In my last few posts we’ve discussed the benefits of listening to music, the importance of preserving art for culture and how Art and Music programs are suffering around the country. Why does this matter? In a time when job selection is comparatively meek, racial injustice is dividing the country and the education system needs serious reform, why should we prioritize art? I maintain, that now, more than ever, art and music should be of paramount concern to society.

First, art has the inherent transformative ability that no other discipline has. In time when there is turmoil, it is so important for people to have the ability to walk into a museum and enjoy a wonderful piece of art. Cutting art programs in schools means giving fewer children the opportunity to discover their talent for expressing art and robs the public of any of their future creations. And the demand for experiencing the art is present as evidenced by a steady increase of visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year like I referenced in a previous post. Art and Music transcend culture and give us a universal language. As John F. Kennedy very aptly stated, “We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”

Second, no other medium has the possibility of revolution like music and art. Think of John Lennon’s song, “Imagine” and the power of its message.   As Jann Wenner discusses in her book, “Lennon Remembers,” that it is now impossible to imagine a world without “Imagine” because it has helped the world survive tragedies like September 11 and cope with grief. It has also been repeatedly used at the Olympics as a symbol of nations coming together despite conflict.

Music can also change minds in a way that written word cannot. What this means is that aesthetic force can trump “rational argument” and overcome prejudices by humanizing other people. Case in point, I listened to the “Think Again” podcast per one of my friend’s suggestions because one of its episodes featured Sarah Lewis discussing Black musician Louis Armstrong’s (largely unknown) influence on Brown v. Board of Education. Charles L. Black, a white professor of constitutional law, played an instrumental (pun intended…wait for it) role in Brown v. Board of Education by writing the legal brief with Thurgood Marshall. Considered to be a legal genius, Black was born in racist and segregated Austin, Texas and was pro segregation until he heard Louis Armstrong perform at the age of 16 and was so moved by his “genius” that it moved him to immediately join the Brown team. For Black, Armstrong’s performance humanized him and gave black a means to overcome racial prejudice where literature and spoken word had failed.

Finally, art (especially through the use of photographs) is often the tipping point needed for recognition of worldwide injustice and tragedy. Think of the photo from Tiananmen Square in 1989 or Kevin Carter’s 1993 photograph of a starving child (pictured near the vulture) in southern Sudan that brought worldwide attention to the suffering there. Or even this past week, social media was full of images of Cecil the lion and his cubs.

Art and Music have the power to unite people, give meaning to terrible conflicts, breakdown prejudices and bring attention to social issues in a way that resonate with people.  In return, it’s time we enable these things to occur by proportionally supporting Art and Music.