Art classes, which have been mandatory in California’s state curriculum since 1995, are an integral part of every student’s schooling experience. Despite this, the arts do not receive equal attention or funding despite the requirements under state laws. VPAs, or Visual and Performing Arts, encompass visual arts such as multimedia, sculpture, and photography, as well as performing arts such as drama, choir, and band.
Nevertheless, according to students with a particular interest in arts, VPAs have strong effects on several aspects of their lives. Studies conducted by the National Library of Medicine have shown that expression through art can reduce negative effects of depression, anxiety, and stress; students report that their art periods are often the most relaxed, providing a necessary balance from the stress of their other classes. Daria Cisper (‘25), who has taken six years of choir between middle and high school, affirms this, saying that choir is her “safe space” at school, especially as a junior taking rigorous AP courses. She describes her choir class as a highlight of her day, stating that she “wouldn’t want to be here [at school] if she wasn’t taking [choir].”
In advanced arts, where students have been performing with their friends for several years, art classes can also affect a student’s social life. Thespian Maya Colon (‘25) confirms this, emphasizing the friendships she has formed through theater have lasted throughout her high school career. She states that her favorite part of participating in theater is “learning new [choreography] with [her] friends and performing for the people that [she] loves.” Colon has worked with her fellow thespians for [8?] shows.
The communities formed through repeated collaboration with any group of people tend to be particularly strong. Clarinetist Sophie McCanna (‘25) has been a member of WGHS’s wind ensemble and marching band for three years; she has noted that the band students have a distinct community formed from hours of time spent practicing and performing. She specifies that it is “comforting to not be alone;” because the wind ensemble is such a big class, there will always be someone she knows everywhere she goes on campus.
Arts in school are often more than a simple government-mandated course. For many students, they provide a reprieve from other classes and a community.
