1. Level Placement If you go to a new studio and they offer to put your child in the top level, does that mean that they are that great of a dancer or that their training/growth there will be limited? I would prefer to send my child to a school where there is at least one level above theirs. I have always felt like that means there is room for my child to grow--but, I often find that I am unique in this point of view. I have never understood this mentality, although I am sure there are compelling arguments in support of it. Maybe somebody can enlighten me?
2. Placement Class Along those lines, I often see parents that come into our studio for placement for their child and misguidedly argue when the school tries to put them in a lower level for placement class. The school's contention is that it is always easier to move an "underplaced" student up to the next level, but few students want to come back if they have been placed in a level that is too high for them.
Typically, a placement class is challenging enough regardless of the level. A student is normally struggling just to understand the teacher's nuances, the music is different, the room is different, EVERYTHING is different. When the class is too difficult, the experience is humiliating, demoralizing and embarrassing and in some instances, it can be dangerous. Truthfully, well-intentioned parents who argue for a "more challenging" placement have actually done their child a tremendous disservice. I have never seen a child come back after a bad placement class.
Our school has been burned enough times by braggadocios parents that they have implemented a new policy for their Conservatory placements---if the student is on pointe for a year or more, they go to Class B, if they are not, they go to Class A--NO EXCEPTIONS. It is simple. So far, it seems to work; although I often hear parents saying "But, she is in Level 53 at Bobbi Jean's Twinkly Stars Dance School". Please Listen up... Until you are a professional dancer in a company, level numbers/grades are meaningless outside of your current studio. There is no national certification that all studios go through in this country to verify the consistency of levels. There are some syllabi out there that do have exams; and if a student is moving to a studio that follows that syllabus, then levels will be pretty accurate. But, if there has not been an independent examination, I would be very reluctant to put a lot of credence in a studio's leveling system.
3. When you are shopping for a new studio. Learn to read the bio's of the teachers/directors. Most schools can make their teachers sound pretty amazing; but, as a consumer you need to learn to decode the biographies just like you would an ingredient label for a child with a food sensitivity. Trust me, children are allergic to bad training and sadly there is a lot out there. Here are some tips I have learned and buzzwords to assess:
a. "Piper has studied with Bob Fosse, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ben Vereen, Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds"
Translation: Piper took a class at Steps on Broadway or a dance convention or similar venue and this person was in the room taking class or taught the class to 300 other students. In some cases they may have bought videos and watched the individual. It does not normally mean that this dance legend trained them in the normal teacher/pupil sustained relationship.
What I want to see is something like this: Piper attended XYZ school from 1975-1983 under the direction of Bob the Builder, and while she was there, she was blessed to have among her regular instructors ballet greats Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev as her teachers/mentors. Through their loving instruction she was inspired to become a teacher herself upon retirement from "The Greatest Ballet Company in the World".
The second one cites where Piper trained and who her coaches were while she was there as well as offers dates--vanity aside, after all. This biography offers you a way to verify her training as well as establishes a sustained relationship between teacher/coach and student. Please note, Fonteyn and Nureyev were not known for teaching, and unfortunately, they are dead. They are given only as examples.
b. Next, what does it say about the teacher's professional experience? Not necessarily all good teachers danced professionally, nor do all professional dancers make great teachers, but read the biography for red flags that overstate their professional career. Example: "Mary has performed leading roles in such ballets as "The Nutcracker" "Apollo" "Swan Lake" and "Ballet You've Never Heard Of But I Will Throw It Out So You Think I Am Amazing". Her repertoire includes Aurora, Sugarplum Fairy, Giselle, and "another role I have always wanted to do."
Translation: I danced these roles in my student company when I was 12 and everybody thought I was the next Maria Tallchief.
What I like to see is: During her 15 year professional career with "A Nationally Known Professional Company" Mary danced principal roles in such ballets as "Giselle" "Don Quixote" "Swan Lake" and "Nutcracker". "The world's best choreographer" set the role of "Somebody" on her for his ballet "Really Important Piece".
I would love a teacher whose resume says. "Jane trained for 10 years under Edna Jean's School of Ballet. While there she recognized her love of teaching and entered the school's teacher training program and taught pre-ballet and creative movement. After graduation, she performed in the corps of Small Town Ballet and worked in such productions as Giselle, Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, while attending college at University of Well-Known Dance School. Upon graduation, she began teaching at Reputable Ballet School in the children's division. She has been honored to train students who have gone on to dance professionally for such major companies as Big City Company A, Middle City Company B, and Well-Known Contemporary Company C." While not a blue ribbon resume of training it is clear that this teacher probably knows dance and has trained students that have gone on to dance.
