Music and the arts in the curriculum: creativity can be learned

Author
SEB Education
Category
School Life
Reading time
5 min read

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Smiling children playing drums during a music lesson

Music and the arts are often seen as extra activities, but what they teach shows up in every other subject. Learning a rhythm requires attention and memory; painting requires planning; rehearsing a play requires collaboration and the courage to be seen.

Listening before playing

In music lessons, children start by listening: identifying sounds, recognising patterns and keeping time with the group. Playing together teaches something rare — waiting your turn and listening to others as closely as to your own instrument.

Child painting a canvas with bright colours

Art as a way of thinking

In the visual arts, the focus is not on a pretty result but on the process. Children experiment with materials, make choices and explain what they wanted to express. It is a way of thinking that reappears later in writing, science projects and problem solving.

When a child explains why they chose that colour, they are making an argument. Art gives a voice to those who have not yet found the words.

Beatriz Nogueira

Art teacher

Throughout the year, performances and exhibitions open to families show this journey — and for many children they are the first experience of presenting their work to an audience.