Welcome to Dobie Fine Arts!

Our Dobie Roadrunner Fine Arts proudly boasts 7 outstanding and award winning Fine Arts programs that are making a difference in our school community and beyond. Our goal is to promote creativity, diligence, patience, teamwork and growth of positive self esteem. All our Dobie Fine Arts Program Directors are certified to teach a diverse curriculum powered by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Please select from the options to the left to learn more about a specific content area.

The importance and significance of Fine Arts Education on our Title I Campus:

The Arts are a vital and critical component of learning that inspires students to be themselves while simultaneously cultivating a stronger sense of self. In East Austin, there are many choices when it comes to where to send your child to receive their education. In this world where there are many uncertainties, we hope that you consider the magnitude and diversity of our unique Fine Arts selections as a way to decipher your decision. Our Roadrunner students have the opportunity to master an entirely new skill in their 3 years as a middle school student with us at Dobie. Their experiences will better prepare them for their future education in high school and beyond, opening the opportunity for collegiate scholarships, strengthening their social, cognitive, creative and aesthetic abilities. It will enhance their problem solving, reading, mathematical, and historical knowledge, and widen their cultural outlooks.

Excerpts from Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning (2002)

• The arts reach students not normally reached, in ways and methods not normally used. (This leads to better student attendance and lower dropout rates.)
• It changes the learning environment to one of discovery. (This often re-ignites the love of learning in students tired of just being fed facts.)
• Students connect with each other better.
• The arts provide challenges to students of all levels.
• Students learn to become sustained, self-directed learners.
• The study of the fine arts positively impacts the learning of students of lower socioeconomic status as much or more than those of a higher socioeconomic status. (21% of students of low socioeconomic status who had studied music scored higher in math versus just 11% of those who had not. By the senior year, these figures grew to 33% and 16%, respectively, suggesting a cumulative value to music education.)

An article written by the Texas Commission on the Arts states that, “A well-rounded education includes the arts (music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film). The arts encourage creativity, innovation, and self-confidence—essential skills for a 21st century workforce. The arts have been shown to reach students that don’t learn well through traditional methods, sparking an interest in learning and academic achievement. Increased school attendance, civic engagement, and decrease anti-social behaviors have all been linked to arts education.” 

In another article published by the University of Florida’s Online Master of Arts in Art Education’s website titled, “The Importance Of Art Education In The Classroom” (2023), The topic of art education furthering student growth is cited with new data from Houston area schools. 

When surveyed by the nonprofit organization Americans for the Arts, members of the U.S. public overwhelmingly agreed that the arts are one aspect of a well-rounded K-12 education. In addition, a recent study conducted in Houston public schools showed that students who participated in arts education see the following benefits:

• Improved writing achievement
• Reduced disciplinary infractions
• More student engagement
• Improved college aspirations
• No drop in standardized test scores

We are Dobie Fine Arts!
(Trip to the AISD Performing Arts Center during our Elementary School Tours, 2022)