Thursday, February 12, 2009

Finding a Dance School with Professional Instructors

By Sarah Wilkiamson

When considering a dance school, the teaching standard of the instructors plays a big part in the equation. Many schools will hire very young trainers that are either still studying themselves, or just passing time while they look for a job in a different field. This is where a parent can help decide which school is the better choice.

The disadvantage of high school graduates are:

These teachers are inexperienced: They will lack the necessary skills and experience that a professional teacher will have.

They are often just doing it part time for the money rather than dedicating themselves to their dance and pupils. If they are also studying something else (say their real interest is in accounting or law) then their minds are hardly going to be on the students who are looking for guidance.

High school graduates lack maturity: They may not know how to deal with young pupils, because they lack experience with young children. They will not have the dedication needed to teach young children.

Professional teachers on the other hand have several advantages:

They are knowledgeable: these teachers are very knowledgeable. Not only have they spent a number of years learning to dance but they have also learnt all about the art of dancing. This means that they can answer all sorts of questions about dance and the arts. Young children always have many questions when they learn new skills and when teachers have the answers the pupils will learn faster and enjoy more.

They work full time: The good thing about professional teachers is the fact that they teach full time. It is important to young children to get to know and like their dance teacher. If they are part time students and are not always there the children get confused and do not feel secure learning from different teachers. On the other hand if they learn from one or two teachers they will build up a rapport with them and learn better.

They are specially trained to teach young children: Dance is a very personal thing and needs an intuitive teacher to bring out the best in a child. Professional teachers are trained to have this quality and draw out a child's creativity.

They are dedicated to their pupils: professional teachers have gone through a fairly rigorous training and do not do these dance courses unless they are really dedicated. Because they love dancing they are keen to pass on this love to others. That is why they are very committed to their pupils, especially their young students. This enables their pupils to learn faster and better.

It takes a special person to understand and train your children in dance. Dancing comes naturally to young children but the discipline of the dance routines do not. You need someone who knows how to encourage dance discipline with a balance of fun. Professional teachers are trained and have the natural ability to do this. They also need to know how to persuade young children to practice the dance skills. This is another reason to hire professional teachers, even if it means paying a little more. - 15438

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