Growing up, I never quite understood why some subjects were treated as “serious” and others weren’t. Math had weight. Science had prestige. But the hour we spent in the art room or singing in music class? That was basically considered a break – a nice thing to do, but not something that *mattered*. Looking back, I think that attitude got a lot wrong.
The case for art and music in schools isn’t just sentimental. When a child sits down to learn an instrument, they’re practicing something incredibly demanding reading notation, training their fingers, listening critically, and starting over when it falls apart. That process builds patience in a way that’s hard to manufacture through a textbook. Similarly, making art asks children to make decisions constantly: what goes here, why this color, does this feel right? Those aren’t small questions. They’re the same kinds of questions that designers, architects, and entrepreneurs wrestle with every single day.
Now, I do understand the other argument. Some parents – especially those who’ve seen how brutal the job market can be – worry that time spent painting or playing the violin is time not spent preparing for real competition. And honestly, that concern comes from a genuine place. Nobody wants their child to struggle financially because their school prioritized the wrong things. Mathematics, coding, and science do open concrete doors, and that’s not nothing.
But I’d push back on the assumption buried inside that argument – the idea that creativity is somehow separate from practical success. It isn’t, not really. The most sought-after quality in workplaces right now isn’t just technical skill. It’s the ability to approach a problem from an angle nobody else considered.