Ever since we have been moving away from valuing the arts, we have been moving towards pushing students through standardized tests. I think this is a mistake, because the mind and boy cannot be cultivated one-dimensionally. If one chooses to pursue one gift more than the other at some point, fine, but to focus kids so early is a mistake. Perhaps people think that gearing kids for the specialized work force is a good thing, and maybe 50 years ago I would have agreed. But in todays ever-changing world, one cannot be one-dimensional. The most successful people I know have excel at a few different things. The first is reasoning, which sadly isn’t taught in schools. The second is work ethic. The third is creativity. When you combine those three things, you get something truly amazing.
However, that doesn’t mean we should give up on the arts. People still buy paintings for several thousand dollars. If you have a gift in the arts, don’t let anything deter you from chasing it!