baldwin County School District celebrated the expansion of its fine arts programs to include a dance instructor at the middle and high school while Georgia Military College launched its new visual arts department. And just last month, the local public schools were recognized for the third consecutive year as a Best Community for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. That’s elite company. 

In a time when many school district creative and performing arts programs are shrinking, locally they are thriving, and that’s a benefit for the students as well as the community. 

How so?

Arts education advocates often note that the arts help children develop their own artistic talents, encourage some to stay in school, build future audiences, while teaching young people about history and past civilizations. 

It’s also worth noting that many of these arts classes and programs teach the very qualities that educators believe can reinvigorate American schools: analytical thinking, teamwork, motivation and self-discipline.

The skills these young people can potentially acquire and enhance through these opportunities can also carry over to other classrooms — increasing their focus and problem-solving expertise, intensifying their interests in other cultures through forms of music and the arts and expanding their opportunities for life and their ambitions beyond high school. They learn that to become better and more advanced at anything requires hard work, focus and dedication — and through performing, they have opportunities to reap the rewards — as is often true in life beyond the performance stage. 

The local school arts programs impact the lives of local talented young people and expand the scope and reach of their opportunities in the classroom, on the performance stage, and beyond.

That deserves all of our applause.