I love being a teaching artist

I love being a teaching artist 

When I originally moved to New York City and was job hunting, I came across a job of which I had never heard before called a teaching artist. I didn’t know what that meant. After going on two or three interviews I realized that it was one of the most fulfilling professions to have in the city. As an artist, you serve communities that wouldn't have the opportunity to experience the arts otherwise. 

Art and culture occur everywhere. Some of our greatest art forms emerged from communities with few resources, the Blues, Jazz, Spirituals, and Bluegrass to name a few. But in our schools, art is often seen as a luxury. New York really changed the game when it created school arts programming that serves the communities across the range of incomes and resources. 

My first position as a teaching artist was in the housing projects of Brooklyn teaching early childhood music. I had found my calling, it was a joy. When I walked into the classroom all the kids would jump up and shout because they were so happy to see me. And I knew I was providing a resource that they valued.

I threw my heart and soul into my job. I created curriculums that introduced music theory and history and added a creative craft to the lessons to expand the children’s experience. I researched children’s songs around the world and found tons of under used gems from all cultures. And I added instruments and dance whenever I could. I now teach children as a teaching artist through the elementary years, but the enthusiastic and joyful preschoolers were the ones that stole my heart. 

I wish teaching artist positions were available all over the country. There are plenty of artists in all fields looking for work who would love to teach in hospitals, prisons, shelters, community centers, and schools and bring the enrichment of the arts to all citizens.