Teaching Artists: Creative Conversations with Arts Educators

Louise Marshall is the Producer for Dance and Accessible Arts as part of the engagement team at Eden Court in Inverness. Within this role, and a previous freelance career  she has been developing and delivering participatory and community dance classes and projects, for all ages and abilities, for 25 years. Louise completed an MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts at RCS in 2020, focusing on dance, adolescents identifying as female and femininity.

Johanna Smith is a Professor of Puppetry, Theatre Education, and Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino and the author of Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education: Head, Hands, and Heart. She has directed puppet shows that have taken her and her college students around the world, but she is just as happy and intrigued watching pre-schoolers use puppets in the classroom.  She believes in the power of laughter and creative re-use to inspire a love of learning.

Chris Wardlaw is secondary school music teacher, Principal Teacher of Enrichment, and Visiting Examiner for SQA music courses.  After graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RCS) with a BEd Mus (Hons) degree (2003-2007), Christopher has been working full time in secondary schools across the Lanarkshire area. After many years of teaching, Christopher decided to further enhance his professional practice by returning to the RCS to complete the MEd LTPA degree (2019-2021). During his time studying on the MEd course, he developed a key interest in enhancing independent learning skills in young people through coaching approaches. Christopher designed and created his own coaching model and digital coaching website as part of his studies and now uses these as part of his daily practice.

Hazel Grant is the founder and director of Glasgow Dance Academy – a dance school offering young people an outlet to express who they are and build confidence. Hazel has also recently been appointed Dance Lecturer for West of Scotland College.   After a career as a professional dancer working and performing internationally, Hazel obtained a Masters of Education in Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts from Royal Conservatoire Scotland, a first class Honours Degree in Dance (Distinction), qualified as a Primary school teacher and Secondary School Dance teacher.  The combination of a performing arts background paired with an educational context has given Hazel’s practice a strong foundation of how to support students through a creative approach whilst understanding the pedagogy from an educational setting.

Tania Czajka is an author, teaching artist and founder of Le Petit Monde theatre. Born in France but resident in Edinburgh since 1991, Tania qualified as an Early Years Practitioner (EYP) in 1999. Keen to share her first language with children, she developed her own English/French bilingual theatre shows and picture books. Through her M.Ed (LTPA) studies, Tania explored how creative puppetry along with bilingual – but accessible to all – stories could support modern language learning and teaching through play. Currently working full-time in a primary school as an EYP,  she is now in the process of setting up a professional learning programme for early years educators based on the approach she explored and developed. Her aim is to make modern language learning a positive and rich experience for all learners to develop confidence and self-esteem through creativity and play.

Lindsey Stirrat has travelled the world with her daily mantra ‘together we can’ and surrounds herself in worlds that value all kinds of performing, creative, innovative, expressive arts and artists in the 21 century, fostering a lifelong love of learning. She works with a goal to make arts education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. As an international arts educator and currently Head of Arts Faculty of UWCSEA East Campus, she places student agency and learning at the core, building robust pedagogical directions and bringing dynamic innovation and creativity into her community of practice, which has been described as transformative. Lindsey firmly believes that students learn to be open-minded and that there are diverse and equally valuable ways of conceptualising, practising and using the arts in order to understand that people and societies are different, and that diversity and global citizenship are inherently good. She is passionate about inclusivity and creating opportunities for all to embrace every music and the arts, creative communities, and its functions in society from personal, local and global cultures.  Lindsey has established links with the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) as a consultant and examiner for the IBDP Music course and also delivers workshops to international schools on programme developments and course implementation. At the moment she is researching into new thinking on bespoke arts pathways for programme development such as Creative Industry Pathways (STEAM initiatives) for the MYP and IBDP programmes. Alongside her roles in education, Lindsey is a flexible musician, a woodwind specialist and singer, passionate about contemporary, vocal jazz and world music. She has performed across the UK in her younger days, and across Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia in various ensembles throughout her years abroad. Her passion is collaborating with innovative and diverse musicians and artists who embrace cultural collaboration, fusing the western and world music genres. 

