Thread: Teachers: Watcha doin in class?

Spin-off inspired by my angry student! I know this type of post makes the rounds on this forum, but please share your teaching strategies.
When teaching a beginner class what do you teach & how do you format your class?
I teach a 1h 15min "Essentials of Belly Dance" class through my local adult education center. This class has been very successful & I have students who have been taking classes with me for a few years now & others who come for one session & move one. Here is my course description:
Come experience the beauty of this feminine art form and why it is so much fun! Please wear comfortable nonrestrictive clothing and bring a scarf to tie around your hips. Open to all students regardless of gender. Beginning students will learn the basic, elegant movement vocabulary as well as an introduction to the music and history of the dance. Experienced students will explore more complex movement variations, layering, and technique. This class is a great way to reduce stress and improve muscle tone, increase stamina, and boost your confidence--all in a friendly, relaxed environment! This course requires students to have instrument quality finger cymbals which can be purchased from the instructor at the first class for $25.

My sessions are usually about 10 weeks long. Every session I host a hafli/student showcase so folks have the option to perform their "routine".
I follow this basic format every week:
15 min: Warm up and core muscle conditioning
20 min: Introduce new technique & drill **
15 min: Applying the concepts: use the new technique in a short combination
5 min: Combination = choreography: add the new combination into an existing choreo that builds weekly
10 min: Guided improvisation: use the new technique in an improvisation activity
10 min: Finger Cymbals
5 min: cool down/ stretch

**We learn a new basic technique every other week, and then on the alternating weeks we review the bacis technique & explore variations on the theme--example week A: mayas, week B: add level changes or shimmy or arm positions or transitions into & out of the movement

Originally Posted by nayastrance

Spin-off inspired by my angry student! I know this type of post makes the rounds on this forum, but please share your teaching strategies.
When teaching a beginner class what do you teach & how do you format your class?
I teach a 1h 15min "Essentials of Belly Dance" class through my local adult education center. This class has been very successful & I have students who have been taking classes with me for a few years now & others who come for one session & move one. Here is my course description:
Come experience the beauty of this feminine art form and why it is so much fun! Please wear comfortable nonrestrictive clothing and bring a scarf to tie around your hips. Open to all students regardless of gender. Beginning students will learn the basic, elegant movement vocabulary as well as an introduction to the music and history of the dance. Experienced students will explore more complex movement variations, layering, and technique. This class is a great way to reduce stress and improve muscle tone, increase stamina, and boost your confidence--all in a friendly, relaxed environment! This course requires students to have instrument quality finger cymbals which can be purchased from the instructor at the first class for $25.

My sessions are usually about 10 weeks long. Every session I host a hafli/student showcase so folks have the option to perform their "routine".
I follow this basic format every week:
15 min: Warm up and core muscle conditioning
20 min: Introduce new technique & drill **
15 min: Applying the concepts: use the new technique in a short combination
5 min: Combination = choreography: add the new combination into an existing choreo that builds weekly
10 min: Guided improvisation: use the new technique in an improvisation activity
10 min: Finger Cymbals
5 min: cool down/ stretch

**We learn a new basic technique every other week, and then on the alternating weeks we review the bacis technique & explore variations on the theme--example week A: mayas, week B: add level changes or shimmy or arm positions or transitions into & out of the movement

You probably won't beleive how close that is to my 1 30 min 10 week class for a local college. Except for the lack of zills..like I came late to them myself and the (reluctant) addition of basic ATS moves (because of demand for it).
I need to get an awful lot better at playing zills. there is lamentable lack of learning "over here" and I am a basic clatterer myself.
The trad improv ATS is because there is just me doing it for miles around and it is what girls wanna do.

I usually use the "B" weeks for exploring various forms on the basic technique--adding folkloric or tribal variations on a move might come up! I am a very cabaret styled dancer and I always make sure to tell students that just because that's the dancer that was inside of me, it doesn't mean that's what has to come out of them in my classes. I try to encourage personal development, even when offering corrections during the drills.

Question? What extras do you include? I do a yahoo group w/choreo notes, an event calendar, a networking group, zill practice drills, a recital, make a class music CD available w/the choreography music on it, a costuming/make-up/ stage presence mini-workshop before the recital...

Originally Posted by nayastrance

"Essentials of Belly Dance" course description:
Come experience the beauty of this feminine art form and why it is so much fun! Open to all students regardless of gender.

You might want to watch out for this non-sequitur -- most men, even if invited, won't want to sign up for a class described as "feminine."



Deborah

Originally Posted by nayastrance

Question? What extras do you include? I do a yahoo group w/choreo notes, an event calendar, a networking group, zill practice drills, a recital, make a class music CD available w/the choreography music on it, a costuming/make-up/ stage presence mini-workshop before the recital...

