“IT STARTED OUT LIKE A SONG”: PRESERVING SECONDARY SCHOOL ARTS PROGRAMS FOR STUDENT IDENTITY, GROWTH, AND DEVELOPMENT

The performing arts, an integral part to student identity development, are not prioritized in secondary schools due to the emphasis on college and career readiness, causing these programs to diminish. Education policy over the last forty years has stifled creativity in classrooms. This is due to initiatives geared towards standardization, competition, and an emphasis on Advanced Placement and STEM. Arts Educators have been sounding the alarm on the decline of their programs since the introduction of A Nation at Risk, and their concerns have been ignored. The introduction of a competition-based education system has created a hierarchy of subjects in secondary school spaces, leaving arts educators feeling diminished and rejected. This dissertation of practice aims to discuss a different approach to why the arts are important in secondary spaces, and uplift voices of marginalized performing arts students to fight back against the systemic oppression of these courses. In a system that prioritizes standardized tests, AP course offerings, and STEM academies, this serves as a counter-narrative to why the arts need to have more support in secondary schools.