Amidst the decreasing funds for public education in the United States, budget cuts have significantly affected the way schools divide money between different programs. Because these schools are typically evaluated by test scores and quality of classroom learning, performing arts has taken a backseat to academics and suffered some of the largest reductions. However, performing arts require funding for many things. From instruments, instructors, and costumes to transportation, practice space, and equipment, there are needs that must be maintained. Due to these needs, many schools have been unable to keep their programs running. Education in the arts is a crucial element for the future of students all across the nation so without them, students will be deprived of valuable opportunities and experiences.

Based on the criteria of student attendance and performance in academics, extensive research has proven that students who study the arts have better developmental outcomes than those who do not. As on average, these people are more likely to engage in their community and score higher on standardized tests. This may be due to how performing arts improve certain cognitive abilities such as memory and coordination. Equipped with a variety of problem-solving skills, these students can navigate future challenges and learn to be responsible and manage their time.

Furthermore, performing arts has always been more than just shows. Through hours of rehearsals, students slowly develop confidence, teamwork abilities, and creativity that aid them in discovering passions and the love for pursuing them. Like sports, arts are aspects of life away from core subjects where people learn how to improve themselves and form meaningful connections with their peers. In music, dance, and theater, students gain important life skills such as good work ethics as well as giving and receiving criticism, since all of the members of a group must combine their skills to create the best possible outcome for the performance. The arts can even be a safe place for solitude where people can immerse themselves in their own creativity.

At times where it becomes more difficult to stand out, self-expression is crucial. There is power in communicating emotion and ideas from one human to another, and performance is a vastly different way of conveying these. Exercising this ability not only gives people a sense of freedom to be who they are but it also teaches empathy. When a dancer, musician, or actor must step into a different role, they can come to understand various situations, backgrounds, and cultures.

Even though some believe that academics are more important to one’s future than performing arts, they cannot deny the benefits of having a well-rounded educational system. Just as Albert Einstein once said, “Knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.”