Simon Sharkey  is currently the director and CEO of The Necessary Space a company that works internationally and across the traditional boundaries and definitions of art forms, digital and physical technologies, film and media to create what we call “Acts of Wanton Wonder” and “Creative Immersive Adventures.” He was one of the founding directors of The National Theatre of Scotland, where he pioneered the “Theatre Without Walls” approach across Scotland and the rest of the world. Over 15 years with NTS he created a programme of genre defying participatory and professional arts projects as well as 3 international festivals.  Since leaving NTS in 2018, and forming “The Necessary Space” which he calls a “Theatre of Opportunity” his work has expanded globally and across different sectors. He is currently engaged in projects in Brazil, India, Jamaica, Trinidad, Canada and of course Scotland. He was one of the first people in the UK to receive a National Endowment of Science, Technology and Arts (NESTA) “international cultural leadership award.” He is a director, writer, coach, mentor, keynote speaker and most recently, a documentary film maker. He works on epic and intimate scales creating projects for social change and has mentored and supported executives, boards and global networks in re-visioning and repurposing their brands and operations. He co designed the Culture Collective for Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government, he designed a global network of hubs for the International Teaching Artists Collaborative, he co founded Artsi-(Art for social innovation) and has worked extensively with British Council in setting up projects and strategies across many regions. 

Clara Bloomfield is an award winning neurodivergent international Theatre Maker, Lecturer, and Creative Therapist, renowned for her diverse approach to Theatre-Making. With a distinctive focus on theatre of the lived experience and theatre for health, Clara is dedicated to creating impactful performance and theatrical experiences ‘for’, ‘with’, and ‘by’ young people. Her work revolves around amplifying the voices of youth while promoting their mental and emotional well-being. With two decades of experience as a versatile director and theatre maker for young audiences, Clara has produced compelling performances both in Scotland and on the international stage, authentically resonating with the lived experiences of the youth and addressing relevant social-political issues. Clara holds the distinction of being a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and the Higher Educational Academy, as well as an Arts for Good Fellow for the Singapore International Foundation as well as being Associate for the Royal Society for Public Health. 

Better known as Ganyamatope Dzapasi, Tawona Sithole's ancestral family name inspires him to connect with other people through creativity and the anticipation to learn. A poet, mbira player, storyteller and playwright, Tawona is a co-founder of non-profit arts group Seeds of Thought, a Research Associate for MIDEQ Global Migration Hub and UNESCO-RILA artist-in-residence at the University of Glasgow. As he continues to write, teach and perform, mostly he appreciates his work for the many inspiring people it allows him to meet. In this podcast Tawona discusses the following values: Kuwanda huuya – the more we are the more we have Kudzidza hakuperi – learning is never exhausted Dzinonzwa hadzirimi – ears don’t farm the field but they are working

Ray Tallan is the Head of Film at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Ray previously lectured in Cinematography at the RCS as well as lecturing roles at various FE institutions in Scotland. Before entering the world of education, Ray has worked within the camera/lighting department across a broad spectrum of work. Ray is currently redesigning the BA programme at the RCS as well as developing a new MA programme.

Lesley Eadie is a programmes and delivery officer with Time for Inclusive Education. She also works part-time as a Drama Teacher and coach, currently part of the team at Glasgow Academy, a visiting assessor for Advanced Higher Drama at SQA, and a transitions coach at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She completed an MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2022. Her final project centred on LGBT Inclusive Education: how pupil voice can impact teachers’ understanding of the need for inclusive practice in schools. Her research interests lie in learner autonomy, diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Raz Salvarita is the founder and chief-errand-officer of Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives in the Philippines. He is a transdisciplinary creative activist who aligns his community-based arts endeavours in the scope of activation, facilitation, and education. He is a recipient of numerous fellowships in arts leadership including the Mentorship Award for “Cultural & Artistic Responses to Environmental Change” given by the Prince Claus Fund and Goethe-Institut; Future Arts Leader by Creative Australia; ITAC Impact: Climate grant of the International Teaching Artist Collaborative; and the Arts for Good of the Singapore International Foundation. In 2024, he will join as a fellow with The After School program of the Center for Arts, Design, and Social Research. He believes in the transformative power of the arts as a centering place for healing, recovery, and renewal of courage

Jeffrey Tan is an experienced Theatre Director, Drama Educator and Creative Producer who is based in Singapore.  With a MA (Drama and Theatre Education) from the University of Warwick, Jeffrey has taught drama, theatre, playwriting, lesson planning, evaluation, Stage and Arts Management for students in Primary, Secondary, Polytechnics, Universities both in Singapore and overseas.  Jeffrey has also conceptualized Arts Residencies at Senior Activity Centres and presented intergenerational theatre work at various Arts Festivals in Singapore and Australia.  Jeffrey’s SAME-SAME2.0 an online inclusive live Zoom performance also toured to Melbourne Fringe 2021, New Zealand Fringe 2022 and Adelaide Fringe in 2022.

