A Creative Outlet

The importance of fine arts education in high school and middle school students has become very well known throughout the nation thanks to programs like Save The Music and through lots of thorough research.

According to edutopia.org, there are many benefits from fine arts education. Some of those benefits are increases in reading, critical thinking, math, and verbal skills. It also increases personality traits like self-confidence and teamwork. These are all great things that every person could use improvement in.

Fine arts education has the potential to produce very well rounded students that become dependent on a certain creative outlet to deal with everyday stresses and to better express their self.

Emmalee Rainey, a sophomore at Ole Miss and psychology major, has been singing and performing her whole life. “It’s crucial for me to sing as my creative outlet. If I didn’t have a way to express myself then I might go crazy.”

When getting to college many students that were involved in high school arts programs lose their creative outlet because many arts programs are restricted to fine art majors.

However, in the Ole Miss Choral department there is a very unique opportunity for non-music majors. The Ole Miss Choral department has opened all of their chorus and ensemble groups to non-music majors. “I had no idea that this was even an option for me,” said Rainey. “It’s a great thing…it is perfect for students who have their heats in music but their head in business.”

A perfect example of that kind of student is junior geological engineering student, Elizabeth Stewart. She was a crucial part of the Ole Miss concert choir and women’s glee ensemble during her freshman and sophomore years. She said it was very hard to balance all of her engineering classes with all of the practices and concerts, but the hard work was worth the payoff for her. She says the program challenged her as a singer and made her a better-rounded person. “And the scholarships didn’t hurt either,” Stewart added. “I would definitely recommend the program to other students. It is a phenomenal program and if students enjoy music and want to continue to sing it is a good way to do that.”

Auditioning is very easy to do. An appointment time can be set up at any time by contacting the Ole Miss Choral department.

Haleigh Sanders

This is a video of Emmalee Rainey singing a song she is considering for an audition and talking about her true love of singing.