education

‘Our work is life-changing’: Why arts education should no longer be looked down on

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Arts education adds more value to our personal development than it’s often given credit for

Once upon a time, I was a drama kid.

From my childhood solo as Angel in Grease, to my final drama exam as the lead role in a late 80s play, arts education was a huge part of my formative years.

I credit those days spent in a black box studio with many things: giving me a space to be expressive, the opportunity to come out of my shell, and inspiring an absolute fascination with creativity.

Most importantly though, I believe my empathetic qualities are, in part, due to my drama education.

I studied Stanislavski – who we owe today’s method acting to – and other practitioners whose techniques were designed to get someone into character and understand who they were playing.

In the multitude of roles I adopted, I learned how to understand people who are vastly different to myself, how to make sense of actions I didn’t necessarily agree with, and how to put myself in the shoes of others.

Today, I would say empathy is one of my strong suits.

However, with an education system that sees drama, art, music and other creative disciplines as ‘soft’, the vital life skills that are fostered here get downplayed.

Adam Gregory, a 26-year-old raised near Milton Keynes, was a drama kid like myself – but he went on to build a career in performance.

‘Confidence is the most often referenced benefit,’ he tells Metro.co.uk of studying arts, ‘but art is also a valuable tool for developing critical thinking, cognitive skills and catering to different learning styles.

‘Understanding differing opinions is integral to forming meaningful relationships, and spending time in the arts has made me reflect on that.’

His fellow university cohort have gone on to be supportive friends and given him a sense of ‘community’.

He also believes he’s ‘less argumentative, more discerning and a better communicator’ too, all of which serve him in his life off the stage.

In 2019, the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education reported that giving young people a good creative grounding at school supports them throughout their lives, not only in terms of their future economic success but also in their relationships with others, their sense of identity, and their health and wellbeing. 

Somehow this isn’t enough to make artistic endeavors appear worthy.

A past production Gregory took part in (Picture: Adam Gregory)

Gregory continues: ‘Funding of the arts in education is cut far too often.

‘Think about being at school – maybe there weren’t enough keyboards, so people had to share, or only a certain number of people were able to study drama at GCSE.

‘It’s seen as an “easy” subject at school, or a “doss”.

‘This opinion is so pervasive that it’s even being told to children while they’re studying.

‘My headteacher held me back after a parents’ evening about university applications once and told my parents and I, “Adam is getting good grades, he’s too intelligent to go and do drama studies. He could do maths or science!”

‘I wish I was paraphrasing but that’s what he said, verbatim.’

Despite society collectively thinking so lowly of arts at an education level, it’s undeniable that most us go on to consume arts in a variety of forms throughout our lives, constantly.

Over the height of the pandemic, Ofcom found that adults spent a third of their waking hours watching TV and online video content – this came to an average of five hours and 40 minutes a day.

Even without strife, concerts are attended, shows are binge-watched and galleries are visited.

Gregory says: ‘You live in a house with art on the walls, read a book when you want to relax, watch Netflix to unwind, listen to music on your commute, talk about the latest movie with your friends.

‘We know children love video games, cartoons, picture books, playing make-believe, and all sorts of other artistic practices.

Denecia has found arts education to be valuable for her personal development (Picture: I Can Dance)

‘The mistake is thinking that these things are only useful for their downtime, or as hobbies.’

Currently, Gregory is working on a play called Melonade, which looks at how arts education can be beneficial in neurodiverse children.

Sometimes schools fall short in what they can offer children, be it due to a lack of funding or opportunities, and it’s up to outside sources to fill the gap – especially for those on the fringes of mainstream education, such as children with disabilities.

I Can Dance is a north London therapeutic extra curricular charity working to ’empower’ four to 25-year-olds with disabilities through dancing.

Peter Laycock, who is their head of creative programmes, tells us: ‘Dance improves physical fitness, develops gross motor skills, relieves stress and anxiety, and encourages imagination.

‘Since 2006 we’ve worked in depth, often over many years, with over 1,000 families. Children, young people and their families consistently tell us that our work is life-changing, building physical, emotional and social wellbeing.

Romano looks forward to his weekly sessions (Picture: I Can Dance)

‘Arts education is often undervalued despite it playing a hugely important role in our development as individuals.’

He shares stories of students who’ve flourished over their time at I Can Dance, from 18-year-old Romano who lives with autism, verbal dyspraxia and learning difficulties, along with Denecia, 16, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

Peter believes we take art for granted. Sometimes, we need a reminder of its value.

Ironically, engaging with art can be a mode to reconnecting with this.

Recently Humans of New York, photographed a man who in the caption spoke about his wife’s non-profit arts organisation for children and seniors that was struggling due to a lack of funding.

Heather Edwards, co-founder of said organisation, AhHa!Broadway, tells us: ‘The Humans of New York post was a game changer – it was the wind our sails needed to catch.

‘With more than $60,000 coming in in less than nine hours and over 2,000 people making monetary donations, this has allowed us to start the year by putting in motion a lot of ways to help children.

‘I am still trying to process this because of how extraordinary it is – it renewed my faith in humanity.’

Heather Edwards teaching a virtual class (Picture: Heather Edwards)

She set up the organisation for those who felt ‘underserved’, and believes: ‘Learning art goes beyond creating more successful students: it helps develop more successful human beings.

