Some kids are already back in school. Most of the rest will be going back in the next couple weeks. And almost all of them have one thing in common- they attend schools that put sports above everything else, especially fine arts.
In most towns it’s easy to get a huge crowd for a football game. It’s a lot harder to get one for a choir concert. Everyone with a kid in school knows how the basketball team is this year. Few know how well the marching band did in last week’s competition. No one bats an eye at paying to get into the soccer tournament. Those same people would be pissed to have to pay to see the sculpture class’s works.
As a band nerd, this really gets my goat. I was fortunate enough to attend a school where the band program had extraordinary support. Most band kids aren’t that lucky. I shudder to think what may have happened to me without that safe haven. Band was the one place in high school where I was safe. The one place where no one bullied me. The place were I could really shine because I was talented.
The simple fact is that not everyone is good at sports. Sure, you can learn a lot through sports – time management, teamwork, leadership, social skills, perseverance, responsibility, communication skills- the list goes on. But here’s a thing- there are MANY other ways kids can learn these same skills. One excellent way is through the fine arts. Find me a marching band kid and tell me they don’t have all of those skills. Take a look at members of the swing choir and tell me they haven’t learned the same lessons. And if you are looking for ways to pay for college, there are just as many scholarships out there for kids who excel at the fine arts as there are for the sports players.
Yet whenever school budget cuts need to be made, where do schools look first? Everywhere except sports. They are the sacred cow who must be saved at all cost, in spite of often involving far smaller numbers of students than other extracurricular activities. This is just plain wrong. We need to fund, and fight for, ALL ways for kids to express themselves and find out what they are truly good at. And that includes all manner of arts.