I am often asked, What is a teaching artist? What does a teaching artist do? Well that question can have many different answers depending on the day and depending on which teaching artist you ask. So today, I will say that a teaching artist is a creative or an artist that uses their art form to teach other subjects. This is arts integration. I am a theater artist, so I primarily use theater based strategies to teach or enhance Reading Comprehension, Social Emotional Learning, STEM, Team Building and anything else that you can think of. In addition to theater strategies, I often integrate music and movement into my learning experiences.
I do a large part of my work with educators and children in schools and early learning centers. However, teaching artists are not limited to working with children and schools. My work includes classes for infants and toddlers and their caregivers, professional development workshops for educators and creative workshops for seniors. Teaching artists work in many different settings with many different populations including; hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, detention centers. Now many of us are working with participants virtually, from their homes. We will go wherever we are needed.
Resources:
Kennedy Center's Arts Integration Definition
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts