Teaching Philosophy

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We will work, we will play, we will sing. Playfulness, compassion, and organization drive my practice as an educator. I believe that performing arts are a vehicle for organized play; it fosters creativity, innovative thinking, collaboration, empathy, and literacy skills. Exploring the arts gives us a safe space to reflect on ourselves and our points of view on the world. In my classroom and rehearsal space, one can hope to gain confidence, make brave choices, connect with others, experience being a leader, engage in your community at large, and take part in cross curricular learning.

I have experience scaffolding lesson plans to foster creativity, empathy, and collaboration for all types of learners. Using Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and differentiation, I vary the learning and assessment process for diverse individuals with differing abilities. 

Creating new work with students is a process that invites creativity and encourages innovation on a deeper level. Allowing actors and musicians to fully engage in the process as researchers, editors, writers, creators, and collaborators fosters cross-curricular engagement. Depending on the curriculum, I guide students to write and devise from fictional stories, poems, songs, non-fiction historical events or people, current events, or social justice themes and topics relevant to the community.