All the arts – literary, performing, and
visual – provide knowledge about the world and ways of experiencing it
that contributes to an understanding that is unique and different from
that gained through verbal and written language. Through experiences in
art, theatre, music, and dance, children learn to express themselves in
terms of their own ideas and feelings. All of the arts provide knowledge
about the world. Because the arts convey knowledge and meaning that is not
learned through the study of other subjects, they deserve to be a part of
every child’s education. Every civilization records important ideas and
events in the arts.
~Helen M. Smith, Coordinator of Secondary Art, Theatre, Dance
