Arts Educators Save the World - podcast cover

Arts Educators Save the World

ARTS EDUCATORS SAVE THE WORLD is a new weekly podcast that brings successful artists together in conversation with their mentors. Season One guests include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robert Lopez, Josh Radnor, Annaleigh Ashford, and more. Follow the show on Twitter @artseducators, on IG @artseducatorspodcast, and learn more at www.ArtsEducatorsPodcast.com. Subscribe today to be inspired by how these educators and mentors changed the lives of the artists... that change our worlds.
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Episodes

Billy Eichner & Mary Poole, Part 2

Part 2 of our conversation with comedian, actor, and writer Billy Eichner continues, as we delve into how acting teacher Mary Poole’s approach to mentoring shaped all of our lives. Find Part I in your podcast feed!

Jun 26, 202550 min

Billy Eichner & Mary Poole, Part 1

It’s Billy on the podcast! This episode features comedian, actor, and writer Billy Eichner alongside guest co-host Jamie Salka (CEO of Story Pirates) as we talk with the college acting teacher we all shared: Mary Poole. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it’s better than Cats.

Jun 12, 202549 min

Erica & Alek Chat #4

Part 4 of our ongoing mini-series "Erica & Alek Chats," where our hosts take a deep dive into a specific aspect of arts learning-and-teaching from Erica's book, How the Arts Can Save Education.

May 28, 202533 min

Wendy Goldberg & Molly Smith

What does it take to be the Artistic Director of a major theatre company? And how do you recognize someone’s potential to succeed in this kind of a leadership role? You will not want to miss the answers to these and other questions about leadership in theatre in our conversation with two grandes dames of the American theatre world, Molly Smith and Wendy Goldberg!

May 08, 20251 hr 18 min

LIVE! From NCECA! In SLC!

Live! from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts it’s AESTW!!! Erica and Alek traveled to Salt Lake City for a live recording at the NCECA conference with VETART Executive Director Steve Dilley and ceramicist and navy veteran Reggie Stites. Our audience was moved by Reggie’s story of transformation and identity-making through ceramics… and now you can bear witness!

Apr 21, 202558 min

Blue Sky Episode Swap!

Dropping in our feed today is an episode from our friends at Blue Sky. Bill Burke and the Optimism Institute host conversations about positivity, including this gem with Vanessa Cooksey about her optimistic take on the future of the arts, the vital role that artists play in our communities, the joys of arts education. Onward together!

Apr 07, 202558 min

L. Steven Taylor & Dr. Lisa Mitchell

On today’s episode we journey through the amazing arts education program Disney Musicals in Schools with Broadway star L. Steven Taylor (Mufasa in "The Lion King") and Dr. Lisa Mitchell (Director of Education, Disney Theatricals). This team of artists and educators works in elementary schools across the US to bring musical theatre joy to students everywhere!

Mar 25, 20251 hr 11 min

Erica & Alek Chat #3

Part 3 of our ongoing mini-series "Erica & Alek Chats," where our hosts take a deep dive into a specific aspect of arts learning-and-teaching from Erica's book, How the Arts Can Save Education.

Mar 14, 202538 min

Who ARTed? Episode Swap!

In this episode, we're sharing a story from our friend Kyle Wood, host of the delightful podcast "Who ARTed?" Kyle is a National Board Certified Teacher with 17 years experience in public schools, and his show is meant to be accessible for anyone interested in art with a focus on fun facts that are appropriate for listeners of all ages, so it's totally safe to listen with your kids! Katsushika Hokusai is best known for The Great Wave off Kanagawa, part of his series of 36 Views of Mount Fuji. Hi...

Mar 03, 202515 min

Loren Hammonds & Warrington Hudlin

Sometimes, the most compelling mentorship relationships are mutual – where the student has as much to give as the teacher. In this wide-ranging conversation, Warrington Hudlin, founder of the Black Filmmakers of America and Loren Hammonds, head of documentary for Time Studios, talk about the importance of community and showing up for one another, and their mutual love for virtual reality and immersive filmmaking. These two are changing the face of film production!

Feb 19, 20251 hr 12 min

Shaina Taub & Jeanine Tesori

Holy moly, it's a great day indeed when you get to talk with, not one, but two of the greatest living composers of musical theatre and opera!! On today’s episode, we talk with 2024 Tony Award-winner Shaina Taub and her mentor, Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeanine Tesori about critique, the importance of community, and, of course, mentorship. Even Alek was moved by our conversation, so you know we were onto something here!!

Feb 10, 20251 hr 15 min

Story Pirates Episode Swap!

