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The hierarchy of academic self-concept (SC) was examined in 4 studies. In Study 1, a higher order artistic SC factor represented teacher education students' (N = 298) SCs in 4 art areas. In Study 2, high school students* (JV = 197) perceptions in speaking, reading, and writing in English and in language other than English formed 2 distinct higher order factors showing the domain specificity of their SCs in respective language areas. In Study 3, university students 1 (N -309) SCs in speaking, reading, and writing English as a second language formed a higher order English SC factor that was not distinguishable from an independent global English SC measure. In Study 4, responses of students in a school of commerce (TV = 211) to SC items in accounting, math, economics, English, and Chinese formed a higher order factor that was not distinguishable from a global academic SC measure.Since Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton (1976) proposed a multidimensional, hierarchical model of self-concept, researchers have attempted to examine both the multidimensionality and the hierarchical nature of self-concept in various areas. Researchers have found strong support for the multidimensional nature and the domain specificity of self-concepts in various areas, such as academic (e.g.,

The arts are an integral and important component of our everyday lives. As such, they need to be a vital part of our children's education. However, this has rarely been the case in Australian state primary schools over the past two hundred years. This article explores the history of the arts in Australian state primary schools since the colonization of Australia to the present day. I examine how arts education has been subject to policy changes and inquiries that have not seemed to significantly benefit the arts in our schools and that have at times seemed to marginalize the arts in primary schools. The article concludes with a challenge to arts educators and other stakeholders to develop and implement a long-term approach to policy and practice to ensure that the arts serve as an "Ode to Joy" rather than dissolving into "Sounds of Silence."