Video: Viral Theater Teacher Kyle Mason Spotlighted on TODAY

Kyle Mason, a performing arts instructor who has gone viral on social media for his empowering teaching methods, recently sat down with TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager and guest co-host Willie Geist to discuss his experience in arts education.

Mason currently works as a teaching artist at Brooklyn's Treasure Trunk Theatre and went viral for his spirit of joy he has with his students, along with his pre-show affirmations. "It's very important to me, as an educator, that the kids do not care about getting everything right but caring about doing their best... Those affirmations, to me when I was growing up, always reminded me of that."  

"I work with kids in a more extracurricular capacity, and to me it feels like being a cherry on top of their education," he added. "I hope for them to leave feeling more joyful and feeling like they can carry themselves in a more true to them way in the other parts of their life."

Watch the full segment, which features footage of Mason teaching in the classroom, interviews with teachers and students, and the conversation with Hager and Geist, including a Broadway surprise at the end.