Including the arts in the curriculum is a tough sell these days. In many districts, budgets have been cut, enrollment has increased, and there are tests to pass--forget about teaching Johnny to paint. But the discipline that many refer to as "the fourth R" may never have been more relevant to students' futures than today. That is because an increasing number of industries rely on the skills that an education in the arts helps develop: originality, collaboration, expression, risk taking, and imagination, to name a few. And there are entire industries (e.g., graphic design, sound engineering, and animation) that depend on workers fluent in digital arts creation. Teachers do not need a state-of-the-art multimedia lab to bring their school's art or music program into the 21st century, though. All it takes is a handful of computers and one educator who is committed to infusing creative expression into a lesson plan that crosses disciplines. The author had the opportunity to speak with two such educators and discover what made their programs succeed. Their stories are included here. A sampling of software and hardware for music composition and a brief list of strategies for success are included.