be assessed, the student periodically demonstrates his mastery by playing. More
accomplished, artists assess him according to his own goals and a professional standard.
Such assessment is a longer and much more individualized process then paper and
pencil tests, but has the crucial element of not only telling students how they are doing
in their discipline, but also of teaching them the process of assessment so that it can be
used later in any situation.
Talent -- An (understandably) common perception is that intensive arts training is only
for the gifted and talented few, rather then as perhaps an opportunity for learning that
should be offered to all children from the earliest grades. We do not assume that only
"talented" children can be taught to read, write, and figure, yet we call ability in the arts
"talent," not intelligence, and assume that very few children possess this mysterious
commodity.
The question is often asked as to why there are so many Asian musicians in American
conservatories and orchestras. The explanation for the emergence of so much Asian
talent is that in countries such as Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan all children are
taught from the earliest grades to play an instrument, to draw and to sing. The issue of
"talent" is set aside until later in schooling because it places too much emphasis on
individual differences. It is assumed that all children can and should be taught to play,
sing, dance, and draw to a high degree of proficiency just as Americans assume all
children can be taught to read, write, and figure. Furthermore, proficiency in the arts in
Asian culture is considered an important characteristic of an educated person. It is
assumed that knowledge and ability in the arts is necessary to fully participate in one's
culture.
This is in sharp contrast to the American experience where the arts are considered
"nice" but not essential. If you ask American children at the age of five if they can dance,
sing, and draw, they will reply enthusiastically "YES!" When asked the same question in
middle school, they say "NO." These skills appear to be unlearned in American schools.
It is also well documented that the number of students who report participation in the
arts drops from about fifty percent in first grade to below five percent in middle school,
when, apparently, it is time to buckle down and study "real" subjects like math and
science. Talent in America is not rare; it is un-nurtured and unidentified. How many
songs remain unsung by American children because their society and their schools,
unlike Asian society, separates the arts from other areas of human experience
considered an essential element of a civilized culture. This is particularly ironic when
one considers that it is often only through the artistic achievements of past cultures that
we know what mattered to those who preceded us.
Varieties of Learning Styles -- These observations about talent and the arts are
related to an area in educational research where we have gained much greater
understanding in recent years; how children learn and, therefore, how should we teach.
We now understand that every child learns differently: some are visual learners, others
aural; some cannot focus on one thing for more then a minute or two or must be in
motion to pay attention; others appear to think in the linear fashion favored by old-