VALUING ARTS EDUCATION IN ISOLATED QUEENSLAND

ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
It is a common stereotype; country people as un~ophi~ticated and uninterested in the arts, including CUllCHti{)J1 in the art~. It has heen especially.applied to Queensland where in the words of a ditty: ... ale pcople insul! yer And don't 'ardly know Ihey've heen rude. There that ignorallt, common and crude (cited hy A~tley, 1976) A recent art review discussed the "great divide" between the coastal areas of Queensland and the inland where the arts. it was claimed: expired in the dry pragmatic space of the interior, where disappointment is too neru' the surface of daily reality to allow it to intervene in the imagination. (Mawhood, 1993, 1'. 9).
. This paper supports previous studies that have shown this perspective to be false. The School's Commission study, Schooling in Rural Auslralia (1988) I()und that while "generally satisfied with the primary sch{)ol curriculum offerings ... The main concern among parents tends to be whether teaching is providcd in an. music and physici~ educalion" (I'. 87). Similarly, Crowther, Postle and Wal!on's (1990) Needs Analysis or the Priority Country Areas Programme in Queensland round that parents, children and leachers relt that there was a lack of provision for cultural suhjecls in Ihe school curriculum. In thi" study we will show that teachers, and many governesses and parents or isolated children value drruna and visual arts in education, and even seek to increase the amount of education in these m"eas. .

TIillSTUDY
The paper addresses the question: What values m"c appru"cnt in the attitudes and practices of children. parents. and educational personnel in isolated areas? The study is based on-me views of expressed hy rmnilies and teachers associated with the Longreach School of Distance Education (LSODE) (J)uncuJIl & Cassidy, 1993). The catchment area ror the School is mostly ruid canlc and sheep counlry, and toward the Queensland/South Australia border, ale population Educalion in Rural Auslralia, Vo!. 4 (I) ... Page 25 is as low as 3 people per square thousaml kilometres (peAl', 1991). Many properties are far from even small towns. Some families generate eicclricily for only several hours per day. The area conforms 10 the stereotype of Ausu-alia as a vast and empty place. But as this study will show, attitudes towm-ds involvement in dnuna and visual arts education belie any easy characterisation.

METHODOLOGY
The two auUlOrs conducted two series of taped and fully transcdbed, open ended interviews, and a questionnaire of closed and open questions was also conducted. Five educational administrators, incllllling three principals, were interviewed, as well as four class teachers, including the arts specialist. Also interviewed were two general staff members, eighteen hometutors, including p:m.:-nts and governesses; anti four children. Interviews were held at LSODE, on properties, and a cluster mustcr during a ram show (1). To the quesLionnaire 48 of a potential 150 families, or 32% responded. This was judged a fair return by the Deputy Pdncipal of LSODE, and while not a high return hy social science standru-ds, the range of responses closely corresponds to the range of responses elicited during the interviews. Most interviews with home-tutors, that is parent's and governesscs. were conducted at a ram show. We acknowledge that this sample may not be representative of the whole population, since tllOse attending the nun show tended to be from families which, although hard hit by UlC recession and drought, remained runong Ule more wealthy and widely educated. -People who had been hardest hit and in more isolated areas tcnded not to be represented funong those interviewed.

A Range of nesponscs
Responses varied considerahly, Clearly some pmcnts had little time or interest in arts education, a position succinctly put by one survey respondent thus: "I would have no idea whether rulY of my children had an interest in this lu-ea". 11. comment by another respondent suggests why ignoring the arts is possible: "} don't have any idea about them and nor do the kids". A teacher said, "I know ma.ny mothers consider (U't a pain because it takes away precious morning timet! and about drama, one home-tutor Stud about other homc-tUlors, "A lot of women are under a lot of pressure just. 10 get the basic schooling done and they see drruna and those things as frills rather than U1C essentials".
On lhe other hand. other respondents were exceptionally positive, "As far as I'm concerned" wrote onc home-tutor, "wc want as much art as we cail possible get!". Another respondent wrote: I wonld really like to help you in your inquiry. I think you're doing a real justice to these kids. I missed out on all this when I did school of ille air, and I had trouble later in real school with expressing myself creatively and with drama although I love it!

