By Kate Harper
On certain Saturdays, the National Arts Centre’s lobby and auditorium are turned into hubs of artistic learning. Here, children and families can have their ears tickled by some of the greatest composers, learn how to play a new instrument, or throw themselves into crafts.
The NAC holds the series of “Young People’s Concerts” in an attempt to garner interest from children in the arts. The goal is to teach them how the arts can benefit their lives. It’s a cause Boris Brott, the NAC’s principal youth and family conductor, champions.
Brott says not only does music help a child’s brain development, but it can help them with other school subjects, such as math. He says it also encourages creativity and can help stimulate a child’s curiousity, and the more curious children are, the more they will excel.
Children learn from their parents. If a parent is interested in the arts, they will try to pass that interest on to their children. Since children are impressionable, what they learn at an early age stays with them and will likely influence them throughout life. In a workforce where the quickest, brightest and most determined thrive, skills children learn through the arts can help form strong, successful characters.
It also serves to make them more open-minded. Through the arts, children are exposed to ideas and opinions that may differ from their own. Ultimately, this makes them into more amiable, open-minded adults.
This makes programs such as the Young People’s Concert series all the more important for children’s intellectual development. But the arts do not need to be high brow.
Children can learn just as much at an arts festival or a play at a local theatre as they can at the NAC. Cutting funding to the arts hurts children’s intellectual development because it can take away some of these important learning experiences.
Of course, Ottawa is no stranger to cutting arts funding. The recent budget pledge of $1.5 million in arts funding for this year notwithstanding, Ottawa’s municipal governments have a poor record of supporting the city’s artistic community.
Last year, the city spent $3.84 per capita in arts funding. In comparison to every other Canadian city, this put Ottawa dead last in terms of per capita arts spending. This is laughable.
Vancouver spends the most, with $11.89 per capita, while Montreal spends $7.03. Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary also spend more.
None of this makes sense when you consider how much Ottawans love the arts. A report released last month by Hill Strategies Research says the average person living in the Ottawa area spends $1,064 a year on cultural goods. This is higher than any other Canadian city. Ironically, Ottawa’s residents are keen to support the arts, but its politicians are far too reluctant.
The Ottawa Tourism and Convention Commission reported that festivals injected $93 million back into the community in 2003. But the city only gave $438,000 to festival funding at the time.
All forms of art have something to offer children, whether they are programs run by big names like the NAC, or smaller artist groups. But in order for Ottawa’s arts programs to thrive, they need funding from the city.
Let’s hope the recent $1.5 million is the beginning of a renewed emphasis on arts funding.