Teaching of Musical Theatre

The teaching of musical theatre is a specialism that prepares you for one of the most demanding hybrid careers in the arts education sector: the artist-educator who can perform at a professional standard and also teach effectively in schools, studios, and community settings. Musical theatre itself combines singing, dancing, and acting into a single integrated performance practice that is technically demanding in all three areas. Teaching it requires not just mastery of those disciplines but the pedagogical skills to communicate them clearly, the understanding of child and adolescent development to adapt teaching to different ages and abilities, and the organisational and leadership capabilities to run a class, rehearsal, or production.

At the University of Chichester, this three-year full-time programme fuses musical theatre training with full certification, producing graduates who can perform on stage and teach in schools within a single undergraduate degree. This dual preparation reflects genuine industry demand for versatile artist-educators who can work across both the professional performance and education sectors. You will develop your singing, dancing, and acting skills to a high level alongside pedagogical training that prepares you to teach musical theatre across a range of settings and age groups.

The integration of performance and education training throughout the programme means you develop a professional identity that encompasses both roles from the outset.

Graduates from this programme are well placed to teach musical theatre in schools, independent studios, youth theatre organisations, and community arts settings, while also pursuing professional performance work. The dual qualification gives you employment options that graduates from purely performance-based or purely education-based programmes do not have. Further study options include postgraduate teacher training qualifications and professional development in musical theatre performance.