Integrating art into a college prep curriculum

Posted on | 1/19/11 | 1 Comment

Oftentimes, arts education falls to the wayside when it comes time for students to prepare for college. Art programs are usually the first to be trimmed from budgets, although statistics show that students that participate in the arts (e.g., music, theater, dance and visual art) are more likely to succeed in school. Susan Sclafani, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, considers art education to be "Vital to young people's success in school and in life." The arts can be integrated with even an ambitious college preparatory course with relative ease.

Step 1


Go over your curriculum. Most college prep courses focus on subjects like math and science while placing less attention on subjects like Language Arts ("English") and history.

Step 2

Look for classes that students need to improve in or where an incentive might help. Don't just aim for the "important" ones. Real world skills like knowing foreign languages, design or management skills can all be integrated into an arts and college prep focused course.

Step 3

Approach the subject from as many angles as possible. History is not just reading dry facts; it is also music, plays and art from that period, and how people dressed, spoke and thought. Science is not just charts of data; it is also the beautiful and strange vision of viruses and microbes through a microscope, tools designed to help people around the world and far reaching global effects. Many people approach these subjects as if they were isolated islands of information, but they are interrelated.

Step 4

Decide on ways for students to show or interact with what they are learning artistically. For example, have students in a natural science class draw realistic trees using only charcoal pencils so they also learn about shade scales. Or you could have students create an interpretive dance, musical or play about an important recent event such as an oil spill to explore the environmental effects, history of similar situations and even politics and ethics.

Step 5

Draw together as many subjects as possible. If your students are learning design, introduce them to textiles from other countries. Use that opportunity to draw in world history, ecology and politics. Even math disciplines such as geometry can be used to explore African or Native American designs or statistics to learn about the long-term cultural effects of social problems like slavery.




Pro tip!

Strange as it might seem, almost every subject can be compared and backed up by another which may actually help your students learn better. Be fearless when investigating your subjects and looking for ways to introduce the arts. When you get stuck, try looking online or visiting local arts centers, educating museums or just take a walk through an interesting part of town. You might find a strange, new Arabic restaurant with a distinct food influenced by a culture's history. Use these little things as inspiration.




ECS: The Arts Are Vital to Young People's Success in School and in Life [http://www.ecs.org/html/Document.asp?chouseid=6236]

North Gate Band: Art Education Statistics [http://www.northgateband.org/resources/resources.asp?ID=270&g=267]

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