WHO VALUES
Who values arts coucation appears to depend not on the degree of isolation, but on specific geographic location and on parellls' backgrounds. A school principal noted that people-"aried widely depending on thc community in which they lived. While some towns had populations which were constantly changing \vith many people who previously lived at the coast, others had a settled popnlation with many people having lived Ulere all their lives. Hence tile cultural mix Education in RunJ Australia, Vo!. 4 (I) ... Page 26 of communit.ies varied. and centres with chaJl¥.ing populations t.ended to he more receptive to the arts One respondent ,aid: Ole greatest advocates (for the arts) would be the more isolated people, because they know what they're missing out on, and in the past have had tile money to visit and participate in cultural activities. With the recession, Ulese parents are awmc that their children are missing out.
The varying btlckgrounds of t'Unilie.s was also found to be a factor. MrulY families were based on what some respondents called "mixed man'iages", that is, where one prutner, usually the wife. came originally from the city and so was exposed to a broader cultural experience. Indeed many wives are trained teachers, and sincc fdmosl always education was primarily Ole responsibility of female parents, children of such marriages were likely LO be exposed to the arts. Many families were determined to give their children as broad an arts and cuHural experience as possible to compensate for their isolation.
Even where both plU'ents come originally from the country one or both have often spent formative ye;:u-s in cities, at bocu'ding school or working. One (eacher said of such parents, "They value all those ~orts of things hecause they know the children are missing out on them here, so they really do push for those types of activities. Typicfd comments from home-tutors included: "I'or an educatiollal philosophy I helieve in the big round .. 1 don't believe in just the illree R's. lthillk they (children) need to be stimulated in as mrulY different ways as we can". "You've gOllo give the kids a chance to find where their niche in life is". "It's just stimulating the children's imaginations. I'm comfortahle with jugging and jogging around the room and making an idiot, well in quotation mark~".

EVIDENCE OF VALUING
Strong support wa~ found for more arts activities bOlh on-air and during cluster muster and mini-schoois(l, 2). !loth mini-schools and cluster musters were seen to provide children with the few opportunities they had to interact wilh their peers and, beside sport, arts activities were considered the most socially interactive of suhject m·eas. Many respondents said that it was their own lack of skills in the arts which prevented UlCir children receiving a better arts education, and they sought assistance. "IIelp LIS nrst" was an on repeated comment., and many suggestions as to when and how home-tutors could he beller assisted were offered. Many called for workshops for home-tutors, either over the air, or during miniwschools which a<; one moUler pointed out was usually wasted time for parents who with nothing else to do merely wandered about town.
The work of the arts specialist was widely praised. The Principal ofLSODE said: I know that when I leave this school and move into another primary school, that 1 will be u'ading in one of my classroom teachers for an expressive arts teacher ... It will he (to.; essential a part or my staff as a tcacherllibrarian or a leru'ning support teacher.
We believe the most significant indication of support for the work of ole arts specialis~however came not from the oft repeated praise, but the reaction of home-tutors when asked,"If they had to choose between a physical edncation specialist and an arts specialist, which would they choose?". The signiHcance of this question lies ill the frequently observed lack of physical coordination runong distance edncation children and the strong sports orientation of isolated frunilies. Most home-tutors were dismayed at having'IO make a choice and found the question exceptiona.lly difficult 10 answer.
Home-tutors wen; also very rc<:cptive to new ideas about. the ru·ts curriculum. AltllOUgh very little appraisal of either drama or ViSllHI w-Is is undertaken over the School of tile Air or in the cOlTespollllence papers, home-tutors were almost unanimous in welcoming it.
The pfu'ticipntion of home-tutors in the more isolated areas in the ruts, while not widespread, was also noted. Some 1l10U1CrS were reported to have acquired nOk1.ble facility in craft activities. One respondent wrote, "I know a lot of women out here who are on properties miles from anywhere who m'e really brilliant. They paint and they write or they make jewellery". Similarly, governesses were said 10 need to create their own runusements with many turning to ~' one or more of the visualm'ts. The Principal of LSODE also spoke of pm'ental involvement in .1 Longreach in pottery, painting and theatre groups. He added: what you see at activity days in terms of displays, the altitudes of parents and kids and their ellthusiasm ... you don't need a horse whip 10 get something started, shows that they arc very receptive to it.
Further evidence of valuing can be seen in the response to questionnaire it.ems about whether parents and governesses thought that their children were educationally disadvantaged by distance education in general, and specifically in drmna and visual art. While overall, they felt that thcir children were advantaged by heing educated through a distance mode, a clear'majority felt that their children were disadvalltaged hy being taught visual arts and drama through a distance mode, This conl(mns to the Schools Commission study of 1988. Asked the question, "Do you consider your children \0 he educationally advantaged or disadvantaged by having their schooling through School of the Air'?" 35 replied advantaged. only 5 replied disadvantaged, while 8 were undecided. To the same question with regards to their "experience of art and drama education" the following figures were ohttlined. These rcsul!~ suggest not only an awm"cness of disadvantage but imply one reason for some home-tutors making special provision for their ehildrcn's mts education. The disadvantages noted included a lack of feed hack on artwork produced, of peer contact, of resources, of exposure to artfonns, and the inhibitions or home-tutors. Pecr contact was especially acute for drruna. The frustration or onc mother is evident in the comment: "Tt's difficult to be going through a play not seeing other people in it and not being dressed for the part. How do the children enter the role if they're dressed in their old clolhes talking to a hand piece ll • Exposure to drruna was usually limited to television, and a Iypical comment was, "The children don't have enough exposure to pantomime::;, puppet shows, anything live".

