Scheduling season at PHS is always hectic. Students scramble to sign up for the most rigorous classes the school has to offer. Many students hope to construct transcripts that only serve to impress colleges, sometimes by taking six or more Advanced Placement classes in a single year. At PHS, it’s no secret that grade anxiety, unbearable workloads, and chronic stress are commonplace. In a school where the students’ merit is often linked to the number of AP courses in their schedule, passions and hobbies can take a back seat. Still, many students who have incorporated the arts into their schedules have found the decision to be a good one. Whether it be the shedding of stress, the opportunity to make new friends, or the discovery of new passions, signing up for a visual & performing arts course can be one of the most worthwhile things one will do in high school.

Arts classes can provide a refuge from the stress and monotony of an average school day. During weeks filled with tests or other nerve-wracking assignments, arts classes are a time to relax and do something stress-free and enjoyable.. Instead of sitting behind a desk all day listening to a seemingly unending string of mind-numbing lectures, you could be helping create an orchestral symphony or painting beautiful landscapes. Through arts classes, you have an hour every day to sit back and forget about academics.

The workload that many PHS students wrestle with can also hinder their social lives. Arts courses can help alleviate this issue — they are a great space for meeting new people. Visual and performing arts classes provide an opportunity to meet other students who share your interests and passions and to craft meaningful, lasting friendships. Joe Bongiovi, an instrumental music teacher at PHS, often says that “band is like a family.” In band, students spend hours rehearsing together in and out of school. Whether that be in the band room at Tiger Time or at someone’s house on the weekends, students always find a way to rehearse, jam, and bond. Many students stay in arts classes such as visual arts, Drama, band, and orchestra for multiple years in high school, allowing for deeper bonds to form between students and teachers. In visual arts classes, students are often left to their own devices, and small talk serves as the perfect backdrop for the making of an art piece. In the performing arts, friendships are further solidified by the performances that the programs hold, which can form long-lasting memories. Twenty years from now, it’ll be the memories of the band trip or your solo in the school musical that you’ll cherish the most, not the final exam that you took for your AP Calculus class.

Arts classes are less stressful than almost every other course at PHS. Generally, it is not hard to earn a good grade in an arts class, but that’s not to say that these classes don’t require students to work hard. Learning an instrument, for example, takes months of consistent practice. So does learning to paint, to sing, or to act on stage. Still, this is a virtue — unlike regular classes, where it is common for students to cram for tests the day before and forget the content quickly, arts courses show students how to work towards long-term goals. By way of slow, gradual improvement, lifelong passions are born. Students learn how to find motivation and continue working even without the constant threat of an upcoming test or a bad grade. Maybe you have a natural talent for dance which has been unknown to you, or a love for music which you’ve never been able to fully explore. There are classes at PHS that can help you gain the skills needed to explore those passions. Genuine enjoyment, instead of good grades, is what should drive you in these classes.

Putting an arts class into your schedule is an easy way to provide respite from the day-to-day pressures of school. Students in arts classes often look forward to them all day and don’t want them to end — a sharp contrast to many AP courses, which can be a source of dread. Your schedule should not be curated solely to please a third party, like a college or parent. It should be built not only to fulfill your academic ambitions, but also to make you happy and set you up to enjoy your high school experience. Signing up for a visual & performing arts class takes a big step towards this goal, and is something everyone at PHS should consider.