Excelling through art

A generation ago school administrators and parents took it for granted that a well-rounded education should include instruction the arts and music. Beginning in elementary school and often continuing through high school, students were expected to have at least some exposure to the arts, be it through a school play, theatrical production or traditional fine arts class.

Over the last two decades, however, the arts as a formal area of study have gradually disappeared from the curriculum in many public schools -- and in some private schools as well -- a victim of budgets cuts and a "back to basics" philosophy that too often takes a narrow vision of academics at the expense of the arts. Across the country, the first signs of a school system in distress ++ are likely to be cutbacks in art and music programs.

That is why the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's announcement last week of a new initiative to help Baltimore-area public and private schools integrate the arts into their curricula marks a major milestone in the orchestra's outreach efforts. The initiative, called ArtsExcel, will help train teachers in 12 schools -- five Baltimore City public schools, four Baltimore County public schools and three area private-parochial schools -- to make the arts an integral part of the learning process for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The ArtsExcel project grew out of the BSO's realization that its VTC existing concert-based approach -- the orchestra plays for some 100,000 schoolchildren every year -- was no longer sufficient to ensure the growth of future audiences. A recent study commissioned by the orchestra found that many students -- and many teachers as well -- simply lacked the background necessary to appreciate and enjoy classical music because the school-based programs that once nurtured interest in the arts had disappeared.

Many studies have shown that students who are involved in the arts at school are more motivated and score better on standardized tests than students in schools without art-enhancement programs. Under the BSO's ArtsExcel plan, arts instruction in dance, music and the visual arts will be "woven" into lesson plans as an educational tool and motivator in subjects as varied as math, science and social studies.

By the year 2000, the BSO hopes to have in place a sequential, comprehensive arts program for students K-12 in each of the 12 schools. This is the kind of public-private initiative that is vital for real improvement in educational quality. ArtsExcel promises to be a major boost for the cultural life of this region. It deserves the support of all who care about the future of the arts in Baltimore.