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What is comprehensive disciplined-based arts education? Disciplined-based arts education (DBAE) is a conceptual framework which insures that all students, not just gifted or talented students, are involved in rigorous study of the arts as a part of their general education. It also serves as an innovative but fundamental approach to integrating the arts into the curriculum which will permit students at all levels, in any course of study, to be introduced to, understand and participate in, an art form within the structure of a typical school day. DBAE means that students study musical, theatrical, dance and visual works of art from the following four discipline perspectives: Production - creating or performing History - encountering the historical and cultural background of works of art Aesthetics - discovering the nature and philosophy of the arts Criticism - making informed judgments about the arts What assumptions are the basis for disciplined-based arts education? 1. Teachers do not have to be artists to teach students about a great piece of visual art or to use the visual arts to teach other ideas. 2. The arts can be used to reach students with different learning styles. 3. DBAE enhances the possibilities for more student involvement in the arts. In most educational settings in the United States, instruction in the arts has evolved to one dominated by performance, which has achieved highly developed levels with student bands, choruses, orchestra, plays and art shows. But although most elementary students have the arts in their curricula (not often substantive), the number of students studying the arts decrease as students progress upward in grades, so that only the gifted or talented are served in the upper grades. The emphasis is changed from one of performance only to include exposure and perspective, thereby relating the arts to other significant subject matter. It is important to understand that comprehensive discipline-based arts education is not a curriculum, but is instead a method of teaching and learning. The focus of training is on the inquiry method of teaching and learning that emphasizes higher order critical thinking skills. Students are required to analyze, synthesize, explain, justify, criticize and make critical judgments about the work of art being studied.. Teachers report tremendous growth in reasoning skills as students learn to apply these skill in their school work. These are the same skills that students need in all academic areas. These are also the skills young adults need as they step into life. Conclusions drawn from over eight years of research and implementation of DBAE: Students using a comprehensive DBAE approach construct knowledge for themselves instead of for teachers. Students approach works of arts from more than a performance or production perspective. Students' performance and production quality is enhanced by broadened study. Specialists' roles are enhanced to become more collaborative. Classroom teachers are viewed as important collaborators. Educators become more creative in their planning. Comprehensive arts education goals and objectives are applied in other subjects across the entire curriculum. In DBAE schools, the arts become an integral part for the total curriculum. Student art and vocabularies are enhanced. Schools employing a comprehensive arts education approach are exciting places to learn. The result of DBAE is a holistic approach to instruction that invites creating, improvising, composing, performing, interpreting, discussing, writing and thinking about, reporting, and valuing works of arts. The arts are brought in to the general curriculum thereby enriching and extending that curriculum. Comprehensive discipline-based arts education has the potential to produce higher standardized test scores, enthusiasm for learning (and, thereby, higher attendance rates), increase in higher order thinking skills, and revitalization of teacher excitement and commitment.
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