In the 1970s, Jose Antonio Abreu started the Venezuelan program that puts instruments into the hands of poor children and transforms their lives with free music education. Abreu, a musician and economist, sees in the arts not just a discipline and skill but a path to true selfhood. This is not the sort of talk one often finds in education. Whatever their backgrounds, academic performance, or experience, most students come alive in a deep and authentic way when given the chance to learn through creativity and the arts. By introducing the arts into the curriculum--even in small ways--educators discover that all students achieve more through creative engagement. Teachers wishing to raise the bar for all students can do so through the arts.