I have just purchased a "student information" website (not yet available), where I intend to post some of these types of information.

Deborah

Originally Posted by casbahdance

You might want to watch out for this non-sequitur -- most men, even if invited, won't want to sign up for a class described as "feminine."



Deborah

.w.:Woopsie! I've been using that description for years and never read it that way! I have the gender thing in there because over the years a few male & transgendered dancers have commented that they felt excluded by another teacher's women's only policy. Since I perform annually at our Pride festival, I wanted my classes to be openly inclusive. You're totally right though, it might be better to replace "feminine" with a non-gendered adjective!

Originally Posted by nayastrance

I usually use the "B" weeks for exploring various forms on the basic technique--adding folkloric or tribal variations on a move might come up! I am a very cabaret styled dancer and I always make sure to tell students that just because that's the dancer that was inside of me, it doesn't mean that's what has to come out of them in my classes. I try to encourage personal development, even when offering corrections during the drills.

Question? What extras do you include? I do a yahoo group w/choreo notes, an event calendar, a networking group, zill practice drills, a recital, make a class music CD available w/the choreography music on it, a costuming/make-up/ stage presence mini-workshop before the recital...

After reading all of this, I am wondering how I am to make money teaching. I like to give as much support to my young ladies (I primarily teach teens) as possible. Last year I put in so much time though, it was kindof rediculous. I vowed never to make all the costumes again, and am trying to keep my non-paid hours down. I get paid 30$ to teach a one hour class. Last year I had two private classes as well, one prior to and the other after my scheduled class. This year she booked all the rooms and instead of giving me the two back to back classes she promised, only gave me one, and late enough in the evening that I can't stay afterward to teach a private any more.

So, my question is, am I expected to do the extras still, or am I being taken advantage of? I don't know any teachers here who will discuss it with me.

I love teaching the younger women, but as a single mother, 30$ for an entire evening (there's a commute) plus more of my free time, seems increasingly unreasonable. I teach at a dance school, and prepare my girls for two high caliber stage shows per year. I am also expected to donate my time for extra rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and the shows themselves and organize costuming and props for under 35$ per student per year.

Is this crazy, or expected in dance?

Well, I'm teaching a beginner class for my own instructor, so I can get away without doing the extras, since she does them as part of her school. My classes usually go: 15-20 minute warm up (yoga-based with some strength conditioning), then 10-15 minutes reviewing previous weeks' technique, posture, and arms, then 15 minutes of learning a new movement & drilling it, then the rest of class time is used to do an impromptu choreography with the movements learned so far. Then we cool down & stretch.

Reading over my post, I realize it's a bit ranty. Sorry Nayastrance!!

Originally Posted by mieldance

After reading all of this, I am wondering how I am to make money teaching. I like to give as much support to my young ladies (I primarily teach teens) as possible. Last year I put in so much time though, it was kindof rediculous. I vowed never to make all the costumes again, and am trying to keep my non-paid hours down. I get paid 30$ to teach a one hour class. Last year I had two private classes as well, one prior to and the other after my scheduled class. This year she booked all the rooms and instead of giving me the two back to back classes she promised, only gave me one, and late enough in the evening that I can't stay afterward to teach a private any more.

So, my question is, am I expected to do the extras still, or am I being taken advantage of? I don't know any teachers here who will discuss it with me.

I love teaching the younger women, but as a single mother, 30$ for an entire evening (there's a commute) plus more of my free time, seems increasingly unreasonable. I teach at a dance school, and prepare my girls for two high caliber stage shows per year. I am also expected to donate my time for extra rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and the shows themselves and organize costuming and props for under 35$ per student per year.

Is this crazy, or expected in dance?

I've been in your shoes (if that helps). I used to teach 3 classes a week in a nearby town at a women's only fitness club. The room was so small, I couldn't fit in any more students-- After paying rent, plus gas, I was making about $10 a class.

SO, I just have one class a week there now (and because I d/c'd the other classes, she went down on my rent to keep me from stopping altogether).

I have a loft studio on my home-- so what I do now is I teach only one class at the out of town site and I teach two classes, plus private classes out of my home. If no one shows up, I just stay in my chair watching NCIS reruns.

Rehearsals count as classes. Costuming sessions count as classes. Granted, it may go over a few hours etc.... After deducting gas and other expenses, see how much you are actually making an hour.

Oh, and my classes--
15 min Warm-up
10 min Fast Technique
10 min Slow Technique
10 min Combinations
15 Adding to Choreography
15 Cool down

Intermediate/Advanced is similar,
except we had about another 30 minutes gabbing, sharing the drama of the past week or showing off some new goodie as each member comes in.

