Research tells us that one of the most important reasons Japanese education produces such productive workers is not the many hours in classrooms, or rote learning, or longer days, but the fact that children are taught in school how to work well in groups. The arts provide a natural place for learning to work in groups. Clearly the study of the arts develops creative thinking along with the development of the technical skills to give such thinking concrete expression. In a time when Madonna tops the list of people most admired by teenagers, to have a student wish to emulate Itzak Perlman is much to be desired. Acting on one's beliefs.
Artists are activists.
They are willing to put themselves and their work before the public. But if you have a hard time with a concerto, everybody knows. Art is not for the faint of heart. The study of the arts helps students develop a sense of judgment, of choosing, and of asserting their choices. Only they can decide how they wish to interpret a passage.