Remember: These are resumes for the Hiring Process. You are hiring these individuals to teach your child. If you were hiring them to work for you in a business, you would want to make sure that they had the proper experience to do so--you would verify their education, their previous employment and their experience while employed. Don't assume that your studio has done their due diligence--often times, they are just looking for a person with a smile and a pulse that will teach 30 eight-year olds for $25/hour. Take the time to understand whether these individuals are dance professionals with solid credentials or something other than that. What I look for as a parent is honesty, not an attempt to inflate an instructors qualifications. After I read the resume, I like to have a five minute conversation with the teacher after a placement class. This combined with my child's input from class is the interview. I ask the teacher questions about what he/she sees and I listen not so much for their answers but their conviction. While my child is taking class, I watch the other classes and the older dancers. Do I like the discipline, do I see a progression of levels? Do the dancers appear to be well-trained?
Do not settle for less than the best that you can find. Truthfully, in our area, the difference between the most expensive studio in the area's rate for one class per week and the cheapest is $12/month or $3 per lesson. Basically, that's one cup of coffee per week. I think my child is worth it. How about you?
3. As far as tuition costs for more advanced students, a lot of studios do an unlimited pricing plan. I am a firm believer in the old adage--"you get what you pay for" so look carefully at these and make sure that you are not seduced by the "bargain basement" mentality that so many of us love. Also, make sure that you are aware of the "hidden fees"--recitals, costumes, competitions, performance group fees, and all of the other costs that come along with it.
A side note...Make sure that if your child is preparing for a recital, that technique is not sacrificed at the expense of choreography. It is very common that recital dances are practiced in the classroom. This is fine in younger levels as long as it is a small percentage of time. There is a tremendous benefit to learning choreography and polishing it for a performance. However, if your family has made the decision to not participate in the recital for the "SHOW" your child may spend the next 6 months standing in the back practicing a dance for 45 minutes each class that he will never do. When you think about it in those terms, the "bargain" doesn't look so good.
Here are some questions to ponder when it comes to unlimited tuition plans:
a. How many hours of training per week are available for my child and with what instructors? One studio in our area offers unlimited tuition of $350 per month. On the surface that seems like a great deal (or at least I thought it was worth investigating). But, what I found out is that if my child took every class that was available to her it would only be 12 hours per week, four of those hours were with instructors that I would prefer not work with my child. Another area studio offers up to 26 hours per week (open classes are included) for $425 and has no student instructors (except as an occasional sub). Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
b. I also want to point out that you want to make sure that the classes that are being offered make sense. For example, an unlimited class schedule that includes stretch, krump, hip hop or Gaga for my kid would be a complete waste of time. My child is GUMBY and nobody wants to see this aspiring ballerina do Krump--well, at least, I don't.
There is so much more I want to say about this subject. I feel as if I am just getting going...so for now, I am just declaring an intermission....Please check back for Act 2.
Typically, a placement class is challenging enough regardless of the level. A student is normally struggling just to understand the teacher's nuances, the music is different, the room is different, EVERYTHING is different. When the class is too difficult, the experience is humiliating, demoralizing and embarrassing and in some instances, it can be dangerous. Truthfully, well-intentioned parents who argue for a "more challenging" placement have actually done their child a tremendous disservice. I have never seen a child come back after a bad placement class.
Our school has been burned enough times by braggadocios parents that they have implemented a new policy for their Conservatory placements---if the student is on pointe for a year or more, they go to Class B, if they are not, they go to Class A--NO EXCEPTIONS. It is simple. So far, it seems to work; although I often hear parents saying "But, she is in Level 53 at Bobbi Jean's Twinkly Stars Dance School". Please Listen up... Until you are a professional dancer in a company, level numbers/grades are meaningless outside of your current studio. There is no national certification that all studios go through in this country to verify the consistency of levels. There are some syllabi out there that do have exams; and if a student is moving to a studio that follows that syllabus, then levels will be pretty accurate. But, if there has not been an independent examination, I would be very reluctant to put a lot of credence in a studio's leveling system.
3. When you are shopping for a new studio. Learn to read the bio's of the teachers/directors. Most schools can make their teachers sound pretty amazing; but, as a consumer you need to learn to decode the biographies just like you would an ingredient label for a child with a food sensitivity. Trust me, children are allergic to bad training and sadly there is a lot out there. Here are some tips I have learned and buzzwords to assess:
a. "Piper has studied with Bob Fosse, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ben Vereen, Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds"
Translation: Piper took a class at Steps on Broadway or a dance convention or similar venue and this person was in the room taking class or taught the class to 300 other students. In some cases they may have bought videos and watched the individual. It does not normally mean that this dance legend trained them in the normal teacher/pupil sustained relationship.
What I want to see is something like this: Piper attended XYZ school from 1975-1983 under the direction of Bob the Builder, and while she was there, she was blessed to have among her regular instructors ballet greats Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev as her teachers/mentors. Through their loving instruction she was inspired to become a teacher herself upon retirement from "The Greatest Ballet Company in the World".
