It allows for a different potential from human beings than we get from just teaching science and language and math. Perhaps no one has influenced more children through the abstract influence of art than Pittsburgh's Fred Rogers. I'm fascinated by the primitive. You can go around the world and see children playing and making up gorgeous dances and not even know what they're doing. Because we're human, we want to express our humanity.
All humans make art, whether it's conducting a symphony or matching a blouse and skirt for work.
The University of Pittsburgh Child Development Center draws from many scientific disciplines to build new developmental models predicated on a belief that artistic exploration enhances human growth. Parents, she says, should expose their children to artistic stimulation from infancy to beyond the primary grades. Music, dancing and color and pattern interpretation should lead to more participatory exploration as soon as a child is ready. At the South Hills' Center for Theater Arts, director Marc Field recently celebrated 20 years of building self-esteem and confidence in a generation of Pittsburghers. While the academy boasts of alumni who've made it all the way to Broadway, Field says his greatest achievement has been teaching critical social skills to thousands of students.