Harrisburg, Pa (May 13, 2025) – Arts educators and students from across Pennsylvania recently converged on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg to highlight the value of arts education programs and call for continued investments in this year’s state budget.
“Music, theatre, dance, and arts education programs are essential. We know because study after study confirms that arts education programs significantly benefit student growth and development. And we know because we can see firsthand. We can see it in their progress and in the eyes of the students joining us today,” said Comitta, a former public-school teacher who serves on the Senate Education Committee.
In celebrating Arts Advocacy Day in the Commonwealth, Comitta was joined by state Representative R. Lee James, state Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, and members of the Pennsylvania Arts Education Leadership Coalition.
With threats and cuts to funding at the federal level, they emphasized the importance of fully funding arts education programs in this year’s state budget.
Pashinski, who taught music and directed choir for nearly four decades, spoke of the need to prioritize arts education funding for all schools, warning: “When we do not have enough money in our school budget, what is the first thing they cut? The arts. And the arts are important, and that is why we are here today.”
Kiara Braswell, a former University of the Arts student and current student at Drexel University studying dance, shared her experience as an arts student after the University of the Arts closed last year.
“I know what it feels like when the beauty of the arts community is stripped away because of a lack of support and care,” she said. “Every child in Pennsylvania deserves the hope that the arts can bring to their future, so please take action and give us the resources we need.”
Studies show that arts education programs benefit students by boosting academic achievement, reducing stress, improving behavior, and enhancing concentration, self-confidence, and critical-thinking skills.
Brett Keith, President of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, stressed the economic contributions of arts and cultural programs.
“The impact of the arts does not stop at the classroom door…In Pennsylvania, the arts and culture sectors are a major economic engine. In the Greater Philadelphia region, nonprofit arts and culture organizations generate $1.9 billion in economic activity annually,” he said.
James echoed the economic importance of the arts and culture sector in the Commonwealth, adding that “the sector is responsible for employing 176,000 people.”
Comitta noted that Pennsylvania is in the process of updating its Arts and Humanities Educational Standards for the first time since 2002. This spring, the State Board of Education approved the nominees to serve on the academic standards review committee.
In addition, the group expressed their support for expanding student teacher stipends, increasing investments in basic education funding, and restoring at least one full-time fine arts and humanities advisor at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The press conference also featured performances from the Exeter Township Senior High School Marching Band and dance students from the Capital Area School for the Arts.
The Pennsylvania Arts Education Leadership Coalition is composed of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, the Pennsylvania Art Education Association, the Pennsylvania Dance Education Organization, the Educational Theatre Association of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Association for Media Arts Education.
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