Marin Voice: Every regular class can be part of a ‘school of the arts’

There should be arts programs that include music, the fine arts, performing arts and film in every secondary school.

Apart from their intrinsic value, these programs provide enrichment that can last students a lifetime. Unfortunately, arts programs are generally very vulnerable to budget cuts, a casualty of our predominant values.

I am happy that California’s Proposition 28 appears to be passing. It increases arts education funding. However, I know it will not provide all the money needed by most districts to fund these programs.

I think we can still infuse our schools with the arts by integrating the arts with other subjects. I have a vision of schools that include the arts across the subject area curriculum.

Here’s my vision: We enter a history class that is studying the period of the 1920s in the U.S. and France. Today they are listening to the music of the Jazz Age, including Charlestown dance hits, Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and others. They will then look at slides of some of the best artists of the period, including Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keefe and Edward Hopper.

During the next period, we visit English class, which includes the same students. They are reading and discussing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, “The Great Gatsby.” The schedule indicates they’ll later watch a film of the book and write critiques of how faithful it is to Fitzgerald’s narrative.

These linked classes are under the rubric of “American studies” and the teachers integrate art, literature, music, film and theater with each of the historical periods being studied.

In another class, theater arts are being integrated with history. Some students are doing individual research of a specific historical figure of the era being studied. Those students will portray the figure in a skit. Some class members will play the role of TV news people and interview each of them. Other students are writing brief plays, some of which will be acted out in class with a student directing.

Visiting a contemporary American culture social studies class, we listen to music from some different American cultures, including African American, Latino, Native American, Asian and Eastern European. We explore how the music connects to each of these subcultures. Tomorrow, they will listen to the first recordings brought in by students that they think represent their cultures. That will continue periodically across the semester.

Next, on to a math class. I thought that might be a very difficult subject to integrate the arts, but the teacher who’d read “Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid” by Douglas Hofstadter could have the students look at the relationship between Johann Sebastian Bach’s music and the mathematical thinking of Kurt Gödel.

A teacher with extensive background in the theater has students read an abbreviated version of “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow, as the students also studied Hamilton in their American history class. They will also watch an interview with playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, in which he discusses how he integrated the history with his lyrics.

Now, into a French class where a small group of students has designed a short comedic play of conflicts between the chef, staff and owner in a small French bistro. They wrote it and it’s acted out in French by class members.

Finally, into a science class showing excerpts from the film, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” followed by a discussion of the science used in the film, both good and bad. This will be followed by an exploration of the film’s soundtrack.

Are these classes possible? Sure, I know teachers across all our schools who already integrate arts in their curriculum and instruction. I think more teachers would if it was considered a priority and supported by the school district.

I know it can be done. I’ve been there, done it and observed it. I’d like to see more of this integration across Marin secondary schools.