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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Janine Schoen, Parent from PS 321, on Protecting Arts Programs in Public Schools
11:36:01
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3 min
Janine Schoen, a parent from PS 321 in Brooklyn, testifies before the City Council to advocate for protecting arts programs in public schools. She emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded education that includes arts for children's development, academic achievement, and future success.
- Schoen shares her personal experience of how a well-rounded education with arts helped her in her academic and professional career.
- She highlights how arts education incorporates various subjects like history, math, science, and teamwork, providing multiple benefits to students.
- Schoen urges the council to continue financially supporting arts programs in schools, noting that currently, much of the funding comes from PTA subsidies in addition to the DOE budget.
Janine S.
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Chair Joseph and members of the city council, thank you for hearing my petition this evening.
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I'm Janine Schoen, a parent of a second grader of PS three twenty one in Parkslope, Brooklyn, a chair of our school's Family Arts Night, and a brand marketer who uses both my right and left brain in my job.
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I'm testifying before you today to protect the arts programs in our public schools.
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The American Academy of Pediatric emphasizes that a well rounded education is crucial for children's development and future successes, promoting cognitive, social, and emotional growth and preparing them for college and careers.
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Additionally, the New York State Education Department guidance from 2018 advocates that when part of a well rounded education in schools, arts learning contributes to increased academic achievement and student success in college preparation for for college, career, and life.
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My well rounded education helped me develop skills in critical thinking, flex my creative muscle, and develop new ideas essential in my pursuits at Cornell University, NYU Business School, and as a marketer, providing creative solutions to complex problems at Unilever, Avon, and Cody.
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I've been thrilled that my daughter's public school has fostered exceptional programming in the common core as well as arts and music.
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Unfortunately, much of much of the arts funding as well as supplemental teacher salaries has been, subsidized by the PTA in addition to the DOE budget.
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Art and music are not only a study of creativity, drawing, painting, sculpting, building, singing, playing, but also history, designing creations in the style of artists like Basquiat, Mondrian, Bisa Butler, and learning about music from composers like Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart.
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Math, learning geometry in perspective paintings, using mathematics in the color wheel to impact hue, saturation, and brightness, and learning fractions through sheet music.
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Poetry, writing songs and ballads, science, the physics of sound wave vibrations, and the engineering involved in making musical instruments.
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Teamwork, harmonizing music together and working collaboratively on art projects, and executive function, fine motor skills, organizational skills, and mindfulness.
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I've spoken to second graders who also note that music and art calms you down and helps you to be at your best, are inspired that it can help you to see the results of your work and identify the success at the end of the struggle like some famous musicians have had a rough time and can help you to achieve your dreams like Nina Simone, who started out playing piano in church.
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Art helps our children appreciate creativity and cultural differences.
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It's an outlet for students who may struggle to express themselves and provides a different means to learn life skills necessary in any chosen profession.
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I urge you for the good of all of our children to continue to financially
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support families.