This week we're sharing an episode from our friends at The Story Pirates. In it, a magnetic, musical manatee (John Legend) tries to convince the Story Pirates to form a marching band, but is he really who he says he is? Featuring two new stories: “Butts,” a song about, well, butts, sung by Broadway star F. Michael Haynie and written by Malachy, a 7 year old from Pennsylvania, and “The Audition,” a story about the trials and tribulations of putting on a brand new musical, written by a 10 year old...

Jan 30, 202542 min

Parker Esse & Baayork Lee

On today’s episode, we explore the art of choreography with artist Parker Esse and his mentor, the legendary Baayork Lee. We ask "what do you do as an artist when words aren’t enough?" The answer? You dance!!!!

Jan 20, 20251 hr 6 min

Erica & Alek Chat #2

It's the second episode in our ongoing mini-series "Erica & Alek Chats," where our hosts take a deep dive into a specific aspect of arts learning-and-teaching from Erica's book, How the Arts Can Save Education.

Jan 10, 202539 min

Aaron Bossen & Helen Lee (Happy New Year!)

This episode is for the thinkers! Join glass artist and PhD student in Materials Science Engineering Aaron Bossen and his mentor, Head of the UW-Madison Glass Lab and United States Artists (USA) Fellow Helen Lee as they talk about the art of making glass and making with glass. We dive into the world of conceptual art, and we talk about glass as both a material and a metaphor for life. Enjoy this incredible food for your artist brain! More info on Helen here: https://www.unitedstatesartists.org/a...

Jan 01, 20251 hr 9 min

Play On Podcasts Episode Swap!

In this episode, we're sharing our pal Michael Goodfriend's conversation with Dorcas Leung, who plays "Juliet" in the Play On Podcasts production of "Romeo and Juliet." Michael and Dorcas are passionate artists and arts educators who talk about everything from representation in the theatre to the power of HS arts education. Find more Play On & Next Chapter podcasts at: https://www.nextchapterpodcasts.com/playonpodcasts And on Apple Podcasts at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-on-p...

Dec 22, 202451 min

Erica & Alek Chat #1

This is the first episode in an ongoing mini-series we're calling "Erica & Alek Chats," where our hosts take a deep dive into a specific aspect of arts learning-and-teaching from Erica's book, How the Arts Can Save Education.

Dec 08, 202434 min

Cody Renard Richard & Carrie Wood

Broadway and TV's finest production stage manager Cody Renard Richard reflects with his HS theatre teacher Carrie Wood about their shared love of stage management, HS theatre, rodeo, and Cody's foundation: The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Foundation, which supports young technical theatre artists of color. Read about Cody here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/arts/culture-diary-cody-renard-richard.html And follow Cody on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/codyrenard/?hl=en

Nov 30, 20241 hr 3 min

Carlos Gacharna & Geof Hermann

Multimedia artist, teaching artist, and all around badass Carlos Gacharna talks with his high school ceramics teacher Geof Hermann. They explore how the high school ceramics classroom is a life-saving space for both students and teachers. Follow Carlos on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/caduphoto/?hl=en

Nov 21, 20241 hr 3 min

Jonathan Groff & Linda Tough

Broadway's reigning Tony-award winner for Best Actor, Jonathan Groff (Merrily We Roll Along, oh yeah, and Frozen, oh yeah, and Hamilton), and his elementary school music teacher, Linda Tough, talk about music-making, education, and their shared passion for "I Love Lucy."

Nov 14, 20241 hr 7 min

WE'RE BACK!!

Erica and Alek are back! And from now on, we're gonna be a semi-weekly podcast! New episodes start dropping Nov 14, with none other than Jonathan Groff! Follow the show on Twitter @artseducators, on IG @artseducatorspodcast, and learn more at www.ArtsEducatorsPodcast.com. Subscribe today to be inspired by how these educators and mentors changed the lives of the artists... that change our worlds.

Nov 07, 20241 min

Top Chef's Valentine Howell, Jr. with... his mother!

So many first-time ingredients to spice up the episode we've whipped up this week: Our FIRST guest from the CULINARY arts... Our FIRST guest co-host who is also an artist in the art form o' the day... and our FIRST guest who has brought along his MOM! A melange of new flavors baked into this week's conversation with 2024 Top Chef-testant CHEF VALENTINE HOWELL, JR, and his mother, STEPHANIE JOACINE, at whose side Val first came to know and love the art and science of food. And because there are n...

Apr 02, 20241 hr 3 minSeason 2Ep. 11

Bradley Whitford. Yes. Bradley Whitford.