The second one cites where Piper trained and who her coaches were while she was there as well as offers dates--vanity aside, after all. This biography offers you a way to verify her training as well as establishes a sustained relationship between teacher/coach and student. Please note, Fonteyn and Nureyev were not known for teaching, and unfortunately, they are dead. They are given only as examples.
b. Next, what does it say about the teacher's professional experience? Not necessarily all good teachers danced professionally, nor do all professional dancers make great teachers, but read the biography for red flags that overstate their professional career. Example: "Mary has performed leading roles in such ballets as "The Nutcracker" "Apollo" "Swan Lake" and "Ballet You've Never Heard Of But I Will Throw It Out So You Think I Am Amazing". Her repertoire includes Aurora, Sugarplum Fairy, Giselle, and "another role I have always wanted to do."
Translation: I danced these roles in my student company when I was 12 and everybody thought I was the next Maria Tallchief.
What I like to see is: During her 15 year professional career with "A Nationally Known Professional Company" Mary danced principal roles in such ballets as "Giselle" "Don Quixote" "Swan Lake" and "Nutcracker". "The world's best choreographer" set the role of "Somebody" on her for his ballet "Really Important Piece".
I would love a teacher whose resume says. "Jane trained for 10 years under Edna Jean's School of Ballet. While there she recognized her love of teaching and entered the school's teacher training program and taught pre-ballet and creative movement. After graduation, she performed in the corps of Small Town Ballet and worked in such productions as Giselle, Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, while attending college at University of Well-Known Dance School. Upon graduation, she began teaching at Reputable Ballet School in the children's division. She has been honored to train students who have gone on to dance professionally for such major companies as Big City Company A, Middle City Company B, and Well-Known Contemporary Company C." While not a blue ribbon resume of training it is clear that this teacher probably knows dance and has trained students that have gone on to dance.
Remember: These are resumes for the Hiring Process. You are hiring these individuals to teach your child. If you were hiring them to work for you in a business, you would want to make sure that they had the proper experience to do so--you would verify their education, their previous employment and their experience while employed. Don't assume that your studio has done their due diligence--often times, they are just looking for a person with a smile and a pulse that will teach 30 eight-year olds for $25/hour. Take the time to understand whether these individuals are dance professionals with solid credentials or something other than that. What I look for as a parent is honesty, not an attempt to inflate an instructors qualifications. After I read the resume, I like to have a five minute conversation with the teacher after a placement class. This combined with my child's input from class is the interview. I ask the teacher questions about what he/she sees and I listen not so much for their answers but their conviction. While my child is taking class, I watch the other classes and the older dancers. Do I like the discipline, do I see a progression of levels? Do the dancers appear to be well-trained?
Do not settle for less than the best that you can find. Truthfully, in our area, the difference between the most expensive studio in the area's rate for one class per week and the cheapest is $12/month or $3 per lesson. Basically, that's one cup of coffee per week. I think my child is worth it. How about you?
3. As far as tuition costs for more advanced students, a lot of studios do an unlimited pricing plan. I am a firm believer in the old adage--"you get what you pay for" so look carefully at these and make sure that you are not seduced by the "bargain basement" mentality that so many of us love. Also, make sure that you are aware of the "hidden fees"--recitals, costumes, competitions, performance group fees, and all of the other costs that come along with it.
A side note...Make sure that if your child is preparing for a recital, that technique is not sacrificed at the expense of choreography. It is very common that recital dances are practiced in the classroom. This is fine in younger levels as long as it is a small percentage of time. There is a tremendous benefit to learning choreography and polishing it for a performance. However, if your family has made the decision to not participate in the recital for the "SHOW" your child may spend the next 6 months standing in the back practicing a dance for 45 minutes each class that he will never do. When you think about it in those terms, the "bargain" doesn't look so good.
Here are some questions to ponder when it comes to unlimited tuition plans:
a. How many hours of training per week are available for my child and with what instructors? One studio in our area offers unlimited tuition of $350 per month. On the surface that seems like a great deal (or at least I thought it was worth investigating). But, what I found out is that if my child took every class that was available to her it would only be 12 hours per week, four of those hours were with instructors that I would prefer not work with my child. Another area studio offers up to 26 hours per week (open classes are included) for $425 and has no student instructors (except as an occasional sub). Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
b. I also want to point out that you want to make sure that the classes that are being offered make sense. For example, an unlimited class schedule that includes stretch, krump, hip hop or Gaga for my kid would be a complete waste of time. My child is GUMBY and nobody wants to see this aspiring ballerina do Krump--well, at least, I don't.
There is so much more I want to say about this subject. I feel as if I am just getting going...so for now, I am just declaring an intermission....Please check back for Act 2.
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