Performing arts offer communication, catharsis, and outlets for expression. Holders of purse-strings—parents, administrators and others—sometimes need reminding that performing arts also teach skills that are valuable in all kinds of work:
To know your raw materials intimately.
To perform to a high standard on demand and in real-time.
To tolerate not knowing an answer—not knowing the correct interpretation of a Beethoven sonata, say—until the solution comes together irresistibly after careful study. (Nobel-winning physicist Richard Feynman pointed out how important this quality is for scientific work.)
To be objective while intensely involved. (When we practice or perform, our involvement is four-fold: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.)
To re-create your understanding with every performance.
To respect your audience.
And, for ensemble performers, to know how to cooperate intimately.
For performers, these values are goals! 
