Eric Booth: Teaching Artist and the Art of Connection

In this insightful discussion, Devin Patrick Hughes is joined by Eric Booth, a lifelong teaching artist, elaborates on his experiences with teaching artistry and its importance in bridging the gap between classical music and broader audiences. Booth shares his perspective on what constitutes a teaching artist, emphasizing that their role extends beyond teaching a specific art form to activating the creative abilities in others. He also discusses the concept of “entry points,” which allows non-experts to make personally-relevant connections to musical pieces. Booth further explores the notion of open rehearsals, creating room for audience engagement, question-asking and building up appreciation for the technical skills of musicians. Furthermore, Booth touches upon the importance of celebrating mistakes as part of the creative process, fostering growth mindset and nurturing artist expression.

Eric Booth has been honored with The Arts Education Leadership Award from Americans for the Arts, and was named one of the “50 most influential people in the American arts.” After many years as a Broadway and classical actor, successful businessman, and author of The Everyday Work of Art and The Music Teaching Artist’s Bible, he launched his work in teaching artistry in 1979. He launched the teaching artist program at Juilliard, and has taught at Stanford University, NYU, Tanglewood and the Lincoln Center Institute where he now leads the Teaching Artist Development Labs.

He advises El Sistema programs in the U.S. and many countries; and consults with arts organizations, cities, states and national governments on arts learning. He gave the keynote address to UNESCO’s first ever worldwide arts education conference, and is widely called “the father of the teaching artist profession.”

Thank you for joining us on One Symphony. Thanks to Eric Booth for sharing his life’s worth and wealth of knowledge. You can find more info at www.teachingartistsmakingchange.com or www.ericbooth.net Musical selections on this episode today include Stravinsky’s Elégie for Viola Solo from the album Boulez Conducts Stravinsky and Deutsche Grammophon. You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org including a virtual tip jar if you’d like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!

www.ericbooth.net

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