Out with the Arts!

Sue ripping out the innards of a purple piano in the season premiere.
This is a minute or so before her idea to stand against the arts.
Photo courtesy of tvfanatic.com

The third season of Glee started out with a bang. Antagonist, Sue Sylvester, running for congress platforms against the arts in public schools. Sue states: “People are angry, they want a candidate whose against something” (6:55). Later she goes on to say, “The arts are expensive, and we can’t afford it anymore…I will suspend all public school arts programs and reject all federal and state funding for the arts until every single student reads at or above grade level” (12.51). This is a point where Glee uses the character of Sue Sylvester to comment on the cutting of arts programs at schools that has been occurring especially due to financial issues within schools. The way in which Glee executes this social point also lays bare their social commentary on the matter. It would be one thing for the principal to cut the arts due to financial issues; however, having the antagonist cut the arts to try and win over American in a political scheme is a different story. With this plot, Glee seems to be saying that the arts are important and should be kept in schools. A similar opinion can be seen by Olivia Houck, “While the worry that art and music programs may put an added financial burden on schools, it has been shown that the reduction in arts costs schools money. Schools have to hire additional staff members to execute the disciplinary issues that are increasing among students” (Houck). It seems for all intents and purposes that budget cuts should not go out first to the arts. Glee actually uses Sue to advocate further upon the point of arts when she speaks on literacy. A study on music shows, “that music training, unlike listening, produces long-term modifications in underlying neural circuitry in regions not primarily concerned with music” (Shaw, Rauscher, Levine, Wright, Dennis & Newcomb 7). This means that music training improves brain function for different parts of the brain which can mean learning ability will increase too. Jill Williams says of her three year old daughter, "She has the gift of language and I can't help but believe it's because of rhythm and rhyming and the flow of music” (Harris).

http://www.fox.com/glee/full-episodes/3556956/

http://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/young-stewards-of-public-policy/essays/2009-10-the-voting-problem

http://faculty.washington.edu/demorest/rauscher.pdf

http://childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/canmusicmake.html
http://www.tvfanatic.com/gallery/sue-in-purple/

Related links:

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/education-budget-cuts_n_845620.html

Get invovled: http://www.causes.com/causes/3257-keep-the-arts-in-public-schools

More on Glee Season 3 premiere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndIRjfOF04g