Some people believe that art is useless whereas others that is essential at schools.

Nowadays, it is widely believed that art and its various forms such as music and theater are inextricably connected to the everyday life of people. The issue of whether art should be incorporated in the curriculum of schools or not has ignited heated controversy, with opponents maintaining that art classes are of little importance whilst supporters claim that art is a significant subject that should be taught at all schools. Personally, I support the latter idea even though the former idea has some positive attributes. First and foremost, art acts as a medium through which students can express their opinions and feelings. More specifically, young children who may not yet possess adequate linguistic capabilities to accurately articulate their thoughts can employ art to convey a message. For instance, through drawings and by using symbols, young children can let their teachers know if they are feeling anxious or depressed and thus receive the appropriate help as well as guidance. Furthermore, art offers students the unparalleled opportunity to delve deeply into the cultures and history of various places in the world. Admittedly, through the various art forms and particularly through music and books, a country’s culture, customs, and beliefs become widely accessible to everyone regardless of their location. Hence, students through reading books or listening to a country’s local music get instantaneously exposed to a completely different set of values and beliefs, expanding that way their horizons. Another point in support of my opinion is the fact that art is immensely important in fostering youngsters’ creativity as well as critical thinking. Indeed, it is widely claimed that art teaches students to take the time to be more careful and thorough while observing the world. To give a specific example, when students read a book or observe a theatrical play, they usually wonder about the intentions of the author while writing a specific chapter of a book and the message that the director of the theatrical play wanted to convey respectively. Therefore, through this mental process of comprehending and figuring out unstated or vague information concepts, students sharpen their creativity and critical thinking. Notwithstanding, it is claimed that since art is not only a rather abstract subject but also a quite impractical one, it should not be taught at schools as it would only burden students’ already loaded curriculum. To put it differently, art as a subject does not equip students with the appropriate set of skills such as critical thinking that will assist them in their future academic studies as well as future jobs. Yet this is not entirely true since research has shown that students who have enrolled in art classes not only developed acute critical thinking abilities but also became more creative and thus, they performed better at their future studies compared to students who were not taught art. All things considered, although some people think that art should not be taught at schools since it is an impractical subject, I firmly believe that art classes are of paramount importance because through art students get the chance to broaden their horizons, express themselves, display their inner world when voicing their thoughts seems quite difficult, and develop their creativity as well as critical thinking skills.