The Art Project

            I am back in my office after having spent a delightful hour in the Duffy Lewis Gymnasium enjoying a magnificent Student Christmas Assembly put on by the Visual and Performing Arts Department. There was something for everyone…the 48 voice Choir sang, the elite Jazz Ensemble performed, as did the Advanced Band, the newly formed String Ensemble wowed the students with their technique, the Dance program was showcased, including two students who compete in Irish Step Dancing.  There were soloists and a video (produced by the students in the Film and Digital Media Program) entitled The Art Project that featured interviews of student members of the Visual and Performing Arts Department talking about the impact Art (in all of its manifestations) had on their individual development.

            As I returned to my office, I was struck by two different impressions; the first focused on the obvious - the amazing depth and breadth of student artistic talent which is drawn to La Salle’s VPA program - and, the less obvious but no less important, phenomenal reaction of their student colleagues who cheered and, at one point, initiated a standing ovation, in appreciation of the accomplishments of the student artists performing on the gym floor.  As I watched the performance, I realized how much the community of La Salle takes for granted the unique elements - one of which is our four-year Arts Program - that distinguish us from other private high schools in the greater Pasadena area. As an Academic Advisor to freshmen, I regularly work with students who need to schedule certain courses during the School’s Summer Academic Institute in order to ensure that they will be able to pursue their passion in the Arts each semester for the next four years. I’ve been in the school business for over 30 years and I don’t know of another school (certainly none that I’ve worked in) where teenagers willingly take a summer school class in order to clear a space in their schedule so that they could concentrate on one particular academic discipline (this also happens in the Mathematics Department for students who want to take the two-semester Advanced Placement Calculus program in their Senior year).  And yet, we have over 100 students doing exactly that.

            As I reflected on these taken-for-granted elements of the La Salle Difference, it occurred to me that I’m probably not the only Lancer who assumes that the day-to-day experience of the teenagers entrusted to our care is normative for all high school students. Sadly, in fact, for most California teenagers, this is not the case. There is irony in our “take-it-for-granted” attitude to this unique approach to Arts Education at La Salle. While more than one research study highlights the value of exposure to the Arts for all educational disciplines; the Arts are among the first programs to fall prey to the budget axe in the public sector. Budget cuts and the Great Recession have reduced these opportunities for most high school students in the Golden State. Like Counseling, Arts Education is often the first to feel the impact of the deficit-cutting axe when there are too few dollars to support all of the worthwhile educational programs that ought to be available to every student in California.

In his forward to the 2011 report of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities: Re-Investing in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools, US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan made this observation:

The opportunity to learn about the arts and to perform as artists is an essential part of a well-rounded curriculum and complete education. The study of drama, dance, music, and the visual arts helps students explore realities, relationships, and ideas that cannot be conveyed simply in words or numbers. The ability to perform and create in the fine arts engenders innovative problem-solving skills that students can apply to other academic disciplines and provides experiences working as a team.

            This is not a screed against the tortured financial politics of the Golden State. What I want to share in this reflection is the deep gratitude I have for the generous donors - alumni, current parents, grandparents and parents of alumni - who recognize that the La Salle Difference is not only worthy of their philanthropic support but dependent upon their generosity - if we are to successfully implement our Mission to “nurture, inspire, challenge and motivate” the students entrusted to our care. Secretary Duncan uses the term “the magic of the Arts” to describe the impact these disciplines can - and must - have on elementary and secondary students. I am especially grateful for the essential role the “magic of the arts” plays here at La Salle.