‘It’s funny, because Americans value their entertainment, but in our schools and in development or rehabilitation settings, we’re not feeding this part of our people.

‘If there are budget cuts in schools, the first programmes to go are the arts.’

But she feels this is wrong, especially as her classes have seen non-verbal children miraculously sing and those with trauma find ways to begin healing.

Although, part of the problem with determining the tangible value of arts education is hard to measure.

Adam Boden, principal at Bodens Performing Arts, an Offsted registered school in Barnet, London, explains: ‘If a kid learns maths, the maths lesson is responsible. But it’s really hard to say this kid has grown in confidence because they did my drama class – you can never “prove” that holistic impact.

‘So that’s the problem with drama being seen as a soft subject.’

That more subjective style of learning without hard data behind it contributes to its wishy-washy perception.

‘If a former student gets back in touch and says I made an impact on their life, I see it as I played a part in it because I don’t think you can it was entirely down to the classes,’ he adds.

Safe risk taking is a key benefit that comes with arts education (Picture: Bodens Performing Arts)

Boden studied for a Masters in Applied Theatre at a leading drama school, and as part of that researched the idea of risk in the context of arts education.

‘When we talk about drama for young people, we’re looking at the development of the brain,’ he says. ‘Young people take more risks and one of the best things about drama is there’s an opportunity to take safe and manageable risks.

‘There’s also the chance to regulate your own emotions based on experiencing, and playing emotions out and seeing what they feel like in the brain and the body.’

When acting out situations, it gives the performer the opportunity to reflect and reconsider things in a low stakes setting – perhaps even in situations they themselves have encountered and regretted their actions in.

It’s not just children that can grow from this. Throughout the community, people are reaping the benefits of arts education.

Kestrel Theatre Company is one group leading vital work in this area via prison theatre, since their conception 23 years ago.

They go into prisons in Buckinghamshire and London with the aim of delivering workshops to male offenders – who are often skeptical and unwilling at first – to help them rehabilitate. They also work with alumni after they leave prison.

Eleanor Henderson, their artistic director, says: ‘It involves quite a lot of convincing people to join along with referrals, because for a lot of the guys we work with it would be something totally brand new.

‘You go on a journey because at the start there’s often resistance, especially in a hyper-male environment.’

Workshops can either be intensive and run daily for four to five weeks to build up to a performance, or be held as weekly sessions over a longer period of time to boost drama skills.

Kestrel once took a production with serving offenders out on license to London’s Royal Court Theatre for a two-week run (Picture: Kestrel Theatre Company)

The company have some great success stories too, with one alumni now working full-time as an actor and editor on Netflix’s The Witcher. Though it’s not just about getting people into the arts trade.

Another past offender coming to the end of a long sentence was able to use his experiences with Kestrel in his parole hearing, as taking part in arts education ‘changed his trajectory and was truly life-changing’.

It might sound odd, to allow prisoners a space for fun and creativity – laughter even. The company has been met with surprise and questioning over whether this should be allowed.

Eleanor says: ‘The experience will challenge offenders and let them feel “seen” in a different context than they might be used to.

‘It can be viewed as a fun and joyful process that could be construed as a “treat” for prisoners, which some may take issue with, but the process of making theatre is almost always a humanising one – one that engages with what it means to be a human, which is really valuable in the rehabilitative process that will hopefully mean those who partake are less likely to reoffend.

‘The power of applause in this context is really something, because it’s both a metaphor and practical thing in that people who’ve gone through the prison service will have lived a life without it.

‘There’s something powerful about standing in front of a crowd who are saying “You did something we are going to clap you for” and the impact of that can be huge on someone’s sense of self-worth.

‘They’re going to go back out into society and maybe live down the road from you, and isn’t it better that they’ve done that drama project than they haven’t?

‘If they re-enter society feeling more whole versions of themselves, that’s good for everyone.’

Being creative serves people throughout their lives (Picture: Kestrel Theatre Company)

The creative industries are worth more than £100bn in the UK economy according to the Arts Council, and in 2019 the arts sector provided 363,700 jobs.

The Council’s chief operating officer, Richard Russell, tells us this area shouldn’t be shunned or viewed as lesser than, because ‘being creative is important to employers across all industries – it drives entrepreneurship, innovation and new ideas.’

He says: ‘We believe that culture has a deep and lasting effect on places and the people who live in them.

‘Creativity and culture can and should play a key role in helping level up the country, and participation in the arts can contribute to community cohesion, reduce social exclusion and isolation and make communities feel safer and stronger.’

Attitudes to the arts won’t change overnight, but recognising the value of this kind of education can serve us all.



So why, during formative years and beyond, is arts education so looked down upon?

We asked the Department of Education a series of questions on this issue, and while we didn’t get the most direct response, here’s what they had to say:

‘Arts can play a hugely important role in children and young people’s education and development, and can shape who they grow up to be.

‘Learning to draw, play music, dance and act can all have a positive impact on children and young people’s wellbeing and creativity, as well as on pupils’ development in other subjects in the curriculum.

‘That’s precisely why the arts are in the national curriculum. Most schools also offer extra-curricular opportunities in the arts for their pupils – building on teaching in the school day.

‘It is also why we have invested over £620 million between 2016 and 2021 on a diverse range of music and arts programmes, helping to ensure pupils of all backgrounds can benefit from them.

– Schools Minister, Robin Walker

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