The arts should be considered part of the basic content of any school curriculum. The arts teach us about the central nature of what it means to be human. They are an essential part of the curriculum for all learners across all ranges of abilities and talents in all schools, but perhaps especially in rural schools, where access to museums, the symphony, or ballet may be more restricted than in urban areas, and music and art specialists may not be a part of the school staff. The arts--music, poetry, visual imagery--can be powerful tools for enabling learning, and many theories attempt to explain how music and visual symbols help us "fix" information in our minds. The arts can be used very successfully to create the anticipatory set that prepares the learner at the emotional/feeling level for the cognitive content. Beyond the content they carry and the culture they provide, the arts serve as a tool for learning how to learn. The arts can also be integrated into the curriculum by using artistic expression as a means of demonstrating conceptual understanding of a body of knowledge. Finally, students' creation of art forms can make learning a joyful process. (JHZ)