What do Whoopi Goldberg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosie Perez and Phylicia Rashad have in common? A transformative encounter with the arts during their school years. In The Muses Go To School autobiographical interviews with a dozen well-known artists and performers are paired with interpretive essays by distinguished educators to produce a powerful case for giving arts a central role in education. These smart, entertaining voices draw the surprising connections between the arts and the development of the intellect, imagination and self-esteem of young people.