Teaching Artist Interns

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Teaching Artist Interns are UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) students interested in impacting the next generation of artists through education.

Teaching Artist Interns participate in Creative Connections because they are:

• Looking for practical teaching experience
• Passionate about mentoring and community service
• Enjoy working with young artists

As part of creative wayfinding, the goal of Creative Connections is to provide CTSA students with paid, valuable professional development and a pathway to support their arts education.  Interns are current UCI students majoring in Art, Dance, Drama and/or Music.  In partnership with Orange County Educators, Interns will work to create inclusive and equitable access to the arts for area K-12 students. Learn more about the program by reading the information below.  

Creative Connections is a great program for any artist who wants to gain real-world teaching experience. This program puts you in elementary, middle school, or high school classrooms with the support and resources that will give you both the best chance to grow and the best opportunity to serve other young artists. I've come away from this program a more well-rounded and confident teaching artist. I can't recommend it enough!

Matthew / UCI Music major / Class of 2022

Application

Creative Connections is recruiting for the following positions:

Additionally, participation in Creative Connections may be used to fulfill the Major/Minor in Education Sciences practicum requirement, and/or the Minor in Civic and Community Engagement internship requirement regardless of if an intern is getting paid or receiving credit.

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Application/Position Timeline

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Frequently Asked Questions

• How are Interns matched with an Educator?

​Interns will be able to review Educator applications during Fall training.  An initial meeting between the Intern and Educator is then scheduled to ensure that the needs, goals, and approaches of both the intern and educator align well.  Once a good match is established, the Intern and Educator will work together to plan at least one classroom observation by the end of Fall Quarter for the intern to see the classroom dynamic and meet the students.

Please note, we do our best to match the interests of the Teaching Artist Interns with the needs of the Educators.  Because of this, we, unfortunately, may not be able to partner all Interns with an Educator.

• What kinds of projects are created as part of the internship?

​Projects are developed collaboratively between the Intern and their matched Educator to augment the work already being done in the classroom.  Beginning in the Winter Quarter and continuing into the Spring Quarter, Interns will implement these planned projects through synchronous or asynchronous classroom lessons, group and individual coaching, and other appropriate teaching methods.  Examples of past projects include: visual art and science integrated drawing lessons, guest choreography sessions, monologue direction, and one-to-one music lessons. ​

• I do not have a vehicle to travel to and from my partnered school.  Can I still participate in Creative Connections?

Yes, you can!  We want everyone to be able to take advantage of this unique opportunity and are committed to eliminating as many barriers to participation for our CTSA students.  Therefore, we reimburse all our Interns for their transportation costs to and from their school sites, regardless if you use a personal vehicle, public transportation or car service.

• What if I have other questions that were not answered here?

Should you have any other questions or concerns, please email us at artsoutreach@uci.edu.

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