What do you think when you hear arts education? Learning a musical instrument? Painting a portrait? Maybe using dance to express a feeling or idea?

Though these are all forms of arts education, what you likely don’t think about is the decades worth of research supporting the benefits that arts education has to our mental health, emotional maturity, and even our employability as adults – not just as artists, but in any type of job. As the largest performing arts centre in western Canada, it’s no surprise that we are very interested in the science of arts education. That’s why in spring of last year, we collaborated with Calgary Arts Development Association to conduct a benchmark survey to discover where teachers, parents, and arts facilitators needed us to step in and support.