We launched this podcast in Season One with a conversation between Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robert Lopez, and Ms. Barbara Ames, who was not only their mentor (and elementary school music teacher), but Erica's as well. We now end Season Two with Bradley Whitford, whose mentor (and university theater professor) was, in fact, Alek's as well. Bradley Whitford is, of course, a three-time Emmy Award-winner actor, known for his work on THE WEST WING, TRANSPARENT, and now, as the enigmatic Commander Joseph L...

Feb 05, 202452 minSeason 2Ep. 10

How They Met Each Other: Craig Thomas and Rob Greenberg

Our guests today, working at the highest levels of network television, are proof that the mentorship doesn't end at graduation. Craig Thomas is the co-creator of CBS's smash sitcom HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, which received 30 Emmy Award nominations in its nine-season run. His prose has been published in The Iowa Review, The Boston Globe, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and the Weekly Humorist. He joins us in conversation with Rob Greenberg, who, as a writer/producer on FRASIER, won three Emmys, and a W...

Jan 29, 20241 hr 1 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Representation: Arts Teachers in Film w/ Slate's Dana Stevens

In Season One, we looked at the representation of arts educators on television with Christina Anthony (Episode 8, for those who want to give it a listen). This season, we are taking a look at a few arts educators from the big screen, and who better to speak with than Dana Stevens, Slate’s film critic since 2006 and a co-host of the Slate Culture Gabfest (the magazine's weekly culture podcast). She has also written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic and Bookforum. Her first...

Jan 22, 20241 hr 6 minSeason 2Ep. 8

Comedy writing with Chelsea Devantez and Anne Libera

We are back from the holidays and honored to have Chelsea Devantez in conversation with her "comedy mom", The Second City's Anne Libera, who is also the Director of Comedy Studies for the Theater Department at Columbia College Chicago. Chelsea is an Emmy-nominated TV writer, comedian, and filmmaker. She’s written on Peacock’s Girls5Eva, ABC’s Not Dead Yet, and was the Head Writer on The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+. She hosts the hit independent podcast Glamorous Trash with Chelsea Deva...

Jan 16, 20241 hr 6 minSeason 2Ep. 7

Russell Granet (New 42) and Jody Gottfried Arnhold (Dance Education Laboratory)

When we say that arts educators save the world, we mean it! And these two superheroes are fierce advocates for the necessity of incorporating the arts into all aspects of education. Unsolicited advice: Don’t get in their way. We have RUSSELL GRANET, the President & CEO of New 42, a leading cultural nonprofit whose mission is to make extraordinary performing arts a vital part of everyone’s life from the earliest years onward. And we’ve got the unstoppable JODY GOTTFRIED ARNHOLD, the Founder o...

Dec 18, 20231 hrSeason 2Ep. 6

Rachel Axler and Jim Shepard

On this episode we talk to an Emmy-award winning writer from “The Daily Show.” We talk to a writer from “How I Met Your Mother,” one from “Parks and Recreation,” one from “Veep,” and one from the deeply under appreciated “Bored to Death.” We also reconnect with a friend from our high school with the singing voice of an angel. And my word! It’s all the same person! We are thrilled to introduce you to the brilliant Rachel Axler, who has brought along her teacher from her days at Williams College, ...

Dec 11, 202356 minSeason 2Ep. 5

LIVE with Sheikia Purple Norris & Toni Blackman, with guest host Dr. Yorel Lashley

As part of the Wisconsin Arts Integration Symposium, we bring you our first LIVE episode! Erica and guest host Dr. Yorel Lashley bring on emcee and educator Sheikia Purple Norris, who has invited her long time "guide, teacher, sister, peer" Toni Blackman to the pod. Toni is an author, poet, educator, public speaker, cultural representative, and advocate "representing the divine feminine for women and girls rocking the mic with authenticity," as well as the creator and founder of the I Rhyme Like...

Dec 04, 20231 hr 4 minSeason 2Ep. 4

Langston Kerman, Rich Robbins, and their mentor Peter Kahn of Oak Park and River Forest High School

Speaking of mentoring, today we speak with artists of the spoken word, rapper and teacher Rich Robbins, along with actor, writer, and comedian Langston Kerman, who together speak highly of their spoken word teacher, poet and educator Peter Kahn from Oak Park and River Forest High School. We'll let the rest speak for itself. Follow Rich Robbins: Instagram: @richrobbins Twitter: @richr0bbins Website: Spotify: Rich Robbins Check out Langston Kerman: Instagram: @langstonkerman My Mama Told Me - The ...

Nov 20, 20231 hr 2 minSeason 2Ep. 3
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