| | FEBRUARY 20209Many of the skills required to enable this sector to thrive sit at the very heart of a good arts education which, as well as disciplinary excel-lence, helps individuals build their entrepreneurial skills, the import-ant skills of empathy, flexible and agile thinking as well as the ability to collaborate effectively. In addi-tion, and on top of the economic arguments for arts education, its role in contexualsing change be-comes ever more important. As India adapts to its new relationship with the global economy, and as with other societies experiencing rapid-growth and change, there are risks of losing traditions and a shared sense of values.In this fast-changing environ-ment, I challenge our students to think about what they must do to have impact and thrive? The answer, I believe, is for them to work hard at their own craft, be open to sharing and learning from other disciplines, be aware but not afraid of the world as it is, be optimistic about what it could be.As Scotland's centre of learning and teaching in the performing arts, we have a distinct national and international role and a distinct op-portunity to effect change. We're distinctive too in being multi art-form (teaching classical and tradi-tional music alongside drama, mod-ern ballet, production and film) with a ground-breaking curriculum which, as well as enshrining dis-ciplinary excellence also encour-ages cross-disciplinary learning, collaboration and the creation of new art and new ideas in the spaces in between. All art-forms rely on connec-tions between moments - move-ment in time. We are not a static object like a painting (though even those too can have a movement of their own). A single word, a single gesture, a single note, a particular lighting moment in and of itself does not make our art come to life - it is the joining of the notes, the lines, the gestures, the scenes that creates the flow and conversation on needed to make our art. As artists we need to think about how we can make small grammat-ical moments like words, like a piece of cloth, like a musical note - into longer structures like a line or phrase, into more complete shapes. Artists, after all, are all architects in some way of their own future and of our shared future. In that shared future ­ and es-pecially in these challenging times of change - embracing the strength and importance of the arts will be essential. Those of use working in the arts and arts education know that. But many schools, authori-ties, governments the world over have forgotten what the Western, Eastern, and African cultures knew thousands of years ago that artistic education is not simply a luxury, but an essential for a healthy society.But breadth of audiences and artists and creative entrepreneurs cannot be sustained or indeed estab-lished in the first place if young peo-ple are struggling to find affordable pathways to meaningful progress in the arts. Creating and sustaining routes of access is vitally import-ant and all young people should have arts as an integral element of their education just like sport and physical education.The tensions of accessibility and affordability come as across the world we sit at the edge of the `fourth industrial revolution'. If this revolution is a cognitive one, where automation will do more things that humans used to do, then we need to harness our creativity, our empathy and our understanding of multi-cul-tural societies more than ever. It is sustained learning and teaching in performing arts that will help give our children the adaptable skills they will need to not only survive in the future but to shape it.`Societus' in Latin means com-radeship, companionship, friendly association and bond between peo-ples. Can you imagine that being achievable only with finance, engi-neers, and computers?Across the globe constrained finances and competing priorities always risk keeping focus away from what's critical in the longer term. We can point this out until we are blue in the face, but I also think we (as arts organisations and global arts leaders) need to be part of the solution. We need to share best practices as vigorously as we share our advocacy. If every conservatoire, specialist school, community arts organisation gave some of thought and attention to achieve access, diversification and progression in the arts and to help us nurture an outward-looking, cre-ative and entrepreurial generation, then we could do some amazing things together. IT IS SUSTAINED LEARNING AND TEACHING IN PERFORMING ARTS THAT WILL HELP GIVE OUR CHILDREN THE ADAPTABLE SKILLS THEY WILL NEED TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE IN THE FUTURE BUT TO SHAPE IT
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