FORT PIERCE \u2014Sometimes the greatest lessons aren\u2019t learned from a textbook. They\u2019re discovered under stage lights, during rehearsals and through the friendships formed along the way.<\/p>\n
Following Indian River State College\u2019s decision to discontinue several performing and visual arts concentrations, many across the Treasure Coast are reflecting on what arts education has meant to students, families and the community.<\/p>\n
According to Lindsay Skully, Assistant Vice President of Brand Experience, Marketing, Media and Brand for IRSC, the decision followed a review of enrollment trends, long-term sustainability and institutional priorities. She said the changes affect specific Associate in Arts concentrations, current students will complete their programs, and the McAlpin Fine Arts Center will continue hosting performances and expanding community partnerships.<\/p>\n
For Sarah Bristol, the announcement brought back years of memories. With children who have participated in both Indian River Charter High School and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, she\u2019s watched the arts help shape confidence, friendships and personal growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s helped each of my kids learn more about themselves and grow into the amazing humans they are today,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cThe friendships they\u2019ve built and the confidence they\u2019ve gained will stay with them forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her daughter, Elise, discovered that confidence firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerforming a scene in our Acting I showcase showed me that I can do hard things,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve made friends and grown as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben Earman, Vice President of Tourism & Marketing for the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce and a Vero Beach Theatre Guild board member, believes those experiences reach far beyond the stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerforming arts programs do far more than train actors, singers, dancers and artists,\u201d Earman said. \u201cThey help develop confidence, communication skills, creativity, discipline, collaboration and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe arts create a family and a place of acceptance,\u201d he added. \u201cSome of life\u2019s most important lessons came not from being on stage, but from everything that happened behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That message resonates with Jon R. Moses, Executive Producer and CEO of Riverside Theatre, whose own journey began at IRSC.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy connection to IRSC\u2019s arts program is deeply personal,\u201d Moses said. \u201cI began at age 12 in a production of Oliver. Over the next decade, I participated in nearly 100 productions, experiences that ultimately led me to a career in professional theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moses believes arts education strengthens not only future artists, but entire communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf opportunities for arts education become more limited, communities risk losing more than training grounds for artists,\u201d he said. \u201cThey stand to lose cultural vibrancy, economic impact and the unique ability of the arts to bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n
While IRSC\u2019s academic offerings are changing, one message echoed throughout the conversations: the arts leave a lasting mark. Whether the path leads to a stage, a classroom, a business or somewhere entirely different, the lessons learned through creativity, teamwork and perseverance have a way of staying with people long after the final curtain falls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE \u2014Sometimes the greatest lessons aren\u2019t learned from a textbook. They\u2019re discovered under stage lights, during rehearsals…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321875,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":["post-321874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news","tag-st_lucie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}