Name: How Classical Arts Training Helps Kids Unlock Their Full Potential | Sherry Zhang
Uploaded: 2026-06-19T01:00:00.450Z
Duration: 48 min 50 s
Channel: American Thought Leaders

American Thought Leaders

Leonardo da Vinci once wrote that the key to developing a “complete mind” was to: “Study the science of art; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

In 2009, Sherry Zhang and a group of dedicated California parents who were disillusioned with the schools in their area decided to co-found an academic institution that would put this philosophy into practice. 

A former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory postdoctoral chemist, Zhang shares her unexpected journey from a garage tech start up to being a founding member of a classical academy. 

In this episode, Zhang discusses the core philosophy behind classical education—built upon three tenets: truth, goodness, and beauty. She reveals how intensive training in classical Chinese dance, ballet, visual arts, and music causes students to develop habits of perseverance, focus, and attentiveness that transfer to academics. 

In an age dominated by instant gratification and digital distraction, Zhang explains how the structure of classical arts provide order that children long for. 

One student, Hugo, came to the San Francisco High School of the Arts unable to focus and with failing grades. After one year at the school, he began to prosper at school, and his mother was stunned. His story is just one among many, she says.

Sherry Zhang, co-founder of the San Francisco High School of the Arts, discusses how integrating classical education with fine and performing arts fosters grit, focus, and academic excellence. By pursuing truth, beauty, and goodness, the school helps students move beyond instant gratification to achieve mastery, resulting in exceptional university placement rates and holistic personal growth.

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Members-onlyHow Classical Arts Training Helps Kids Unlock Their Full Potential | Sherry Zhang

American Thought Leaders