Teaching & Learning: Curriculum - Fine Arts

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Introduction

Philosophy of the Fine Arts Department

The curriculum of the Performing and Visual Arts program of the Arlington Public Schools will provide students the skills with which to create, perform, understand and respond to the arts. The curriculum also strives to place the performing and visual arts in a wide social, cultural and historical perspective. Inspired by the National Standards for Arts Education, the philosophy of the arts program of the Arlington Public Schools subscribes to values that draw connections among the arts, the world and the lives of students. This philosophy affirms that:

• the arts are a way of knowing and as students create, they learn how to express themselves and how to communicate with others
• while providing personal fulfillment, the arts have value and significance for daily life
• situations in other disciplines requiring creative solutions can be illuminated by artists' methods and modes of thinking
• self-discipline, perseverance and the collaborative spirit, so necessary to the arts, can transfer to the rest of life

As stated in the National Standards for the Arts, participation in the arts "is among the best possible investments in the future of not only our children, but also of our country and civilization".