Advantagcd Disadvantaged Undecided
However, a lack of exposure to drama appeiu'ed to be confined to isolated areas rather than the towns. One Biu'caldine school principal held the view that children were exposed to more live performances than is normal in a large city.
One response to the tyranny of distance. is the fostering of an interest in radio plays with an emphasis on vocal ciuU"Clclerisation. Accents, inlleclions. tone, and expression were said to be highly advanced, and ·pr.idc was clearly takcn in these achievements.
The importance placed on visual art hy LSOJ)E is literally displayed, as the School building is festooncd with children's artwork. When walking about much of the building it is necessary to constant.ly duck underneath mtwork which hangs from the cciling and to step around the many displays.
Neverdleless. home-tutors were consistently critical of LSODE in not providing skills in dle arts. While appreciating the cfJ()J"(s 0[' the School to encourage creative activity, home-tutors argued that children required skills (0 develop. Many suggeslicltlS were made about how to provide skills through hand hooks and videos.
We have Jis(usseu how parents, governesses and teachers indicate their valuiIlg of fonnaI arts education. Isolated children also indicate their interest through their self-initiated or' unsolicited participation in drama ami visual arts. IIome~tutors mentioned wat children engaged in unsolicited play, script \-vriling, tape recording their plays, finger puppet plays, dressing up and role playing especially or characters from hooks and television, made dance steps to songs, and animated written stories including sound c!TecIs on tape. Sometimes ffu'm animals were involved in the role plays. An exceptional cxample, one which involved considerable parental investment as well, involved eight children who initiated, devised, and presented a scripted play. They began by conferring on-air in the aJ'tcrnoons for many weeks before travelling to Longreach for three days 10 reilemse, and dcsign and make a set and props. The play was pert'ormed bcl"ore parents anu teachers. The children were then dliven to Mount Isa to compete in the North vVeslcrn Regi()n heats of£!'()urnament of the Minds and they won.
Children were reponed also to he "always urllwing and painting". Onc mother commented, "My daughter draws and reads practic~lIly n()Jl~stop, day in and day out". One grade 3 girl commented Ulat she frequently drew during her half hour lesson on air, and sometimes was lost in her drawing when she was asked a direct question by her teacher. She said that she would respond, "Oh sorry Miss ... but there was static on the line, would you mind repeating the question".
Other visual arts activities mentioned included collage, working with clay, hat making, models out of boxes and paper mache, mobiles, dol! clothes, masks, mud cities, and play dough story maps. The materials lIsed were numerous, including old, well boiled bones, TypiCal comments on thcse aClivities from home -tutors included, "Sometimes. they'll devise a play for a special occasion when grandpfu'ellts (U'C here, but the imagination is always going.
"Its the (School or the Air) ones who ,"'e really interested in things, Uley do Ule most interesting work, much more individual and creative and original than the town children", What we believe this suggests is a recognition, even celeoration, ()f t.heir children's participation in spontaneolls drama and visual arts which is borne, partly, out or being so closely involved Witll dleir children during tlle day. It appc(u's one reason so many parents value the mts in education is that their children initiate thcir own participation,

REASONS FOR VALUING
Many of the comments aoove provide the basis for how the arts m'e seen to benefit children. They include recognition ()( their children's own interests, the need to compensate for children's lack of cultural experience in isolated ill'cas; H hclief that arts can contribute to other learning, especially language; provide opportunitics for creative and imaginative experiences; an~ even help latcr employment opportunities. These reasons are part of a broader recognition that children will not necessarily stay in isolated meas and need broad educational experiences to Education in Rural Australia, Vol. 4 (I) ... Page 29 live successfully in Ifu'ge towns and cities. The Principal of LSODE said, "People can see if you want to take advantage of new knowledge ... you have to be receptive to it".

CONCLUSION
We found that the stercotype of coulllry people as uncultivated and uninterested in the arts and its education to be nllse. Parcn Is wilh backgrounds which included some years spent in cities were founclto he pmticularly sensitive to thc limitation imposed by isolation and to compensate accordingly. Some homc-tutors pm·ticipated in the arts, bOUl in towns and the most remote areas, and most children participated unsolicited in bOUl drama and visual arts activities. A very wide range of activities were noted. Since pcu'cnts of isolated children h.:'lve far more intimate understanding of their children's educational needs Ulan city parents, their observation of their children's spontaneous activity appears to have influenced Ule common perception among hometutors that drruna and visual arts provide for a rounded education. The arts were valued as outlets for feelings ami emotions. as well a~ facilitaLOrs of the imagination. That so many parents, governesses (lIld ctlucational pcr~onnel value the ruts in education raises the question: Why do educational systems not value them so highly? NOTES 1.