Obama Administration Accomplishments List
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- Accomplishment: Created an artist corps for schools.
- What does it mean?
As part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed on April 21, 2009, the Education Corps was required to provide "skilled musicians and artists to promote greater community unity through the use of music and arts education and engagement through work in low-income communities, and education, health care, and therapeutic settings, and other work in the public domain with citizens of all ages" (Pleva).
- Why does it matter?
As I discuss in my National Endowments for the Arts post, art and music skills help with memorization, mathematical ability, and careers such as architecture. Additionally, the arts can help children work through trauma, according to Cora Dunham, by allowing them to release anger through music (Center for American Progress). Music can be a fantastic outlet, and children living in poverty, who may deal with far more challenges and frustrations, usually
With an artist corps, children in poor areas will have greater access to skilled musicians and artists in order to experience and learn the arts.
