The Benefits of Attending Art Classes

The rewards that learning art can bring to students

Whether you are an aspiring artist, art student or a parent wishing to provide your child with a beautiful, creative aspect to learning, attending art classes may be one way for you to ensure you get off to a sound start. Building a solid footing for your future profession or a hobby you always wanted to pursue and find joy in, attending formal painting or drawing classes makes sense.

However, learning art isn’t just good for future artists. Research has shown that spending time at art classes can bring immeasurable benefits to the minds of young children too! 

RESEARCH PAPERS 

CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

CREATEQUITY

STUDIES IN ART EDUCATION

SOCIO EMOTIONAL BENEFITS

(ENG)AGING WITH THE ARTS

MUMS LOVES BEST ARTICLE

A DECADE OF ARTS

Forging Young Minds

A study, titled “Champions of Change: The Impact of The Arts on Learning”, conducted in concert with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Washington, DC.; and the Arts Education Partnership, Washington, DC., unravels the benefits that attending kids art classes can have on young minds.

Parents and guardians of kids considering enrolling their children into an art school will be considerably encouraged by the results of this research. The study, which analysed data on 25,000 students, concluded that children who had high levels of art exposure and participation: “...outperform "arts-poor" students by virtually every measure”.

While in and of itself this finding may not mean much, the detailed analysis of the researchers is what conclusively proves that enrolling kids into children’s art classes at a young age may be the best gift that any child can get.

It turns out that kids who have significant exposure to the arts, such as that offered by attending painting classes, music and drawing lessons,   perform remarkably better than their peers in subjects like reading and mathematics. More significantly too was the finding that art classes had a comparatively higher positive impact on children from less-affluent backgrounds than it did on kids from higher-income families.

Undoubtedly then, kids attending art classes, therefore, have a much brighter future ahead of them than their fellow students who aren’t being exposed to the arts at a tender age.

Grounded In Science

The authors of the study found that engagement in drawing classes or other forms of artistic learning provides young children with a learning experience like no others:
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• It stimulates both sides of the brain, which might not otherwise be exercised through other learning opportunities
• It engages children’s minds, bodies and hearts, giving them meaningful experiences grounded in reality
• Collective studies, like that experienced when attending art classes at an art school, helps children connect with each other, stimulating their social interaction skills

While the study looked at a database containing extensive amounts of data on students from 8th to 12th grades, the conclusions drawn aren’t just statistical in nature. They are grounded in extensive knowledge of human and social sciences.
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By age 10, children often lose their enthusiasm for the arts, as they discover that their drawing or paintings are not as realistic as they with them to be and find other activities that challenge and engage their minds. The earlier kids’ minds are tapped, the more effective kids art classes can be. So, if you are a parent or guardian looking to “level the playing field” in favour of your child, then enrolling them in a range of children’s art classes at a tender age – as young as seven years – can guarantee your child’s future.

Other Advantages Attending Art Classes

• The prime benefit of art classes is to get you the best possible start for learning how to draw and paint.
• To come to a place that inspires brings comfort, motivates and allows you to mingle with people who have the same interest as you. 
• Because art teachers have knowledge that the students lack. Being trained by an art teacher who has broad skills, such as teaching art, commercial illustration, graphic design, art critique and classical drawing and painting skills brings a comprehensive knowledge base to the table. Even minor information can help students to avoid a lot of problems.
• It helps to follow projects through. Most people give up quickly when they encounter difficulties and do a U-turn by running to something less demanding. Within an art class, you will be strengthened and supported to conquer irritations. 
• It speeds up time of learning and improvements are quickly established. 
• You can work in an environment that is most suitable for art, with all the equipment you need, unlike home where many people have to put things away and clean up immediately. 
• For greater encouragement

For me, the research data on art education alone is already astonishing, but it is the impossibly high percentage of skill improvements that almost shocked me. It is evident that the arts play a vital role today in the healthy upbringing of our children. 

Martina Pook

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