Replacing arts subjects in schools - Worksheet 3

C1 Advanced · Gapped Text · Cambridge Exam Booster for Advanced, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read a newspaper article about the arts. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

Replacing arts subjects in schools

Despite a lack of resources, we need a commitment to creativity in schools.

But the structure of the timetable they'd decided on, which allowed students to select only one choice between art, music and drama, and none of those if the child also wanted to study a second language, hardly seemed to support that view.

It's an oddly short-sighted view, and one which has been the subject of campaigns which spell out clearly the contribution of the creative sector to the economy. Encouraging young people to study creative arts is all well and good, but it's also useful to provide them with these figures, to reassure them that there are jobs at the end of it.

Schools used to provide these, often backed up by community youth projects. But the latter have had their funding cut, and many state-school teachers find their time and resources stretched so thinly that they are unable to provide the kind of music tuition, theatre or gallery trips and after-school clubs that were previously on offer.

To bridge this potential inequality, carving out a space for all young people to express themselves creatively is essential. It is crucial to developing imagination, curiosity and empathy. These are qualities which can do much to shape a more progressive society.

This appears to be happening despite assurances from politicians, who firmly reject the suggestion that the arts are somehow considered less important than subjects such as science and maths. The statistics suggest, however, that whatever ministers or congressmen say, a clear disparity appears to have been created.

One such organisation now supports more than 1,000 individuals through different projects, and counts several established actors among its patrons. Many of them say they wouldn't have been able to get started in their careers without similar backing.

There's no question that the opportunity to explore creative expression can broaden people of any age's outlook and allow this to happen. And it comes with some pretty positive side-effects: boosting confidence and encouraging empathy and curiosity about the wider world.

In 2006, 84-year-old American novelist, Kurt Vonnegut, wrote a letter to a class of schoolchildren who had asked him to visit. He was too ill to travel, but offered them instead the following lesson for life: 'Practise any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.'

Middle-class parents have long known this; it's why they get their children signed up for music groups before they can walk. Being 'cultured' opens doors even if you don't pursue a career in the arts. Private schools know this too, and usually offer a rich and varied extracurricular programme of artistic activities. But Vonnegut's advice is not so easy to follow for those who have little opportunity or guidance when it comes to the arts.

Perhaps an even greater worry is that creative writing, art, drama and music, once an integral part of the curriculum, are having their status reduced in favour of more obviously 'commercially useful' subjects. In the UK, for example, there has recently been a huge decline in the number of pupils taking qualifications in arts subjects. In a challenging global economy, the arts are increasingly seen as 'soft subjects'.

This observation was reinforced when my 14-year-old son recently chose subject options for the two subsequent academic years. The fact that his school decided to send an accompanying letter assuring parents that the 'soft subjects' would not be considered inferior to maths and sciences by the top universities was telling in itself.

So, if schools and government are unable or unwilling to stem the tide in favour of more 'commercially useful' subjects at the expense of artistic ones, where do those whose career aims do not neatly fall into the commercially useful category turn? Charitable institutions which provide grants and bursaries for talented young people are springing up in many countries, or finding themselves in greater demand. Students who were unable to develop their skills for want of the most basic provision – the cost of a musical instrument or the train fare to attend a drama school audition – are getting their financial needs met, and are also helped in other ways.

But the obvious problem with charities is that, by definition, they can't be everywhere and such an approach is no substitute for a nationwide educational commitment to the arts that reflects the value of the creative sector to the economy and to personal wellbeing. The performing arts should not become luxuries for well-off children, because talent doesn't go with money.

To achieve this worthy aim, governments should consider not only the inclusion of the expressive arts in all state school curricula, but also investment in teachers who can provide art, drama and music outside the timetable, for the less tangible – but no less valuable – purpose of expanding minds and, yes, growing souls.

In 2006, 84-year-old American novelist, Kurt Vonnegut, wrote a letter to a class of schoolchildren who had asked him to visit. He was too ill to travel, but offered them instead the following lesson for life: 'Practise any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.' ___ Middle-class parents have long known this; it's why they get their children signed up for music groups before they can walk. Being 'cultured' opens doors even if you don't pursue a career in the arts. Private schools know this too, and usually offer a rich and varied extracurricular programme of artistic activities. But Vonnegut's advice is not so easy to follow for those who have little opportunity or guidance when it comes to the arts. ___ Perhaps an even greater worry is that creative writing, art, drama and music, once an integral part of the curriculum, are having their status reduced in favour of more obviously 'commercially useful' subjects. In the UK, for example, there has recently been a huge decline in the number of pupils taking qualifications in arts subjects. In a challenging global economy, the arts are increasingly seen as 'soft subjects'. ___ This observation was reinforced when my 14-year-old son recently chose subject options for the two subsequent academic years. The fact that his school decided to send an accompanying letter assuring parents that the 'soft subjects' would not be considered inferior to maths and sciences by the top universities was telling in itself. ___ So, if schools and government are unable or unwilling to stem the tide in favour of more 'commercially useful' subjects at the expense of artistic ones, where do those whose career aims do not neatly fall into the commercially useful category turn? Charitable institutions which provide grants and bursaries for talented young people are springing up in many countries, or finding themselves in greater demand. Students who were unable to develop their skills for want of the most basic provision – the cost of a musical instrument or the train fare to attend a drama school audition – are getting their financial needs met, and are also helped in other ways. ___ But the obvious problem with charities is that, by definition, they can't be everywhere and such an approach is no substitute for a nationwide educational commitment to the arts that reflects the value of the creative sector to the economy and to personal wellbeing. The performing arts should not become luxuries for well-off children, because talent doesn't go with money. ___ To achieve this worthy aim, governments should consider not only the inclusion of the expressive arts in all state school curricula, but also investment in teachers who can provide art, drama and music outside the timetable, for the less tangible – but no less valuable – purpose of expanding minds and, yes, growing souls.

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