Hosting a Guest Artist

• Allison Russo
• Posted 1/2/23
• 0 comments

Bringing a guest artist into your classroom can feel overwhelming, even if the opportunity falls into your lap. Music teachers already wear so many hats, adding the role of “guest artist host” can seem like it’s too much.  

Hosting a guest artist, whether it’s for one day or over the course of a school year, can have deep and long-lasting positive impacts on your students, your program, and you personally. You are only one person, and you can’t be an expert on everything. Bringing in an expert and/or culture bearer makes for an authentic experience that students won’t soon forget. You can also learn from the artist and expand your knowledge of a music, culture, and tradition. This also shows your students that life-long learning is possible, normal, and worthwhile. Also, guest visits generate positive news about your program, which is always welcome when advocating for support of your program.  

How to Plan an Amazing Guest Artist Visit

First: Get aligned with your intended outcomes and current reality. There’s no point in planning a guest artist visit that simply “sounds fun/cool” if it doesn’t fit into what you or your students need or creates an unsustainable amount of work for you. Ask yourself:  

1. What musical, social, emotional, cultural, and community outcomes am I looking to achieve? 
2. Which of my program’s values do I want to activate? Examples include creativity, diversity, belonging, flow, etc. 
3. What do I want my students to be/see/do/hear/feel/know? 
4. What can I take on with my current level of capacity? Who can help? 

You also must make an important mindset shift when you bring another musician into your classroom to instruct your students: you will be giving up control. Of course, if things were to go really haywire (which they very likely won’t), you would step in. But otherwise, you are putting another adult in front of your students. They may teach or describe a concept in a way that you wouldn’t. You have to be ok with giving up that control for a short amount of time.  

An Artistic Match

Next: Find an artist who fits your intended outcomes. You might bring in a single person, a small group, or an entire ensemble. Regardless of how many people come, it is critical that you find artists who match what you want this visit to accomplish. For example, if you intend the visit to create a sense of belonging for students, you should look for an artist who looks like or has a similar background to your students. Of course, they should also have the musical experience necessary to accomplish your musical outcomes as well. Equally important is that you find an artist who has experience working with your age level and can be engaging and positive. You may have access to an extremely talented or well-known musician, but they may be very boring or even mean to students. Part of your job is to vet the artist through a conversation with them and/or with references from others.  

If finding this magical match seems impossible, remember that the music world is smaller than you think. Tap into your local network of musicians and ask around. Post on social media and see if anyone knows an artist who matches what you need. Nonprofit music organizations or performing art centers usually have a list of professional teaching artists whom you can hire either through their organization or privately. Similarly, community music schools are filled with talented musicians who also have experience teaching. If you’re open to a virtual visit (great for meeting composers, learning about a specific instrument, and other short visits), then there are even more options and opportunities out there – all you need to do is ask.  

Money, Money, Money…

The money is out there if you’re willing to get creative. You might be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. The simplest way is for your school to pay the artist (or organization) outright, whether that is from an accessible pot of money, writing it into next year’s budget allocation, or from your PTA/PTO or booster club. If those options aren’t viable, look around your community. If your project can turn into a collaboration with another department in your school, they may have access to funds you normally couldn’t touch. For example, if you combine story writing and songwriting for a residency, loop in the school librarian to access library funding. The school counselor or psychologist could be a great collaborator for SEL projects.  

There may be grants available to you on the district, local, or state level. Grant writing is not nearly as scary as it sounds: If you can describe your project and why it is important and impactful, you can write a grant. If you intend to work with a nonprofit to bring in artists, they can co-write the grant with you.  

Your students’ family members may make for a perfect artistic match – and they may also be willing to do their visit for free or a very low price. I always recommend paying artists for their time even if they offer to do it for free, if possible.  

One more out-of-the-box idea: seek sponsorship from a local business. This isn’t for everyone, but if you have a connection to a local business that would enjoy having their name attached to this project, they might be willing to chip in. Look to the businesses that sponsor your local junior sports teams to start (dentists, car dealerships, grocery stores, etc).  

Before the Visit

You’ve chosen the artist, the date, the activities, and you have the money lined up. But there’s a little bit more to do before the artist arrives. Plan a pre-visit meeting with the artist to be sure they know the logistics, the expectations, and any other relevant information. A quick checklist for this pre-visit meeting could include: 

• Logistics: times, locations, equipment needed, room setup, parking, security, dress code, etc. 
• Establish expectations for musical, social, emotional, intellectual, or academic outcomes.
• Find out what they need from you: communications to families, media waivers signed, student rosters, name tags made, surveys distributed, etc.  
• Inform them of any student concerns. They do not have access to student information, so be sure to alert them of relevant medical, behavioral, language, or social-emotional concerns.  

You’ll also need to make sure that the stakeholders in your community/ecosystem are aware of this visit. Depending on the event, you might want your supervisor, principal, or district administration to stop by. You could book the district photographer to be sure it gets in the newsletter. Make sure that you alert any donors or funders that the big day is coming as well. Do not miss this opportunity to show what amazing things you are doing in music. 

Your students need a bit of prep too, but only a little. Make sure you leave room for good surprises. Establish what they should look and listen for, and let them know you’ll be learning too. For longer-term visits/residencies, you may want to collect data to establish a baseline to show change over the course of the program. If you’re introducing a culture bearer who might bring something very new to the students, be sure to review classroom expectations about kindness and respect and encourage curiosity. It’s a normal reaction to laugh or giggle at something new and unexpected, but remind students that it can be hurtful to the artists or other students.  

Tips for During and After the Visit

As the hosting teacher, your job during the visit is to get everything out of the visitor’s way so they can perform, teach, and be absolutely mesmerizing. That might include handling logistics and equipment, managing tougher student behavior, taking pictures and videos, etc.  

After the visit is over, be sure to connect with the artist to not only thank them but follow up with any questions you might have for your own professional development. You may even want to pay to get a lesson with them. Similarly, thank and share with any donors or funders who contributed to the project.  

With your students, incorporate what they saw, heard, and learned from the visit as much as possible. Extend the learning so it becomes a part of your curriculum. The visit should “last” much longer than the time that the visitor was in your classroom.