This work argues that studying the arts is an important and valuable component of general education and of society and American culture. It confronts complicated matters of curriculum and discusses the varying philosophies amongst arts advocates and educators themselves.

Charles Fowler here argues that studying the arts is an important and valuable component of general education and of society and American culture. Directed toward a broad public audience with the intent of providing parents and other interested citizens with a thorough background about arts education, the author presents a number of different rationales to support the necessity of the arts in general education. Fowler confronts complicated matters of curriculum such as - who should study the arts? which arts and whose culture should be taught? - and discusses the varying philosophies amongst arts advocates and educators themselves.