Revisiting Drew Seeley‘s High School Days & Rise to Stardom: A Case for Arts Education Funding
Drew Seeley first lit up television screens as the singing voice behind Disney Channel phenomenon Troy Bolton. While Zac Efron brought the famous character to life on camera, Seeley‘s vocals made the musical heartthrob so beloved by fans. But before Seeley landed his career-making role in High School Musical, he was honing his skills far from the glitz of Hollywood. His high school story demonstrates why robust arts education programs deserve greater prioritization and funding nationwide.
Nurturing His Talent at Bishop Montgomery High
Long before he sang his way to stardom, Drew Seeley attended the prestigious Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California. At this Catholic college preparatory school focused just as much on arts education as academics, Seeley found the perfect environment to nurture his creative talents.
Bishop Montgomery‘s performing arts program includes theater productions, band, orchestra, and multiple choral groups. This comprehensive lineup covers everything from jazz ensemble to madrigals singers. Such variety gives more students chances to explore music and theater.
The Declining State of Arts Education
The Bishop Montgomery arts program Seeley participated in as a teenager differs drastically from what most U.S. schools offer today. As education policy has increasingly focused on standardized testing in math, reading, and sciences, arts education has taken a backseat.
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Since 2000, the percentage of U.S. elementary schools offering theater and dance declined from 20% to 3%, music from 96% to 89%, and visual arts from 87% to 83%, according to national data.
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In higher grades, arts elective availability also decreased. Only 49% of U.S. high schools offered theater during the 2009-2010 school year compared to 58% a decade prior. Music education participation similarly dropped from 72% to 66% in that timeframe.
Such drops means over 1 million fewer secondary school students have art electives available now versus the late 1990s, per research.
Arts Education Budget Cuts
- With schools under growing budget constraints, arts education constantly struggles for funding. The 2007-2008 recession catalyzed especially devastating cuts still impacting music, theater, visual arts, and more.
- Per national estimates, expenditures on elementary and secondary public school arts education declined by $4.96 billion from 2001 to 2014. Funding has never recovered to pre-recession levels since.
- Nearly 30% of U.S. teachers reported decreased arts budgets from 2005 to 2015, versus only 7% seeing budget increases in that decade.Music took the biggest hit, with 21% of music teachers experiencing 40%+ budget cuts in the 2009-2010 school year alone.
| Source | Decreased Funding | Increased Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Music | 50% | 11% |
| Visual Arts | 43% | 13% |
| Theater | 25% | 4% |
Data from national Gallop poll of over 1,000 U.S. teachers on changes to school arts education budgets from 2005-2015. Source: Americans for the Arts
This data shows why Bishop Montgomery‘s ability to continually foster strong theater and music programs that benefited Seeley represents more an exception than the norm today.
The Benefits of Robust Arts Education
Casting arts programs as "non-essential electives" downplays their immense educational and social benefits for students. Research shows:
- Arts education nurtures critical thinking, motivation, confidence, and other key skills that yield higher academic performance. Students engaged with art for at least 9 hours weekly have GPAs 16% higher than those with minimal to no involvement.
- Low-income students especially thrive due to arts providing positive outlets for stress reduction and building support systems. Schools with culturally inclusive arts programs see attendance, behavior, and test score improvements.
- Arts education also keeps students invested in school and acts as a protective factor lowering dropout risk by 3.2 times compared to less-involved peers. This engagement lifts graduation rates.
- Later in life, arts students demonstrate increased civic participation compared to those lacking arts exposure. They more regularly vote, volunteer, and engage in political activism.
In short, robust arts options strengthen both schools and society—just like Bishop Montgomery‘s program did for Seeley.
Launching a Career Through Bishop Montgomery‘s Productions
Thanks to his school‘s strong theater program, Seeley frequently landed lead roles in musical productions as a teenager. Channeling his charisma and confidence through song and dance numbers, Seeley honed skills he‘d soon use professionally.
"I was very fortunate to go to a high school that had an incredible choir program and amazing musical theater productions every year," Seeley shared. "That really gave me a solid foundation."
He also developed discipline and stage presence by participating in Bishop Montgomery‘s choirs. Singing alongside classmates at weekend mass services every Sunday ingrained focus and teamwork early on.
Meanwhile, California ranks below most states for arts education access today. Only 37% of Californian high schools offered theater programs in recent years versus 49% nationally. And during the 2011-2012 school year, over 78% of California K-12 schools failed to offer dedicated theater or dance at all.
Access is worse in poorer districts with primarily African-American and Latino students—populations research shows benefit most from arts involvement for academic success. If attending a more financially strapped high school lacking performing arts funding, Seeley may never have discovered his passions.
Nor could he have developed the skills at a young age that High School Musical and Grease roles later demanded without his school laying that foundation.
The Nationwide Decline Continues
Pandemic Fallout Threatens Already Fragile Programs
Already declining before 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened arts programs‘ tenuous existence further. New research reveals:
- 50% of secondary schools cut arts budgets due to pandemic losses. Colorado average arts spending fell from $577 per student pre-pandemic to $416.
- 72% of Wisconsin school administrators feared long-term arts education reductions from ongoing tightened budgets. Most cited using arts teacher salaries for general operating costs as the sacrifice keeping other academics intact.
- Across 30 urban school districts, arts and music staffing drops averaged 41% between fall 2019 and 2021. New Orleans cut all arts teachers. Now 1 in 5 urban elementary schools employ zero arts educators.
