Hearts in the Arts

The President's Council on Arts Fitness

Gym Classes and the Arts- Perfect Together!

OK, I was speaking with some High School students. They, even though they will be long into college and careers by the time this happens, support heartsinthearts.com's campaign for more and enhanced Arts in the public schools because "we want students coming up the grades to have a better school experience in the Arts than we did." Wonderful. Asked what we could do to help, they said- "add music and dance to gym class." OOO, OK, what would it take to put movement and music into the gym classes. "That's not what gym is for," piped up another student. "We do 'Cardio' and other stuff and we do the President's Fitness Program." Well, I started to see the irony here and backed off my soap box. But, I mused, why can't there be a "President's Council on Arts Fitness?" With childhood obesity rates terrible high, what's wrong with a musical and dance version of gym class? A wonderful alternative that actually teaches and get our students' bodies healthier. Stress relief with stretches. It is better than having kids hate gym class (I sure did, I confess, except when we had square dancing and we did a section of 'dramatic movement'-sort of like a mime-pantomime kind of thing for about three weeks. I got the only "A" I ever got in gym, and the gym teacher came over to me individually and said-I'll never forget this', "We've finally found something you can do!" Only slightly comforted, I said "thank you" and suffered through the rest of the year "not being able to do" anything else." So, if my experience is anything typical, or even a minority of students, we could engage more kids, get them moving and swaying and clapping rhythm and getting themselves healthier and more Arts literate at the same time! Now, the President's Physical Fitness curriculum has a test associated with it. Many Arts teachers have told me that what doesn't get tested doesn't get noticed" and they see the President's Council a good example of that. So, should we have Arts tests? Should we submit Musicians and Sculptors and Dancers and Journalists to tests of accomplishment? I don't know if I'd go there, but what do you think? Is that a way to get more recognition for an Arts curriculum?

Article Manager module by by George! Software.