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Monday, November 17, 2025
How one first-grade educator recruited Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz and dozens more to teach his students about Broadway, theater and empathy
www.broadwaynews.com: When first-grade teacher Bryan Andes was in middle school, his school choir took a trip to New York City to see “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. “It changed my life,” Andes told Broadway News.
5 comments:
Eliana Stevens
said...
I love this curriculum, classroom, and teaching style so much. I am a firm believer in how important the arts are for children. Arts in a child's life help them build confidence, gain problem-solving skills, learn how to work with others, and so much more. This is a wonderful program that goes through the whole production process (relative to first graders) and teaches them new skills in a fun and interactive way. If I had this class when I was a child, I think I would never have left school, and I would do all of my homework in record-breaking time! The way this teacher has pulled famous and monumental theater creators from all of the industry is so impressive and so wonderful for these kids. Amazingly, children get to learn from these groundbreaking performers. Not only does this program greatly improve these children’s education, but it is also built as a charity that donates to multiple organizations!
I'm surprised a first-grade class can pull this off. Putting together a production at the age of five is crazy. I don't even think I had a full grasp on what theatre was or what was all included in it till I got further along in my theatre education. This is such a unique idea that gets kids involved and allows them to be creative. This curriculum is something that I would see implemented into a college or high school theatre class, but the fact that it is for first graders is wild. Though I do think it is very shocking, I think it is a great way to make the arts known to these kids and allow them to have a creative outlet. I think it is great that it also goes through the creative and production process of a show. I do wonder if the curriculum is given to specific students who want to focus on theatre and the arts, or if it is public, and if it is private, what does it take to be taken?
This is such a heartwarming article. When I was glancing over the title I thought it was a first grader that caught their attention and I was expecting some cute story about a child. But I loved that it turned into a passionate educator who spent years building what he now has. I am a big believer in using the arts to create better students and humans. I went to a public high school in Idaho and the only thing that saved me was theatre. It was my everything and I credit it for so many of the skills I have now. I am grateful that a teacher doing really good and valuable work got so much attention. It is always good to read an article that reminds you that there is still good in this world. If I ever find myself in successful resource filled positions I hope I would give back to theatre education and all that it gave me.
This is a really smart move from the teacher. Theatrical skills can be used universally and teaching students at a very young age is so beneficial for them growing up. It’s also pretty impressive they put together their own production throughout the year and perform at the end. Putting a theatrical curriculum at a young age makes school much more enjoyable. During my senior year of high school, my theatre class and I went to one of the elementary schools nearby and spent most of the day teaching them theatre skills and gave them feedback on their own little musical they were making. They were very excited we were there and seemed to be really enjoying the activities we were doing with them. I think it’s great to introduce younger kids to theatre, they are the future of the industry so it’s important to peak their interest if it’s something they want to do.
This article restores so much faith in the upcoming generation for me. It makes me so happy to see kids return the care for a craft that their teacher tries to put into their lessons. That reciprocated care and enthusiasm is such an important thing to keep in the classroom. This is such a good example of teachers really listening to their students, and making sure they are having fun in their lessons. Theater is such an important practice for kids to take part in because it teaches them how to collaborate and problem solve. I think for this younger generation in particular it's really important that they practice theater and performance because it is a practice that is tangible and that has a fully tangible result. It is a very rewarding practice that challenges students, no matter what their role is, which also teaches them that everyone can be included in a lot of activities, and that it is their differences from each other that make their group effort so great.
5 comments:
I love this curriculum, classroom, and teaching style so much. I am a firm believer in how important the arts are for children. Arts in a child's life help them build confidence, gain problem-solving skills, learn how to work with others, and so much more. This is a wonderful program that goes through the whole production process (relative to first graders) and teaches them new skills in a fun and interactive way. If I had this class when I was a child, I think I would never have left school, and I would do all of my homework in record-breaking time! The way this teacher has pulled famous and monumental theater creators from all of the industry is so impressive and so wonderful for these kids. Amazingly, children get to learn from these groundbreaking performers. Not only does this program greatly improve these children’s education, but it is also built as a charity that donates to multiple organizations!
I'm surprised a first-grade class can pull this off. Putting together a production at the age of five is crazy. I don't even think I had a full grasp on what theatre was or what was all included in it till I got further along in my theatre education. This is such a unique idea that gets kids involved and allows them to be creative. This curriculum is something that I would see implemented into a college or high school theatre class, but the fact that it is for first graders is wild. Though I do think it is very shocking, I think it is a great way to make the arts known to these kids and allow them to have a creative outlet. I think it is great that it also goes through the creative and production process of a show. I do wonder if the curriculum is given to specific students who want to focus on theatre and the arts, or if it is public, and if it is private, what does it take to be taken?
This is such a heartwarming article. When I was glancing over the title I thought it was a first grader that caught their attention and I was expecting some cute story about a child. But I loved that it turned into a passionate educator who spent years building what he now has. I am a big believer in using the arts to create better students and humans. I went to a public high school in Idaho and the only thing that saved me was theatre. It was my everything and I credit it for so many of the skills I have now. I am grateful that a teacher doing really good and valuable work got so much attention. It is always good to read an article that reminds you that there is still good in this world. If I ever find myself in successful resource filled positions I hope I would give back to theatre education and all that it gave me.
This is a really smart move from the teacher. Theatrical skills can be used universally and teaching students at a very young age is so beneficial for them growing up. It’s also pretty impressive they put together their own production throughout the year and perform at the end. Putting a theatrical curriculum at a young age makes school much more enjoyable. During my senior year of high school, my theatre class and I went to one of the elementary schools nearby and spent most of the day teaching them theatre skills and gave them feedback on their own little musical they were making. They were very excited we were there and seemed to be really enjoying the activities we were doing with them. I think it’s great to introduce younger kids to theatre, they are the future of the industry so it’s important to peak their interest if it’s something they want to do.
This article restores so much faith in the upcoming generation for me. It makes me so happy to see kids return the care for a craft that their teacher tries to put into their lessons. That reciprocated care and enthusiasm is such an important thing to keep in the classroom. This is such a good example of teachers really listening to their students, and making sure they are having fun in their lessons. Theater is such an important practice for kids to take part in because it teaches them how to collaborate and problem solve. I think for this younger generation in particular it's really important that they practice theater and performance because it is a practice that is tangible and that has a fully tangible result. It is a very rewarding practice that challenges students, no matter what their role is, which also teaches them that everyone can be included in a lot of activities, and that it is their differences from each other that make their group effort so great.
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