How do the arts stack up as a major discipline?
What is their effect on the brain, learning, and human development?
How might schools best implement and assess an arts program?
Eric Jensen answers these questions--and more--in Arts with the Brain in Mind. To push for higher standards of learning, many policymakers are eliminating arts programs. To Jensen, that's a big mistake. Based on what we know about the brain and learning, this book presents the definitive case for making arts a core part of the basic curriculum and thoughtfully integrating them into every subject. Separate chapters address musical, visual, and kinesthetic arts in ways that reveal their influence on learning.
The effects of a fully implemented arts program, based on Jensen's thorough evidence, are:
*enhanced creativity
*an increased love of learning
*fewer dropouts
*higher attendance
*better team players
*greater student dignity
*a more prepared citizen for the workplace of tomorrow
*greater cultural awareness
To Jensen, it's not a matter of choosing, say, the musical arts over the kinesthetic. Rather, ask what kind of art makes sense for what purposes. How much time per day? At what ages? What kind of music? What kind of movement? Should the arts be required? How do we assess arts programs? In answering these real-world questions, Jensen provides dozens of practical, detailed suggestions for incorporating the arts into every classroom. This manifesto for the arts should be required reading for all teachers, administrators, parents, and school boards, who truly want to revitalize education.
