| Four
Things Every Parent Should Know Before Choosing
a Dance/Baton/Gymnastics School |
| If most Schools
seem to have qualified, friendly teachers,
experience teaching children and a big show
at the end of the year, aren't they all
pretty much the same? NO! Does it really
matter which place you decide to enroll
at? YES! There can be a huge difference
in the quality of instructions your child
receives, the amount of extra work and hassles
the parents must deal with and the overall
enjoyment and satisfaction of being involved
with a dance program. Here are 4 things
that every parent should consider before
deciding on a School for their child. |
 |
| 1.
What is the size of the class? |
Fewer
students in the class means that your child
will receive more personalized attention,
learn more and have more fun. With younger
students our small class size allows the
teacher to maintain control over the class
in order to ensure that each student understands
the concepts and instructions. With older
students, our small class size allows the
students to progress more quickly and the
teacher can be confident fundamental concepts
are not being missed, and students are not
developing bad habits or improper technique.
Our School limits all of our classes (ages
6 and up) to a maximum of just 18 students
per class. With our tiny tot classes (ages
2-5) we limit all of our classes to a maximum
of just 12, with most limited to 10. |
|
| 2.
What about the recital in the spring? |
|
Most
Schools put on a year end show in a large
professional theater. Some of the recitals
are four hours long in a huge auditorium
where you can hardly spot your child on
stage with all the combined classes. Most
Schools also require tickets and limit the
number of guests you may bring or force
you to stand in line for hours waiting to
get a seat.
Our School chooses a smaller professional
theater & with our smaller classes you
can immediately see your child on stage.
Your child can also see you! We have several
smaller recitals to ensure a pleasant experience
for our students and audience. Our students
perform in one recital with one rehearsal.
Our students are given the opportunity to
perform more in additional shows through
our competition or performance teams. No
tickets are needed and you may bring as
many guests as you choose. |
|
| 3.
What type of music and choreography will
my child be exposed to? |
Most
Schools do not consider the age of the child
when choosing music or choreography. They
may have the child dancing to music with
inappropriate words & meaning. Some
choose costumes that are not appropriate
for body types, too revealing, or too old
for a child.
At our School we make sure the music and
choreography is age appropriate, tasteful
and that the choreography is the latest
style but still age appropriate for public
viewing. We are very selective with our
costumes - we want our students to be proud
to perform on stage, not embarrassed. |
|
| 4.
Can I get immediate assistance and customer
service? |
|
In many Schools the teacher or the School
owner conducts classes and does the administration.
When the teacher tries to do two jobs at
once, the class may suffer as the teacher
has to use the class time for customer service
issues, or the School may have no customer
service available if the teacher is in a
class. To have a good experience it is important
to choose a School that can assist you with
details like costumes or schedules, even
if a teacher is occupied in a class. Our
School has office staff on hand during all
regular class times, so you can get immediate
assistance. Of course, our parents and students
know they can contact me at any time with
questions or concerns. |
| |
| Jan Stivers,
Director, Superstars Performing Arts |
