The Fine Arts: Just As Important As Football

The+Fine+Arts%3A+Just+As+Important+As+Football

Rae Hobbs, Staff Writer - The Mustang Messenger

In recent news, it has come up even more that lawmakers and officials are wanting to reduce the money spent on the fine arts departments even further. This means funds for choirs, bands, drama courses, and other fine arts programs would receive even less of their already dwindling source of income outside of what the students come up with. I spoke with Olivia Watson on the subject. Initially, she expressed how she was connected to the arts via the band, choir, GSA, and color guard. I asked her how the music department had impacted her. “Music is everything, music is my escape. If I’ve had a bad day, music is always there, I really rely on you to make me feel better.” Additionally, I asked who she thinks music education impacts the most and she had this to say. “The kids who can’t find a place anywhere else. Because Like, not every kid is athletic but almost every kid can find music.”

I additionally interviewed Rachel Collier, a senior who has participated in choir since fifth grade and plays the drums, as well as guitar. “Music is a comfort tool, it’s a support system.” Additionally, I asked her what music education meant to her. “Music is something that everyone can do whether they are good at it or not. It’s a release outlet. There have been studies showing that it helps with your brain and a lot of people use it when doing their homework.” Rachel went on to describe how music to many is like a home. The overall consensus is that it gives a way to escape, to have a moment of calm in our ever-chaotic world.

The drama department is another part of the equation, and without it, there would be no start for prospective actors or artists! Think of an actor you enjoy, and chances are they were involved in some sort of school-based theater or fine arts program. Without these programs outlets for self-expression, comfort, and even relationship-building are further diminished. Instead, more funding will go toward the sports teams. Instead of the choir department getting the needed funding that currently has to be raised by the students so we can afford our trips and concerts, the football team will get new jerseys. The sports departments will get further funding so they can travel to the state at little to no cost to the students. Meanwhile, in the fine arts departments, we pay large sums just to be considered for state-level competitions or displays of their talent. There are donors willing to cover the costs of keeping the arts alive, but those in power care more about the immediate pay off like what is received from sports tickets instead of reimbursement via the enrichment of their state via the art created there. 

Many students I know don’t enjoy school. They show up to their core classes and do their work because they have to, but when it comes to art-related classes their entire outlook is different. The arts give them a way to escape from the stresses of the outside world. They offer the chance to get out any pent-up emotions and turn them into something abstract or beautiful. Behind every note sung, every brush stroke, every note played, and every line delivered, is a period of hard work and determination. Not everyone can sing or play an instrument well, but anyone who wishes to try can play an instrument. Fine arts students work just as those on sports teams, and it’s about time we receive the proper recognition and funding we deserve. Especially in our current world where chaos, hatred, and bigotry lurk behind every corner, the arts provide a light in the darkness that if programs are cut that will go away and be drowned out by uniformity