Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford
Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford
Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford
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Parents wanted susta<strong>in</strong>ed engagement <strong>in</strong> the arts as part of school, as this comment suggests; “One bad<br />
th<strong>in</strong>g schools are do<strong>in</strong>g is swapp<strong>in</strong>g between art forms e.g. art for 2 months, s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g for 2 months... always<br />
chang<strong>in</strong>g, that's bad.”<br />
The follow<strong>in</strong>g questions were asked, “Is school <strong>in</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong> creative enough?”<br />
- NO ! ! (Echoed from around the table)<br />
- We need broader education...<br />
“Are schools improv<strong>in</strong>g?”<br />
- They are better than 10-15 years ago, we are th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g about it so we must be better...<br />
- They are pretty much the same...<br />
- It depends on schools...<br />
- When a school wants a boast it shows off the art...<br />
- A compulsory school <strong>in</strong> Reykjavík has lots of art. They are do<strong>in</strong>g a class night for the parents <strong>and</strong> the<br />
kids show what they are do<strong>in</strong>g. It builds confidence...<br />
- There is a beautiful tradition <strong>in</strong> my children's school. They do s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g every morn<strong>in</strong>g...<br />
“If school was more creative, would that help children get a job later on?”<br />
- To th<strong>in</strong>k out of the box...<br />
- Chang<strong>in</strong>g your own thoughts, dreams, will lead to someth<strong>in</strong>g...<br />
“<strong>Arts</strong> outside of school - what are your comments on that?”<br />
- It is too expensive. It costs me 500.000 ISK per year for 2 children...<br />
- Schools have to do more, or else kids will not go there after the f<strong>in</strong>ancial crash...<br />
- The change of scenery is a plus, to be <strong>in</strong> school all day is not good... We need to l<strong>in</strong>k it more, not<br />
necessarily geographically but somehow...<br />
- Convenient to be all done around 4 or 5 <strong>in</strong> the even<strong>in</strong>g...<br />
”Would you like a broader choice? Is there enough choice?”<br />
- I wish there could be more choices, act<strong>in</strong>g, films, etc...<br />
- We need more variety of choice, needs to be someth<strong>in</strong>g for them to try...<br />
- Much easier to get <strong>in</strong>to sports than arts... Sports are cheaper...<br />
”Availability of arts education for children with special need?”<br />
- With a disabled child you're burned out when the child is 6 years old, especially if try<strong>in</strong>g to have a<br />
career at the same time...<br />
- I've tried football, <strong>and</strong> gymnastics, but he doesn't like it... possibility of drama, that's new...<br />
- General education for disabled children is good <strong>in</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong>...<br />
”Anyth<strong>in</strong>g else?”<br />
- There is a gap after basic education...<br />
- You have to search out actively the schools that are teach<strong>in</strong>g art... There is noth<strong>in</strong>g go<strong>in</strong>g on at the<br />
secondary school level...<br />
- The technical school should be changed...<br />
While the parents were chosen to participate <strong>in</strong> the focus group as they were members of a<br />
parents’ association (not because they had a particular <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> the arts), it could be argued<br />
that they were a group of ‘keen’ parents whose views may not be representative of the broader<br />
parent population. This however did not appear to be the case as the level of <strong>in</strong>terest of parents<br />
<strong>in</strong> the arts was widely reported from a number of sources. For example, these comments from<br />
school pr<strong>in</strong>cipals show the genu<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>terest of parents <strong>in</strong> arts learn<strong>in</strong>g:<br />
We use the school website to communicate the arts to parents. We put up photos with explanations. This opens<br />
the awareness of the parents.<br />
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