Additionally, national teacher shortages exacerbated by the pandemic have disproportionately impacted arts subject vacancies. With administrators struggling to fill core academic roles, arts jobs face cuts first.
Experts warn losing what little access to theater programs, musical training, and visual arts education remains will negatively impact youth. Especially those relying on arts as motivation to stay engaged with school during an already isolating period.
Expert Perspectives on School Arts Cuts
When schools trim arts budgets to plug holes elsewhere, they do so at the expense of students‘ futures. Study after study links arts education with higher achievement across disciplines like math, reading, and science. Yet we cut choruses while retaining advanced chemistry labs where students struggle. Reversing this twisted priority order is vital for nurturing both tomorrow‘s artists and doctors alike. Dr. Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Our research constantly reaffirms that low-income students of color benefit most when schools prioritize arts engagement. Music and visual arts opportunities in particular help struggling students strengthen social-emotional skills and cultural connections while raising test scores, GPAs, and graduation rates. Yet these are the very children losing arts teachers at disproportionate rates. Reinvesting in equitable access must become policy priority number one after the pandemic‘s unequal blows to vulnerable youth. Dr. Stephanie Knight, Associate Professor of Arts Education at Boston University
High School Musical‘s Impact on School Arts Interest
Over a decade since his Disney Channel debut, Drew Seeley continues using talents he first cultivated performing theater in high school. And industry experts credit High School Musical in particular with creating a resurgence of student interest in arts activities nationwide—even while school programs entered decline.
Sparking Extracurricular Involvement
Thanks to High School Musical mania, theater program membership surged 25% from 2006 to 2007. Chorus involvement expanded almost 10%. Educators noticed the biggest engagement spikes among boys historically less likely than girls to explore performing arts.
This uptick highlights the motivational power of media visibility. Watching Troy Bolton discover his musical theater passion despite his basketball team mocking such interests caused many teens to rethink arts participation as solely "feminine" or "uncool."
Limitations When In-School Access Lags
At the same time, dwindling public school arts budgets couldn‘t support demand‘s dramatic rise. The number of U.S. schools without theater programs nearly doubled from 20% to 39% between the original High School Musical film release and 2010. Music instrument purchases decreased 33% from 2001-2008 amid shrinking budgets.
This dynamic created a catch-22: more students wanted arts opportunities watching Troy Bolton thrive in High School Musical. But schools increasingly lacked necessary instructors, equipment, and resources to meet demand.
Youth especially from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle accessing private instruction or all-star competition teams to compensate for vanishing school programs. Such barriers restrict funneling rising interest into careers for talented low-income students like Seeley.
Preventing Future Losses
Drew Seeley represents one of countless promising artists who may never discover their talents if arts continue disappearing from schools. His first steps toward stardom happened onstage in his Catholic high school‘s theater program and choir.
"I learned the importance of breath control and how to properly warm up my voice back in high school choir," explained Seeley. "That training still keeps me singing today."
Yet shrinking budgets threaten even private schools‘ abilities to retain comprehensive arts offerings in coming years. Bishop Montgomery‘s own music ensembles and theater greatly depend on student tuition dollars and dedicated parents‘ fundraising.
Harder-hit public schools with high Black and Latino populations can‘t lean on those unreliable funding streams. Rebuilding decimated programs in schools where students need engagement and enrichment most requires policy change.
Prioritizing Equitable Funding
Pre-pandemic, the U.S. spent just $0.47 per student from federal funds yearly on arts education. Compare that to $539 yearly spent per pupil on professional development for core subject teachers from federal budgets.
Closing this gap requires legislative action. The proposed Arts Education for All Act would dedicate new federal funding to strengthen music and theater programs most devastated during COVID-19. Congress should pass this pending bill so future stars aren‘t blocked from necessary early training.
State and local governments must also make their own investments. Earmarking dollars that arts programs never directly benefited from in the past will make budgets sustainable without relying on fickle factors like parent group donations.
Additional Arts Education Funding Policy Ideas:
- Federal matching programs where Congress designates extra money if states and districts increase arts spending by certain percentages
- State-level arts specialist credentialing programs helping theater and music educators afford rising certification costs
- Local ballot funding initiatives allowing direct community votes on raising property taxes to support school arts and magnet programs
- Free summertime arts camps and enrichment programs offered through public school systems reaching students lacking afterschool access
Emphasizing Diversity and Representation
Financial change alone cannot fix all that ails arts education. Cultural barriers, discrimination, and lack of role models also depress engagement. Policy proposals to incentivize diversity include:
- New arts curriculum requirements that include non-Western cultural representations in theater scripts, literature selections, and history lessons
- Mentorship programs at schools pairing minority students interested in arts with professionals from similar ethnic backgrounds
- Recruitment funding for teacher credentialing programs aimed at helping more teachers of colors become arts educators
With whiteness overrepresented in theater at all levels, exposure matters hugely for maintaining students of color‘s interest. The viral High School Musical phenomenon likely would have held less cultural allure without its ethnically diverse cast captivating non-white viewers too.
Arts programming reflecting communities schools serve is critical. So too is society upholding arts as every bit as essential for youth development as traditional academic topics.
Drew Seeley wouldn‘t be the actor and chart-topping singer he remains today without arts education‘s life-changing impact. His story embodies why policymakers must listen to teachers and experts warning of widespread Arts programs‘ collapse absent interventions. Otherwise, the glimmers of school arts‘ renewed appeal post-High School Musical will dim into permanent darkness. Saving the Bishop Montgomery‘s of tomorrow ensures lights stay on for future stars‘ journeys toward embracing their talents.
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