The Road Ahead for Music and Arts Ed: Keeping it Human

By Laurie T. Schell, Elevate Arts Ed

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” ~Yogi Berra

Arts education is poised to be center stage. Human creativity—what distinguishes us from artificial intelligence—will take the spotlight if we work together to make it so. Can we fulfill the promise of arts education? Is our thinking expansive enough to outweigh the challenges holding us back? Let’s examine where we are and where we go next with opportunities in policy development and accountability, research and data, and expanding the role of media arts.

Focus on Accountability

Arts education has made significant gains in recent years when we look at federal and state policies that include music and the arts as central to a well-rounded education.

History tells us that education policy plays an important role in what happens in the classroom. That said, education policy, including arts policies, has long been beset by the so-called policy paradox, having strong policies on paper but no accountability for implementation.

What happens after the laws are passed? Anecdotal evidence suggests accountability for implementation of those laws is inconsistent at best. Nonexistent at worst. States may have content standards in the arts; however, many do not have actual instructional requirements to teach the standards. Laws with regulatory language that direct the how (accountability) by a specified agency (e.g., state department of education) are just as important as the what (policy position).

Research Re-Direct

Arts education research has come a long way in three decades. Prompted by the ongoing desire to affirm the benefit and value of arts education, research has led to some awesome as well as weird claims (remember the Mozart effect?). The field has been effective in hitching our wagon to stars that might sway decisionmakers and the public, such as linking the arts to cognitive and behavioral gains, mental health and wellness, cultural engagement, student engagement, attendance, graduation rates, and SAT scores.

What We Measure

Advocates now have access to better data to make a stronger case for arts education. The field has come to understand that 1) access to and participation in arts education; and 2) policy indicators that support arts education are important measures that drive systems change.

Now that the field recognizes the power of data, we see the need to do more:

As an accountability measure, track states and districts that do (or do not) implement existing policies.
Track the efficacy of existing arts education policies. Do positive policies in fact drive greater access and participation? If not, why not?
Track the teacher workforce pipeline. Is the total number trending up or down? Where and how many arts teachers are licensed? Where are the gaps? Is the teacher pipeline the proverbial canary in the coalmine? What are the lessons of Prop 28 in California on meeting demand for arts educators?
States tout the creative sector as a boon for the economy and workforce development. What is the link between K-12 arts education and the creative workforce?
Consider additional indicators that drive change beyond access and participation, including a measure for creativity.

A Juggernaut: Media Arts Education (MAE), Arts, Media, and Entertainment (AME)

We live in a digital age, where technology has transformed every aspect of our lives. In the education sector, we face enormous challenges and opportunities beyond the fact that artificial intelligence is becoming synonymous with “needing fewer people to do more.” One such challenge is that traditional arts courses are losing ground to Arts, Media, and Entertainment (AME) courses, which are more driven by earnings and job potential.

A quick primer: Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes and traditional arts classes (including media arts) have separate (but overlapping) content standards, yet different funding sources and licensure requirements.

There may be several reasons for the push me/pull me dilemma:

Many curricular (and staffing) decisions come down to money. In this case, CTE courses are better funded and have the promise of future jobs. Either/or choices become the norm, making it difficult for schools to embrace the idea of providing both arts and CTE.
Schools are moving toward career development pathways in middle and high schools, emphasizing specific job training over arts learning that focuses on creativity and skill development in an arts discipline.
Arts graduation requirements have gradually eroded to include a year of arts OR CTE OR foreign language.
The education system is full of silos. On the arts side, folks are feeling protective and fearful while the AME/CTE pathways are thriving and doing just fine without traditional arts.

This is when we must be bold and re-imagine how human creativity is centered in educational outcomes. It is time to articulate a shared vision between traditional arts (including media arts) and AME/CTE.

Keep It Human

In his June 2025 illustrated article, Sketched Out: An Illustrator Confronts His Fears About A.I. Art, Christoph Niemann of the New York Times, articulated the power of creativity:

“The power of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting is not that she witnessed better sunsets than the rest of us. She saw what we see. But then she sat down and spent her life trying to capture the experience in a new and exhilarating way.” ~Christoph Niemann

Laurie Schell Associates | ElevateArtsEd