A graphic with a quote from a teaching artist and her picture in a classroom seated with children. The quote reads, "Something about being a teaching artist really pulled me in–I think it was how different it was from performing with Milkshake, which doesn’t provide the intimacy that working as a teaching artist does. I am there in a circle with maybe 10 - 20 little ones, exploring books and ideas in arts-related ways. I make up songs and create strategies that fit what we are talking about. We play. We learn. And everyone gets something from our time together–the teacher, the children, and me."

Meet a few Early Learning Teaching Artists!

Dance… puppetry… music… theater… no matter the art form, our early learning teaching artists are absolutely incredible–bringing their creativity to the education and development of our youngest learners!

In the process, they’re finding inspiration to support their own work and building skills and perspectives that change them for the better. But don’t take our word for it, meet a few of our early learning teaching artists–tap dancer Quynn Johnson, musician Lisa Mathews, and dancer Laura Schandelmeier–and hear their thoughts on the role, below! Learn more about our Early Learning programs, on our website.

Interested in becoming an early learning teaching artist? We’re recruiting now until February 3! Learn more at artsforlearningmd.org/programs/early-learning/become-an-early-learning-artist.

A graphic with a photo of a teaching artist at the head of a classroom and a quote that reads, "I love using my art form as a tool to inspire young people. It has the ability to pique their interest and promote their creativity at the same time. As a tap dancer, I begin each class by making music with my feet. Because a large amount of students have never seen tap dance live and in person before, they immediately wonder how I am making these sounds with my feet. I enjoy seeing students' creativity and their imaginations grow with each step within every class."