October is National Arts & Humanities Month
by Jonah Jordening
September 28, 2009
Did you know
that Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has signed a proclamation
announcing October as Arts and Humanities month in the State of
Nebraska? There is a direct correlation of the skills developed and
learned in the fine arts to the academic success of students!
Exposure to fine arts education promotes self-directed learning,
improves school attendance, and sharpens critical and creative
skills. In the Visual Arts, drawing, visualization, and artistic
reasoning help students with content and organization of writing,
reading skills, reasoning, and reading readiness. Music skills such
as listening, keyboarding, performance, and instrumental training
help students with cognitive development, spatial reasoning,
mathematics proficiency, verbal skills, and reading skills. Dance
helps students with persistence, nonverbal reasoning, creativity,
and self-confidence. Dramatic enactment helps with story
comprehension, character motivation, conflict resolution,
problem-solving, and increased peer interaction. These are just a
few of the numerous benefits of the fine arts for students and
indeed for everyone. Get involved in the arts by supporting or
participating in the Fine Arts and Humanities programs in your
area! To find out more about the importance of arts for academic
learning, read The Arts and the Transfer of Learning an essay by
James S. Catterall, PhD.,Professor and Researcher, Learning and
Development, Neuroscience, UCLA.
