Extend your artistic range as a YALA Teaching Artist.

Find the right teaching artist opportunity for you

Teaching artists are the heartbeat of our work and they work with students, educators, and families. YALA works with a network of over 250 artists, educators, coaches, and mentors that work during the school day, after school, and through the summer. We are always looking for new artists! If you are engaged and enthusiastic about sharing your craft with youth, then please get in touch – we'd love to meet you.

Programs include:

  • Extended Learning Arts Programs: Afterschool and Summer Arts Enrichment and school placements through ArtsEd Connect.

  • Curricular Arts Integration Programs: Arts Integration Residencies (AIR), AIR for Exceptional Students, Arts-Integrated Professional Development and Comprehensive Arts-Integrated School Model Residencies

  • Louisiana Wolf Trap Programs for Early Learners: Early Learning Classroom Residencies, YALA Baby Artsplay! and Artsplay! Workshops and Arts and Literacy Workshops

  • YALA Online Programs: Art to Heart, Simply Arts, YALA Baby Artsplay! at Home and YALA Artsplay! at Home

In order to support the work of teaching artists, Young Audiences of Louisiana provides professional development opportunities to all teaching artists on a regular basis. We also support experienced teaching artists interested in obtaining the National Teaching Artist Credential. To learn more about working with YALA, arts education opportunities, visit our programs.

If you would like to work with YALA, e-mail Jenny James at jenny@ya4la.org:

  • Cover Letter

  • Resume and/or CV

  • Work Sample

Programs for Teaching Artists

Teaching Artist Institute

Supported by the Keller Family Foundation & the RosaMary Foundation

Program Photo Gallery
Teaching Artist Institute: artists raise arms in the air during a movement exercise.
Teaching Artist Institute: a team of artists stands in front of the workshop to present. Two play instruments, one plays a guitar and another a violin.
Teaching Artist Institute: a teaching artists presents different shapes in movement.
Teaching Artist Institute: a teaching artist leads a movement exercise.
Teaching Artist Institute: a teaching artist presents to a group of artists, as they sit on the floor in a circle.
Teaching Artist Institute: three artists laughing.
Teaching Artist Institute: a team of artists give each other a group high-five.
Teaching Artist Institute: teaching artist presents using a projector.
Teaching Artist Institute: teaching artists take part in a movement exercise.
“I left the two-day session with a solid understanding of the role of a teaching artist and felt empowered in taking steps to continue to educate myself.”
— Grace Booth, Physical Theater Artist and CIrcus/Movement Teacher

As more and more educators and parents begin to realize the benefits of arts integration, we have an ever-increasing need for professional artists who are willing, as well as appropriately trained, to share their art form with students. In order to meet this need, Young Audiences of Louisiana created the Teaching Artist Institute, a two-day workshop designed to provide the fundamentals of teaching through arts integration. Upon successfully completion of the institute artists can pilot their new role as "teaching artist" through a five-day residency in a local classroom.

Transformative Change Initiative

An intentional commitment to artists of color. Transformative Change Initiative (TCI) is a ten-month, intensive, paid coaching and career development experience.

TCI’s mission is to provide individualized mentorship and career development for BIPOC artists of color who demonstrate artistic excellence and interest in continuing a career in arts education in the greater New Orleans area.

TCI fellows engage in self-reflection, peer-to-peer feedback, and receive professional development (PD) in arts-based instructional strategies, managerial knowledge, and 21st Century skills which culminates in the development of a PD workshop for their peers. The year-long commitment also includes monthly advisory meetings and the offering of these services:

  • Alignment of teaching practices to YA National Teaching Artist Credential Requirements

  • Knowledge of and access to resources and funding opportunities in arts education within and outside of our affiliate

  • Increased exposure and opportunities to attend national conferences, seminars and presentations

Benefits of TCI extend to students as they experience the richness of our artist community and the culture of their neighborhoods in their classrooms.

Professional Development Workshops

Young Audiences of Louisiana teaching artists have the opportunity to learn from one another and veterans in the field of arts integration. YALA offers teaching artists the opportunity to attend periodic professional development workshops dedicated to a range of topics including arts integration strategies, classroom management skills and relevant areas of childhood development.