The muses go to school : inspiring stories about the importance of arts in education

What do Whoopi Goldberg, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rosie Perez, and Phylicia Rashad have in common? A transformative encounter with the arts during their school years. Whether attending a play for the first time, playing in the school orchestra, painting a mural under the direction of an art teacher, or writing a poem, these famous performers each credit an experience with the arts at school with helping them discover their inner humanity and putting them on the road to fully realized creative lives. In __The Muses Go to School__, autobiographical pieces with well-known artists and performers are paired with interpretive essays by distinguished educators to produce a powerful case for positioning the arts at the center of primary and secondary school curriculums. Spanning a range of genres from acting and music to literary and visual arts, these smart and entertaining voices make surprising connections between the arts and the development of intellect, imagination, spirit, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and self-discipline of young people. With support from a star-studded cast, editors Herbert Kohl and Tom Oppenheim present a memorable critique of the growing national trend to eliminate the arts in public education. Going well beyond the traditional rationales, __The Muses Go to School__ shows that creative arts, as a means of academic and personal development, are a critical element of any education. It is essential reading for teachers, parents, and anyone who really cares about education. In The Muses Go To School, Autobiographical Pieces By Well-known Artists And Performers Are Paired With Illuminating Essays By Distinguished Educators To Produce A Powerful Case For Putting The Arts At The Center Of Primary And Secondary School Curricula. Spanning A Range Of Genres From Acting And Music To Literary And Visual Arts, These Smart And Entertaining Voices Make Surprising Connections Between The Arts And The Development Of Intellect, Imagination, Spirit, Emotional Intelligence, Self-esteem, And Self-discipline In Young People.--jacket. Preface : The Necessity Of Art In Public Education / Herbert Kohl -- Introduction : The Arts And Social Justice / Tom Oppenhiem -- Tears In The Dark : The Arts As A Vehicle For The Discovery Of The Self : Rosie Perez ; Michelle Fine -- Communication From One's Heart : The Arts And The Development Of Self-discipline : Phylicia Rashad ; Lisa Delpit -- An Affair With One's Soul : The Arts And The Development Of Cultural Identity : Frances Lucerna ; Bill Ayers -- Good, Hard Work : The Arts, Lifelong Commitments, Pleasures, And Pains : Bill T. Jones ; Kevin Truitt -- Teaching On The Bandstand : The Intergenerational Legacy Of The Arts : David Amram ; Gary Stager -- Walking Into The Fire : The Arts As An Integrative Force In Learning : Philip Seymour Hoffman ; Deborah Meier -- I Taste It When I Look At It : The Importance Of Arts For Those Who Learn Differently : Whoopi Goldberg ; Diane Ravitch -- The Only Thing That Will Save Us From Ourselves : The Arts, Social Engagement, And Social Transformation / Moisés Kaufman ; Steve Seidel -- Enriching Society : The Communal Power Of The Arts : Mike Medavoy ; Colin Greer -- Rebellions, Breakthroughs, And Secret Gardens : The Arts And Imagination : Maxine Greene ; Shirley Brice Heath -- Afterword / Robert Jackson -- A Note To The Reader. Edited By Herbert Kohl And Tom Oppenheim.