Dangers of dumbing down: comment

The proposed national curriculum in the arts runs the risk of dumbing down how the visual arts is taught in schools, writes COFA's Dr Kerry Thomas.

"Sit an untrained child in front of a piano and most of us would expect a discordant result."

The same could be said for all of the 'arts' taught in Australian schools. Creativity and accomplishment are more likely to occur as a matter of coaching and cajoling students - than it is of creative imagination, argues Dr Thomas in The Sydney Morning Herald.

Yet, a proposed national arts curriculum could drastically slash the hours devoted to the visual arts and music currently available in early high school in NSW and roll the five "arts" into a generic approach, allotting each discipline a trivial 20 minutes per week, she warns.

"The reductions come at a time when we can least afford them. Digital technologies are immersing us in an increasingly visual culture."

For the full opinion piece, go to the Sydney Morning Herald website.

Media contact: Susi Hamilton, 02 9385 1585