DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A House panel has approved a bill that would add fine arts to Iowa’s mandated education curriculum for K-12 students. An education subcommittee approved the bill Thursday. It now advances to a full committee for review. The bill would add music, theater, visual art and other fine arts to the Iowa Core, the state’s academic standards. The Iowa Core currently includes English, mathematics, science and social studies.

Emily Piper, of the Iowa Association of School Boards, says it’s better for school districts to infuse fine arts education into the current curriculum without a state mandate. Rep. Greg Forristall, a Republican from Macedonia and co-sponsor of the bill, says the addition would help prioritize fine arts education.

Similar legislation was introduced last session but it did not advance.