Arts In Terms Of Australian Education

In Australian schools Arts is one of the most important subjects taught. The arts provide a unique way of learning and knowing about the world and human experience.

The arts used to be an activity in the school that suffered in terms of space, staffing, time, and resources. In the past an arts lesson was thought of putting some paint out and giving the students free time to paint. These days the arts are a subject in the curriculum that includes dance, drama, media, music, and visual art.

The arts are a form of human communication, which uses languages other than words to express understanding and ideas. In all cultures the arts provide fundamental ways of expressing and representing ideas, feelings, values and beliefs.

I think the main issues I will have whilst teaching this area will be giving students enough variety in activities to work in each strand of the arts (dance, drama, media, music, and visual art); I also think teaching some multiculturalism through the arts is very important; and also having enough time to teach an enriched arts curriculum.

In the past the arts have not been seen as an important part of schooling for students. When I was at school my arts lessons consisted of painting and occasionally some drama. Now that the arts are part of the curriculum, we must teach all strands of the arts to students.

The arts are not only for communicating ideas. They are ways of having ideas, of creating ideas, of exploring experiences in particular ways and fashioning our understanding of these experiences into new forms.

Lifelong educational opportunity is important in assisting us to cope with changing social, economic and technical circumstances. We need to ensure we teach the arts to assist the wide variety of human abilities and interests, and to help individuals cope with these changes.

Through the arts education students will develop many of their intellectual abilities; they will also learn lots of valuable life skills through the arts. Some of these skills include educating the senses; only in the arts will students learn to take information through the ears and eyes through an art form. Students will acquire the skills and abilities to express themselves using the languages of the arts and strands. And they will be able to understand and respect their uniqueness through this subject, and the creativity they and others in their class are able to show through this subject area.

The students will also learn how important the role of arts is through people's culture and societies. The arts is also very important in most peoples daily lives, through music- the radio, media- the television, drama- the soap operas on television. Most people don't realize just how important teaching the arts is.

The arts have also made a significant contribution to all cultures and societies, past and present. As we have discussed in workshops we, as teachers, will be able to take our students to the art gallery and show them historical pieces which shows some of the physical changes our land has been through. We can also show the students artworks from different cultural backgrounds, in the Asia gallery the students can see the different ways the artists have portrayed their societies through different art forms compared to the contemporary Aboriginal art forms.

Children need to be given a broad introduction to the rich variety of media, techniques and forms of expressive and creative activity through the arts contexts. There is a wide range of strands in the arts curriculum, such as: music, dance, drama, media and visual arts. All of these areas need to be taught for the students to get a full understanding of the arts area and to gain all valuable life skills through these strands.

These strands all inter lap through a variety of activities and tasks, but you can gain a valuable range of skills through each strand. For example through the visual arts strand students are able to experiment with different media; explore different techniques and tools; understand basic ideas of art e.g. tone, color, texture; develop an awareness of the use of visual symbols to convey ideas and feelings; and they develop powers of observation and description.

Also through the strand of music students get to use and understand sound as a medium of expression and communication; learn to make sounds with the voice, musical instruments, and other means of sound production; respond to a variety of styles and forms of composition; and they develop individual interests and abilities in making and appreciating music.

Through education in each of the arts strands students learn to respond critically to images, sounds, performances, and events in the artistic environment. This is important because it allows students to develop their creativity through their intelligences.

Militarism

A wide range of cultures with their traditions and their expectations, are likely to be present in a large school. Because of this schools are in a position to assist in complex cultural exchanges. The arts have a great role to play in this as they are able to demonstrate many of the similarities and differences through different cultures.

When students have been educated about the range of cultures through the arts they begin to respond to a variety of styles and forms of visual art, including differences between cultural forms, and between historical periods.

Students will be able to see different techniques used by different cultures, they may be able to discuss the differences in language, dress, behavior, and religion; these often reflect profound differences in ways of seeing the world and interpreting it's meaning. Students will also see differences in the way the arts were done throughout history, and be able to follow the development of arts throughout history.

Students become familiar with their own artistic heritage and surroundings. They are able to recognize themselves, their environment, their concerns, and their feelings expressed in a diverse range of materials, styles and art forms.

As we have discussed in the workshops we, as teachers, must understand and respect the range of cultures present in the classroom, especially when celebrating special occasions such as birthdays, easter and Christmas.

Whilst teaching multiculturalism through the arts I hope to develop an understanding in students that the arts are an integral aspect of living for all people, from all cultures and histories.

The arts are usually seen as one of the least valuable strands of the eight areas in the curriculum. Society values the academic subjects a lot more, not realizing to the full extent how much of an effect the art has on a student's intellectual ability.

Students learn to explore the development and expression of ideas through examples of art forms; this can be from any of the art strands.

The arts shows students how to express and organize their feelings and ideas about experiences. They are also able to make sense of and contribute to their world and their surroundings, and investigate their values and those of others around them.

Each of the arts strands has played a unique role in history and continues to play a unique role in contemporary cultures and societies. Therefore we need to ensure we teach our students the full range of the arts, as they are the future and they carry our culture and history on to the future generations.

Therefore through the arts education I will ensure to teach each strand of the arts, as they each have individual qualities that are equally as valuable and teach a wide range of skills the students will need throughout their lives.