In Defense of the Arts

The arts have been known to be overshadowed, but how about at NAI?

December 19, 2019

QUICK! Where is the art room? What was the fall play this year? What is PMEA? These are questions that all students at NAI should be able to answer. Sadly, many students cannot. At NAI, there are many courses and programs that give students an outlet to express themselves in ways that they can’t get in other places. However, sometimes the arts can be overshadowed by other things, such as the athletic program or STEM, that make it harder for people to understand and appreciate it.

For example, in middle school, physical education, a music class, and an art class were all required. At NAI, only physical education is a required course. It is important to stay in shape and learn about how to stay healthy throughout your life, but the arts are just as important. The arts give people the confidence that they need for things such as job interviews and public speaking. If gym is a required course, then how come an arts class is not? Both are crucial for succeeding in life.

Another example of the arts being overshadowed is the high school musical. The musical happens at NASH, but there were 32 NAI students involved with last years production of Good News. Almost HALF of the cast was from NAI. Everyone worked very hard on the show, so it is very disheartening that NASH got a lot of credit for the show, but NAI did not.

As well as being overshadowed by athletics, the arts can sometimes be overshadowed by STEM courses. STEM includes, science, technology, engineering, and math courses. These are very important courses that can help people get closer to the career that they want to pursue. However, the arts can sometimes be seen as “less important” even though many kids at NAI want to pursue a career in the arts. This can lower students’ motivation to pursue a career in the arts and make it seem like their viewpoints are not as important.

At NAI, there are many aspects of the arts that students don’t even know about. Many art programs at NAI such as the musical are underappreciated even though the artists worked very hard. Students at NAI would love to see the arts more appreciated within the school.