Stanislaus State sets the stage this semester for Jamie John as he joins our musical theater department. After years of teaching private lessons as well as college lectures, John looks forward to sharing his expertise in musical theater here at Stan State.

Q: Concerning your teaching, can you tell us a little about your background?

A: I have been a private instructor of music for 30 years, teaching piano and voice lessons. From that, I grew into teaching in some smaller class environments, primarily musical skills, and then I was offered a couple classes in a more traditional college setting in 2009. My first big job was at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. At UW, I was the director of opera and musical theater. Here, I’m the assistant professor of musical theater.

Q: What would you like your students to know about your teaching style and what you incorporate into it?

A: Well, I would like my students to know as little about my teaching style as possible. My only desire is for them to be excited about engaging with the material. My technique, if you will, is just trying to light a fire.

Q: Would you tell us a little bit about your research background?

A: While Stan State has a research component that is really important to it, here in the theater and performing arts, we don’t necessarily think of ourselves as researchers oftentimes. A lot of times, we’re creating original material. However, my research here is about writing new theater pieces, and digging into whether there is a formula for them.

Q: What would you want the Stan State community to know about your research? 

A: With the various changes from the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, there is the understanding that it’s one thing to be able to see diversity on the stage, but it’s another thing to be able to hear diverse voices from writers and directors.

By, Ariana Espinoza