Arts Education is Not "Extra" - It’s Essential

A recent article in The Baltimore Banner, “What Education Department closure could mean for Maryland schools and colleges,” described challenges that may be coming for Maryland’s schools and students, such as losing Title 1 funding. The article states that a potential impact of this loss of funding could be losing music teachers. While this is a real concern, the article’s description of music as “extra” reflects a persistent and damaging misconception—that arts education is a luxury rather than a fundamental part of a well-rounded education.

In fact, arts education, including music, is required in Maryland. Federal law (ESSA) recognizes the arts as subjects that make up a well-rounded education, which is further enumerated in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR 13A.04.16.01). These regulations affirm that the arts are core subjects, essential to student development.

Acknowledging and emphasizing the required nature of music and the arts strengthens the point that this article was making: loss of federal funds won’t just jeopardize things that are “nice to have” in education, it will jeopardize required and fundamental components of every child’s public education. When media outlets describe arts educators as “extra,” it reinforces antiquated perceptions that undermine arts programs, funding, and prioritization. This has real consequences, affecting the resources and support available to educators and students alike.

We urge journalists and editors to be mindful of the language they use when discussing education policy. Words shape perceptions, and in this case, they can either support or erode the rightful place of the arts in our schools. In a time when truth is increasingly taxed by a spectrum of falseness ranging from ignorance to outright misinformation, journalism has often touted itself as an essential institution in keeping the public informed and holding decision-makers accountable. Journalism may be an essential institution, but its function only remains essential as far as it informs its readers with facts. Arts educators are not “extra.” They are essential. It’s time our language along with education policies and decisions reflect that truth.