I first picked up the trumpet in sixth grade, and I haven’t put it down since. Through the years of middle school, high school and now into college, I’ve been a member of the band. While it’s been immensely fun, there’s always been one clear throughline: the underappreciation and underfunding of the arts.
School arts programs throughout the country are facing budget cuts. We, as a society, need to come together and understand the importance of funding arts programs.
I’m focusing on band, choir, visual arts and theater programs.
Sustaining the arts is important because of the benefits it offers to students.
For example, participating in music can be a great source of stress relief. Recent research has shown that learning an instrument can lower anxiety and decrease the amount of cortisol, a stress hormone. As college students, we are under immense pressure from classes, homework, jobs, internships, social lives, families and more.
I, personally, use band as a stress reliever from the struggles of work and class. Rehearsal is a time for me to turn off my phone and focus on something that brings me joy. I’m surrounded by my friends while also taking the time to celebrate a skill I’m proud of.
Other studies discovered that visual arts like drawing and painting, have similar effects. These programs also encourage students to work together and increase skills in collaboration and leadership, both important for entering professional work environments.
If schools take away these critical release systems from students, we’ll fall into a spiral of stress and anxiety. Additionally, without funding, schools can’t afford to fix instruments for students, purchase new music or shows, buy resources and afford other facilities integral to supporting these programs.
In my experience, opponents of funding the arts like to talk about the importance of athletics and how we should funnel more money into those programs. And to those people, I like to remind them of a couple of things.
One: Think about the roles that the arts have played in sports. The band provides school spirit and keeps things upbeat; the choir honors our country by singing the national anthem. These are not possible if they cannot afford the resources to maintain their skills.
Two: Everyone looks up to actors, singers and artists; we all take in their art as part of our lives. They make us happy and help us in times of need. Each of those people started out where we are, where I am. They were once wide-eyed kids just picking up an instrument or a paintbrush, and many of them could not have gotten to where they are now without the necessary support and resources.
When we approach these problems, we can think of solutions like fundraisers and bake sales, but if the schools are providing these organizations, then they should also offer the money to sustain them. School boards should look at their budget and see if there is a way to more justly divide up budgets and funding among the branches of a school.
This story was written by Izzy Fonfara Drewel. She can be reached at isabella.fonfaradrewel@marquette.edu.
