A recent Mississippi State University research report revealed students who participate in visual or performing arts such as painting, drawing, sculpting, dancing and theatre, showed significant improvement on standardized tests.
The report shows when teachers reinforce academic concepts with the arts, students learn better and score higher on tests. 
 Robert J. Damm, music education professor, said he believes the arts foster creativity and, in turn, may help develop confidence, which can help students succeed in other academic areas.
“Music has many unique powers,” Damm said. “Many people think of music as a form of knowledge and a way of thinking. So through success and this way of thinking, students may develop confidence and because of their attitude and confidence, be more successful in other subjects.”
Damm said many people find music as a way to express themselves, which is the central component of language arts and literature. When students gain the confidence to express themselves musically, it results in them being more expressive in literature and writing. This leads to students performing better in the two subjects.
Damm  also said music can break down culture barriers by bringing cultural awareness to students. 
“When talking about different types of music in my classes, students have to know where the music originated,” Damm said. “I give them information about the music, and they do the research and we talk about it in class. So music can serve as a form of social studies, too.”
Chad Anderson, assistant professor who teaches web design, multimedia and graphic design, said he also feels art helps bring cultural awareness to individuals.
“When I paint or draw a portrait of someone, students usually ask who it is,” Anderson said. “That curiosity leads to education.”
Instructor Audri A. Brown, who teaches gifted and creativity, said she thinks art allows students to discover their creativity even when they think they have no creativity.
“In my gifted and creativity class, I would have students who don’t think that they are not in the least bit creative, discover that they are creative if they are challenged to be,” she said. 
Brown said she uses the visual arts to teach her class. 
“I try to show my student a lot of cool visuals when I teach,” Brown said. “I believe students learn better through visuals. I also believe that students will do better in the classroom if they are able to look out a window and able to see nature and beautiful scenes, visual arts basically. They won’t get bored or distracted in their own heads if they feel connected to the outside world. It doesn’t feel so and institutionalized.” 
Brown said she thinks art allows students to learn in a variety of ways and that ultimately leads to academic success. 
“There is no one way to learn, and the arts allow students in a variety of styles,” Brown said. “Some student may learn better visually and other students may be auditory learners. There’s no right or wrong way to learn, and learning shouldn’t be restricted to just one style.”