Controversies in Philanthropy: FSSO 119-100 Fall 2021

Importance of Arts Education (Continued)

Through participation in the arts, people can gain valuable life skills that are transferable and applicable in a multitude of career paths. In an interview with Dr. Jean Burgess, who has had a lifelong interest in theatre and is currently working in a marketing career, she emphasizes the host of skills she gained in performing arts that created a foundation for her job in marketing. For example, Dr. Burgess described how she taps into her creativity skills to create unique booths to draw in audiences, uses her skills in self expression and confidence to speak publicly and emote in order to engage audiences, and uses her improvisation skills often to problem solve within business. Additionally, she uses her directing skills in her marketing career in order to manage a team. As Dr. Burgess exemplifies, arts are crucial in building skills for the real world and becoming successful in fields other than the arts.

In addition to multitude of life skills Dr. Burgess has gained through participation in the arts, she describes the benefits that students receive as a result of arts education. For example, she tells the story of a student who took her performing arts class in the past and stated he still uses the skills he gained in her class to help flourish his career in business. In the same interview clip, Dr. Burgess describes the educational benefits that kinesthetic learners can gain from acting out what they are learning; this acting component helps engage students and can significantly improve the education of at-risk students. 

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