ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 looks at the role of composers in orchestra and opera education programmes and the development of the new role of an “animateur” or “teaching artist.” The establishment of a new role for composers is one of the most positive outcomes of the proliferation of creative-based projects run by orchestral and opera education departments. These programmes foster the innate creativity of children and demystify the process of composing music. In the United Kingdom, the position of the leader of a creative workshop is often termed “animateur” and in the United States a “teaching artist.” The animateur role in the United Kingdom gained traction in the 1980s through the creative music workshops delivered by the London Sinfonietta, the Apollo Trust, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. During the 1980s and 1990s, training in creative workshop leading was incorporated into the tertiary curriculum (as discussed in Chapter 7). This chapter looks in particular at the training provided by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with insight provided by Sean Gregory. Eric Booth, regarded as the “father of the teaching artist,” discusses the emergence of the field of teaching artistry in the United States and the skills he aims to develop through his teaching and writing.
