Eric Booth discusses how arts training instills in young people something that translates into workplace effectiveness. Research affirms that learning in the arts makes a real difference to workplace preparedness. Many employers swear by the reliable value of employees with arts backgrounds or even ongoing amateur arts practices. This is a program of the MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series.
Eric Booth, Juilliard School faculty member, nationally recognized consultant for the arts, and author, has been an award-winning actor (six plays on Broadway), producer, and small businessman. He founded the company Alert Publishing, which became the largest company of its kind in America in seven years, and launched him as a trend analyst with three books, a nationally syndicated radio program on the Business Radio Network; regular appearances on CNN and NBC. He has published over 80 articles and was the Founding Editor of the *Teaching Artist Journal*--the first peer-reviewed professional journal for the field. He writes the regular "Edifications" column for *Chamber Music Magazine*, and his last book, *The Everyday Work of Art *(Sourcebooks, 1997), won two awards and was a Book of the Month Club Selection. At Juilliard, Eric Booth founded the Art and Education program and became the Artistic Director of the Mentoring Program at the Juilliard School.