#pcah

March is both YOUTH ART MONTH and MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH

@johnlloydyoungfriends  What a great month for your visit to Walker ES and your performance in Broward with your beautiful students!!  It’s obvious that they adore you!

Novelist Gail Godwin said that good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre.  That must be why you’re so good at it!!   🎭 🎼 🎨

John Lloyd Young spoke about the importance the arts in education during Fine Arts Advocacy Day at the Statehouse. Young originated the role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, Broadway's Tony Award-winning Best Musical. He went on to win the Lead Actor Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards, becoming the only American actor to win all four leading actor awards for a Broadway debut. He also sings lead vocals on the Grammy Award-winning Jersey Boys Original Cast Album, and re-created his role for the musical’s film adaptation, directed by Clint Eastwood.

We talk a lot about STEM in our schools (science, technology, engineering and math) but there’s strong evidence we should focus on STEAM. Arts are an integral part of a well-rounded education, too. Research shows that:

•Arts-engaged students are three times more likely to have excellent attendance records and four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.

•At-risk students cite arts engagement as a reason for staying in school.

•High-poverty arts-engaged eighth graders score higher on reading and science assessments.

•Students in the arts outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT by 91 points.

•Arts-engaged students are more likely to be active in their communities.

•Arts contribute to heightened ambition and an overall improvement in school environment.

I visited with a group of fourth-grade students from Findley Elementary about what arts education has meant to them personally, and the results are clear. These young students impressed upon me how much arts programming in our public schools helps them get excited about the learning process, gives them outlets to express themselves and promotes better school engagement by their families.