Why teaching art to children has become essential
Why teaching art to children has become essential
By Tut Sayogya
JAKARTA (JP): Many educators like to criticize the mistakes
made by the New Order education system, especially the
curriculum, which is still in use now.
Although the system has produced millions of "intelligent"
people, it has not encouraged certain capabilities because it
focuses on logical-analytical human behavior. Students lack
important qualities such as creativity, intuition, global
analyzing, etc. Why?
Every human's brain has two hemispheres. Educators and
biologists have found that the curriculum designed by the New
Order regime only stimulates development of the brain's left
hemisphere. The primary school curriculum consists of three main
sciences: mathematics, language and social sciences. The idea of
developing only one hemisphere is to produce an analytical-
logical human being.
The functions of the brain's left hemisphere are: analyzing
(partial analyzing capability), linear functions, deductive
reasoning, mathematics, language, understanding verses of songs,
fact finding, thinking, verbal functions, obedience, discipline
and logical thinking.
Meanwhile the functions of brain's right hemisphere can be
developed by doing artistic activities such as drawing, sport,
recreation, music, dancing and group playing. Often (always, to
be more precise) these activities are considered unnecessary by
parents, who would prefer their children to become medical
specialists, or some other highly qualified professional.
Parents do not realize that they "create" an analytical-
logical personality in their children when they only promote
development of the brain's left hemisphere.
The function of the brain's right hemisphere is global
analyzing. Creativity boosts the ability to create something new
using the imagination. The understanding of rhythm will result in
a better understanding of music. Understanding the non-verbal
will help analysis of the verbal communication of other people.
Feeling, mental picturing, daydreaming and intuition all require
good functioning of the right brain, which can be developed from
the age of six to nine years.
Problems
The curriculum that the New Order regime designed has not yet
been revised. Educators, biologists and the general public who
are concerned about the development of younger generations are
yet to correct this problem.
They are facing problems, such as:
* the curriculum remains unchanged;
* not many parents realize the importance of giving their
children lessons in the arts, sport and freedom to play with
their friends;
* the rich tend to make their children become "idealistic
creatures" because they have no financial problems; and
* parents generally think that artistic learning is useless.
There is also a belief that a child needs talent to be
artistically successful. Actually, the whole process of artistic
learning is similar to learning a new language.
Talent
Through a very systematic learning system children will be
able to produce good paintings. The role of talent in learning
art is only one percent. The major contributors are interest,
effort and willingness.
There are a thousand reasons why people do not like learning
about art.
Among the most common excuses for ignoring arts is the belief
that learning art does not hold the promise of a good future.
They do not seem to realize that painters like Affandi, Djoko
Pekik, Basuki Abdullah, Teguh Ostenrik and Erica are reasonably
wealthy from their professions.
Also, there is a common belief that art is only good for dumb
people who are not competent at mathematics, while we all know
that mathematics is not the only yardstick for gauging a person's
proficiency.
In the extreme case, narrow-minded parents will not accept an
artist in their family.
Healing power
Scientific studies have concluded that art has healing power
by changing a person's physiology and attitude. The body's
physiology changes from one of stress to one of deep relaxation,
from one fear to one of creativity and inspiration. Art and music
alter a person's brain wave patterns; art and music affect a
person's nervous system, their hormonal balance and their brain
neurotransmitters.
Art and music affect every cell in the body to create a
healing physiology that changes the immune system and blood flow
to ailing organs. Art and music also change a person's
perceptions of their world. They change attitude, emotional state
and pain perception.
According to neurophysiologists, art, prayer and healing all
evolve from the same source in the body -- they are all
associated with similar brain wave patterns, mind and body
changes, and they all are deeply connected with feeling and
meaning.
Art, prayer and healing all take us into our inner world, the
world of imagery and emotion, of visions and feelings. This
journey inward, into what used to be called "the spirit of soul"
and is now called the "mind", is very therapeutic. For healing
comes from within, when our own healing resources are freed to
allow our immune system to operate optimally.
This is the contemporary version of freeing our healing
energies and it is now recognized to be crucial for healing. We
go inward on the creative spiral together through art and music.
This shows that, by giving your children a chance to study
art, you give them a chance to use both hemispheres of their
brain.
Aviva Gold, a painter and art therapist, wrote in her article
Physician heal thyself, taking our own best medicine of the
handicaps found in applying art therapy. The first obstacle is
our need to do it right, look good and have our creative
productions be esthetically pleasing by art school standards.
Second, we are trained to look for pathology and hidden meaning.
Third, we have an investment in being in control, having
professional composure and a clever, insightful mind. Fourth,
taking care of others is an effective way of avoiding pain that
may befall our vulnerable selves. Fifth, our fear of unleashing
our own madness.
The writer is a human resources consultant and art teacher.