The Learning Experiences of Musical Theatre Teaching Artists in a Performing Arts High School

Abstract

This study examines the learning experiences of four teaching artists (musical theatre) working in one school setting through a single case study design. Kolb’s (2015) experiential learning cycle provided a theoretical framework for developing the data collection tools. Data included (a) two individual 60–90-minute interviews with each teaching artist, (b) one 60–90-minute classroom observation for each teaching artist, (c) one after post-observation debriefing, and (d) one individual 60–90-minute interview with the artistic director and theater department head. The artistic director and department head were informants for the case study and provided context on the research site and educational practices of the school. Analysis led to themes of mentoring, student relationships, identity, and the influences of art on teaching. Three chapters are presented as theatrical production with the teaching artists being the main characters and the author as narrator: (a) a story of the past including the theme of mentoring experiences; (b) the story of the present experiences including themes of identity, student relationships, and the influence of teaching on artistry; (c) advice for future teaching artists, what they wished they had known before becoming educators, and their biggest sources of pride being a teaching artist. The summary and conclusion chapter offers suggestions for future policy implication and research including prioritizing the working conditions for teaching artists and studying teaching artists experiences in larger scale designs. Finally, a sample for a teaching artist course is provided.