Martinez pg. 1

Erik Martinez

Mrs. Weissman

Hon English 10

April 25, 2012

Imagine a world without art, a world without music, a world without creativity. This is

what our government is causing the future to be. We all understand that the economy has been

tough these past few years, but what political figures, like Scott Walker, don’t understand is that

budget cuts towards the creative arts will have a curtail effect on growing generations, and that in

the long run perhaps it won’t be the best solution. The goal is to open the eyes of the public

education staff in order to help fight for rights that should be available to students everywhere

not just here in Wisconsin. Budget cuts are affecting how accessible the creative arts are to

students, and how the arts actually can help students improve on more than just music.

The Arts are a curtail thing to help a child unravel him/herself. Roger S. Glass, writer of

The…ARTS, clearly states that the arts help kids become independent, and that the arts helps a

kid be more team oriented and think with their own creativity. If a student starts to become

independent he/she will start to challenge themselves a lot more and will let the student be more

focused when deciding what he/she wants to do. Becoming more team oriented means that the

student will be able to work greatly with others, causing the student (future employee) to be

positive and never give in to too much stress. The less stress, the more clearly the employee can

think and the more successful she/he will be. Although with all this evidence there are still

people who say there is no use for the arts. Many parents say that art does not help their child

besides take up a space in their schedules that they could fill with something useful, or just gives

Martinez pg. 2

them hopes and dreams of things that could never happen. And while there are some people who

might spend too much time in the arts, I included, it doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons. John

Vitale, author of Music Makes You Smarter…, claims that Math and science are linked in music.

Thus, proving to students and people that math can be used in other things besides in text books.

Music teachers tell students that if they want to they want to play louder they have to buzz the

trumpet louder and push more air, thus showing students physics that not many people think

about. But one can understand that some cuts have to be made.

Budget cuts are hurting our future, but a reason that budget cuts had to be made in

Wisconsin is to get out of a $3.6 billion debt. And although schools will have to cut out about

$550 per student thus making the debt decrease like planned this doesn’t mean future generation

won’t be affected. Budget cuts like these aren’t being proposed just in Wisconsin. Showing how

terrible the economy is, but one can question are they doing the right thing? Donna Leslie,

interviewed by Dinesh Ramde and Dan Sewell in Scott Walker’s Proposed Budget Cuts to

Schools Raise-Doubts Among GOP Voters, would disagree, she knows budget cuts have to be

dealt with, but are they aren’t being dealt the right way. If kids don’t have access to arts what are

other alternatives teachers are able to do? Well, Karen Burba, site maker and writer of Art

Education on University of Michigan, thinks that without creative arts for kids to express

themselves they are more likely to cause more vandalism, violence, or just simply waste time

and money. If more kids cause violence wouldn’t that mean more people would go to prison and

end up wasting tax payer’s money instead of using it for something that could benefit everyone

else! But what can we do to show people what art is capable of?

We as the people have to start showing the government what music can do. According to

Sheri Klein, Journalist and creator of the article Social Action and Art Education: A Curriculum

Martinez pg. 3

for Change, claims that music can indeed help students learn the connection of learning. For

example it would give them a reason to appreciate learning and would try hard in school and

eventually they will be helping the economy once they become adults. Roger S. Glass states that

they could involve more art in any class from math to social studies. This would allow students

learn different ways to learn. For example as simple as showing pictures of how economy has a

hit in countries like Africa, the students would get a connection better than just reading about it

in a text book, thus making learning easier, and would help students focus.

As Americans we can’t let American cultures die! The only thing keeping these cultures

alive are the creative arts, and if we allow the government to cut budgets from schools. These

cuts will lead to a lack of the one thing that makes us Americans, culture, which every one of us

is holding within each other. We can’t let budget cuts take our future away from us; lets prove to

everyone how art truly helps each and every one of us. When jobs are difficult to get don’t we

want to have the edge and be the best-rounded? Well if we want to be “well-rounded”, the arts

must be part a curtail part

Martinez pg. 4

. Work Cited

Burba, karen. "art education:education budgets for art education." university of michigan. (2006):

1-2. Print.

<http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.burba/education_budgets_for_art_education>.

Glass, Roger S. "The ... ARTS." american teacher. 94.4 (2010): 10-12. Print.

<http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SWI0123-0-

2622&artno=0000301544&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=the

arts&title=The...ARTS&res=Y&ren=N&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=N>.

Ramde, dinesh, and dan sewell. "scott walker's proposed budget cuts to schools raise doubts

amoung some gop voters." associated press. (2011): 2-4. Print.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/scott-walkers-budget-cuts_n_840362.html>.

Sheri, Klein. "Social Action and Art Education: A curriculum for Change." Journal of cultural

research in art education. (1993): 111-125. Print.

<http://search.proquest.com/docview/205854651/135FFC3DF92755B0668/1?

accountid=47090>.

Vitale, John L. "Music Makes You Smarter: A New Paradigm for Music Education? Perceptions

and Perspectives from Four Groups of Elementary Education Stakeholders." Canadian

Journal of education. 34.3 (2011): 317-343. Print.

<http://search.proquest.com/docview/903202577/135FFC6432525EA69F7/1?

accountid=47090>.