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Arizona Standards The Arts Standards
Rationale Statement for the Arts
Dance, music, theatre and visual arts are
everywhere in our lives, adding depth and dimension to the environment we live in and
shaping our experiences, often so deeply or subtly that we are unaware of their presence.
In any civilization, the arts are inseparable from the very meaning of the term
“education.” To be truly educated, one must have knowledge and skills in
Creating Art, Art in Context and Art As Inquiry. In addition to specialized instruction in
the arts, the knowledge and skills will be further enhanced by integration of the arts
across the other curricular areas. Building mastery at each of the readiness, foundations,
essentials, proficiency and distinction levels is the overriding principal of a rigorous
arts education. As students continue to use a wide range of subject matter, symbols,
images and expressions, they grow more sophisticated in their knowledge and use of the
arts to investigate, communicate, reason and evaluate the merits of their work. As a
result of developing these capabilities, students can arrive at their own knowledge,
beliefs and values for making personal and artistic decisions and be better prepared to
live and work in a constantly changing, expanding society.
All students will achieve the essentials level (see standards section of this document)
in the four arts disciplines (music, visual arts, theatre and dance) and attain the
proficiency level in at least one art form on or before graduation. All levels are built
upon previous levels. Since students will achieve the proficiency level at different ages
or rates, schools will provide curriculum to allow students who go beyond proficiency to
study at the distinction level.
Education in the arts benefits students by
- Cultivating the whole child by building multiple literacies
(e.g., developing intuition, reasoning, imagination and dexterity) into unique forms of
expression and communication.
- Initiating them into a variety of ways of perceiving and
thinking that will help them see and grasp life in new ways.
- Teaching the analyzation of nonverbal communication and the
making of informed judgments.
- Enhancing understanding of themselves and others.
- Acquiring the tools and knowledge to take charge of their
own learning—assessing where they have been, where they are and where they want to
go.
- Promoting the processes of thinking, creating and evaluating
- Developing attributes of self-discipline and personal
responsibility, reinforcing the joy of learning and self-esteem, and fostering the
thinking skills and creativity valued in the workplace.
- Demonstrating the direct connection between study, hard work
and high levels of achievement.
- Giving them knowledge of potential career pathways or
involvement in the arts
- Encouraging experimentation with and utilization of current
technology
- Fostering a lifelong appreciation for and support of the
arts
An education in the arts also benefits society and the
workplace because students gain powerful skills for:
- Understanding human experiences, both past and present.
- Learning to adapt to and respect others' ways of thinking,
working and expressing themselves.
- Learning artistic modes of analyzing different situations,
which brings an array of expressive, analytical and developmental tools to everyday
experiences.
- Encouraging experimentation with and utilization of new
electronic media and global networks to give them marketable workplace skills.
- Understanding the influences of the arts to create and
reflect cultures.
- Understanding the impact of design on virtually all we use
in daily life, and in the interdependence of work in the arts with the broader worlds of
ideas and action.
- Learning adaptability and flexibility to meet the needs of a
complex and competitive society.
- Learning the importance of teamwork and cooperation.
- Making decisions in situations where there are no standard
answers.
- Bringing their own contributions to the nation's storehouse
of culture.
- Communicating their thoughts and feelings in a variety of
modes, giving them a vastly more powerful repertoire of self-expression.
- Carrying our individual and collective images and ideas from
one generation to another.
- Recognizing the essential role the arts have in
sustaining the viability of cultures
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Whenever possible and within the limits and
needs of individual districts, students need direct contact with objects, professional
artists and performers through partnerships with state and local resources (e.g., museums,
symphonies, artists in residence, traveling exhibits, theatre companies, art centers,
dance companies).
In order to support these high standards of learning,
districts and schools may need to restructure their school day and year. In service and
support to teachers, parents and students will be an ongoing process as innovative and
integrated approaches for learning are developed within the four arts disciplines and
across the other subject areas.
Success will be realized when all students have equal
access to all the arts.
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