Originally Posted by mieldance

Reading over my post, I realize it's a bit ranty. Sorry Nayastrance!!

No! You should be ranty! From what you describe in your original post you're not being paid enough & who ever is booking your classes isn't giving you enough consideration. ,m::
You need to set some new minimums & re-establish your boundary lines when your current session ends. I charge $7.50/per student per class so in a 10 week session I make $75 per student/session. I have a 10 student minimum so I'm making at least $75/hr. I don't make costumes! That's alot of work. My yahoo group & choreography notes are all established & maintain themselves. I simply burn cds at the beginning of each session. Recitals are part of our troupe haflis & so my students just get a solt on the lineup. My "extras" are just a few value-added features I can make available to my students at minimal time/monetary expense. Most teachers don't so much beyond classes though.
Here's the ticket: work smarter, not harder!

Originally Posted by mieldance

So, my question is, am I expected to do the extras still, or am I being taken advantage of? I don't know any teachers here who will discuss it with me.

I love teaching the younger women, but as a single mother, 30$ for an entire evening (there's a commute) plus more of my free time, seems increasingly unreasonable. I teach at a dance school, and prepare my girls for two high caliber stage shows per year. I am also expected to donate my time for extra rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and the shows themselves and organize costuming and props for under 35$ per student per year.

Is this crazy, or expected in dance?

I think that, if you are resenting the extra work and feeling underpaid, then that's telling you that you are not being paid enough. That equation of what you put in vs what you get out (financial and emotional/learning) may balance at a different point for everyone, but you'll know when it's tipping over into negative territory - which it sounds like it is for you. So logically, you can do one of two things - get paid more or put in less effort. Either renegotiate your wage or start running the classes and taking all the money yourself (assuming you can turn a higher profit!) or cut back on the out-of-class work you're doing.

Nayastrance's approach is right - provide extras where it doesn't take you much to do so...and I suggest charging for anything else you do (or just don't offer extra services). My own approach is to add a few dollars onto the cost of everything that I resell (such as music CDs or hip scarves) so I feel it's worth my while sourcing these things. I'm happy to type up choreo notes, because I like to anyway to record them for myself. But I'll email them around or make them available to download, not provide countless print-outs. As for making costumes - just say no! Unless you charge for your services. Costume-making before concerts has been the cause of madness in many a dance teacher.

Have you been teaching long? One good thing is that, after a while, you build up a syllabus and choreographies that you can re-use, so the time put into class prep is greatly reduced. Be sure to keep record of everything you do so that it's easy to use again later.

If you are working for a studio that is expecting all these extras of you, perhaps you can keep a record of all the time you're spending out of class, then calculate what your real hourly earning is, and present it to your boss....with the option of either paying you more or you'll have to cut back on xyz activities.

Over the years I've simplified my beginner class. It's in a gym and only and hour so I found it's better to stick to basics.

1st half hour drills
Drill 1 -warm up arms/shoulder/breathing exercises
Drill 2-small and large hip circles
Drill 3-side to side -as session progresses I add different variations
Drill 4 -hip drops -4 variations
Drill 5-hip work/shimmies

Second half hour we work on a group choreo where they incorporate steps learned in the above drills plus learn a few new ones.

I always end with 5 minutes stretching/core work.

I do write down choroes so I can recycle them.

I don't do anything extra as I"m paid a flat rate for 1 hour of teaching.

In addition, I don't believe after 10 weeks students are ready for a recital.

In addition, I don't believe after 10 weeks students are ready for a recital.
Why is that? I offer my students the chance to perform as a way of celebrating their learning after 10 weeks. Its a time to share what they've been doing with family and friends. Our recitals are not bing productions with stages & lights--more of an open house type experience.
How long do you wait before letting students share?

I only have an hour for classes.

For my beginner classes, I have a 15 minute warm-up that's almost entirely made up of fundamental movements (hip/chest circles, hip/chest isolations, shoulder rolls, shimmies, etc). Then I teach/review 3 movements - 1-2 traveling and 1-2 in place. Later we put these together into a never ending combination (using two sides for balance) and I suggest variations on each movement and encourage personal expression of the combo. Then we review all those combos to music (kinda like a choreography) at the end of the 8 week session.

I teach choreography, technique, and specific styles/props in my more advanced classes.

Originally Posted by nayastrance

.w.:Woopsie! I've been using that description for years and never read it that way! I have the gender thing in there because over the years a few male & transgendered dancers have commented that they felt excluded by another teacher's women's only policy. Since I perform annually at our Pride festival, I wanted my classes to be openly inclusive. You're totally right though, it might be better to replace "feminine" with a non-gendered adjective!

How about "sensuous"?