Nikki Doig is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Dundee. She joined the University in 2015 after ten years working in a variety of teaching and leadership roles in the primary sector. Nikki’s own drama education started long before her teaching career, with a BA in Dramatic Studies (RSAMD). In 2022 she completed an MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts (RCS). Her scholarship centres on teacher confidence, drama in education and learning beyond subject boundaries.

Finlay Heatherington is a musician and trumpet player who has performed music for Bollywood to the BBC.  He is co-founder and director of the quintet, Brass Tracks.  However, for almost 20 years, music education has been at the forefront of his day-to-day arts practice.  Finlay currently balances delivering brass lessons to 3 secondary schools across Edinburgh in addition to lecturing in music at Edinburgh College where he is one of the module leaders on the BA (Hons) course in partnership with Kingston University, London. In 2022 Finlay completed a 3 year MEd in Learning and Teaching at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 

Is mise Màiri NicGillÌosa. Tha mi nam neach-ealain agus ‘s e bana-Ghàidheal na Galltachd a th’ annam. Tha dàimh làidir agam ris a’ Ghàidhealtachd agus tha mi a’ fuireachd ann an Leòdhas. -- Mairi Gillies is a visual artist, educator and a Gaelic woman from the Lowlands of Scotland. Her practice is rooted within her deep connections to her home in the Gaeltachd. Currently she is living and working on Scotland's Isle of Lewis. 

Tracey Hawkes’ dance education was at Elmhurst Ballet School and the Theatre School, Edinburgh. After an early career as a professional contemporary and ballet dancer in Basic Space Dance Theatre and NAPAC Ballet, Tracy became the artistic director of Dance For All, Edinburgh, one of Scotland’s foremost performance dance and dance teacher education colleges since 2000. Alongside being a Life registered teacher member of the Royal Academy of Dance, she is the only Spanish Dance Society qualified tutor in Scotland and after 4 decades of educating young dancers in ballet, classical Spanish and flamenco dance, Tracy has now successfully completed a Masters in Education at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Gavin Crichton, co-founder of Active Inquiry, joins us this week for an Arts Educator Interview.   Gavin is the founder and current Artistic Director of Active Inquiry in Edinburgh. Before setting up Active Inquiry, Gavin worked as a freelance drama worker and as Research Assistant at the Centre for Community Arts Research and Practice at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. Gavin has over 20 years’ experience of running both small and large-scale community arts projects. As well as a project manager he is also an established workshop leader and theatre director. He has trained with Augusto Boal, Julian Boal and Barbara Santos and is the leading expert in the Theatre of the Oppressed in Scotland. He is currently working on a long term project, called Drama for Democracy, which is exploring how theatre spaces can be used as sites for participatory democracy in Scotland.

Sudebi joins MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Arts Programme Leader, Jamie Mackay, for this episode. Sudebi is a creative facilitator, trans-disciplinary narrative designer, educator, writer, researcher, futurist, thinker, music enthusiast and conversationalist with 18+ years of experience across 30+ countries spanning India, South and Southeast Asia, UK, Mainland Europe, Australia and USA.

Jamie is joined by Arts teacher Bethany Macleod.

Jo Turbitt from the College Development Network joins Jamie this week. 

Educator Chris Pendergast joins Jamie Mackay on this week's episode of the Arts Educator Interviews

Eric Booth is a founding leader of the global field of teaching artistry, a wide and fast-evolving field that combines artistry with pedagogical creativity.  For over forty-five years, Eric has guided teaching artists and arts organizations in what he calls “the ancient, underutilized power” of activating artistry in individuals and communities to simultaneously create beauty, engagement, and progressive social change.

Jude is an art teacher in a secondary school. Jude has a particular interest in how creativity can be taught.

Gemma is a Royal Academy of Dance and Rambert grades dance teacher with her own private dance company. Gemma has a particular interest in the degree to which dance education prepares dancers for employment after their career as professional dancers.

Clare is the sound lecturer on the BA Production Technology and Management course at RCS, and her background is in theatre sound. Clare has a particular interest in the development of creativity in theatre sound.

Ros Maddison is Head of Production at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). She has been leading the production department since 2002. Having graduated from RSAMD and Glasgow University in the 1980s, Ros’ professional theatre career began in stage management, working and touring extensively throughout Scotland and beyond as a freelance Stage and Production Manager.