Four Common Art Programmes and Why They’re Important

From elementary school through high school and beyond, art programmes are a vital component to a well-rounded education. Art programmes allow students to express themselves in new and exciting ways, while encouraging their creativity and autonomy.

If you’re curious about how art programmes might benefit your child, take a look at the different programmes outlined below.

Why Are Art Programmes Important

The research on the impact of art programmes in education is overwhelmingly positive. Recent findings suggest that participating in artistic educational experiences helps to boost student’s academic performance by reducing anxiety, improving memory, and encouraging creative problem-solving skills.

Students engaged in art programmes learn to conceptualize their ideas, make decisions about process and build greater social tolerance. Moreover, students learn to take creative risks through trial and error, and develop their critical thinking skills by observing and interpreting works of art across a range of mediums.

Art programmes also provide students with a way to connect with other cultures, as well as their own. Giving students the opportunity to explore the vast world of creative expression in music, drama, media, and the visual arts opens their hearts and minds to the wider world, and creates endless opportunities for self-discovery.

What Is Media Arts in High School?

Media arts introduce students to the world of media-making, including photography, digital arts, videography, audio, and filmmaking. Students learn to critically analyze mass communication and its impact on society, explore different ways of communicating meaning and develop concepts to produce their own media.

What Is Dramatic Arts in High School?

From stage managing to directing, the dramatic arts offer every student a chance to participate in the production of a play. Students can develop skills in different creative and technical areas, including lighting, sound design, and set decoration. Or, they can embrace a love of language and emotional expression by performing on stage.

Participating in a school production is a wonderful way to engage with peers while learning how to collaborate on a shared vision.

What Is Music in High School?

Scientific studies have shown that learning to play an instrument early in life improves cognitive development, and positively impacts academic performance. Music programmes provide students with an opportunity to study and learn how to read music, while encouraging students to compose and record their own creations.

Being part of a band or a musical ensemble also promotes discipline, cooperation and teamwork – skills that transfer to so many other scenarios over the course of a lifetime.

What Is Visual Art in High School?

Visual art emphasizes creative expression through painting, sculpture, drawing, and digital art, to name a few. Students study the history of art across cultures and analyze different works of art through a critical lens.

Visual art programmes encourage students to reflect on their feelings and experiences in order to translate them into visual forms.

How to Choose the Best Art High Schools in Toronto

As you look for an art high school for your child, consider if the school’s programmes cater to your child’s interests and if the school has well-equipped facilities to give your child an enriching creative educational experience.

It’s also important to see how educators are involved in the different programmes to get a better sense of the level of instruction and quality of leadership.

As part of their curriculum, St. Michael’s College School offers art programmes in drama, music, media, and visual arts. Each of these programmes provides a theoretical and historical framework within which students learn about the role of art in society and culture, as well as endless opportunities to practice and create. The school also has a 440-seat Centre for the Arts, which is home to musical performances, fully staged Broadway musicals, exhibitions, dramatic plays, creative presentations and gatherings.

A high school that celebrates the arts and offers opportunities for your child to explore and benefit from creative expression makes all the difference in their academic, personal, and social outcomes.