tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33589729309107074002024-02-08T08:16:55.823-08:00Tap Dance Teacher BlogThoughts, ideas, and suggestions from a long-time tap dance teacher.Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-13654577529811058712022-03-13T14:28:00.003-07:002022-03-13T14:28:38.558-07:00Students Aren't Robots or Obvious Things I Miss<p>So I was getting concerned that my students were getting bored or at the very least getting tired of doing my across the floor combos each week. Or maybe I'm the one who was getting bored - either way i wanted to spice some things up.</p><p>I'm not a particularly social person and I've been guilty of treating my students somewhat like robots at times, forgetting they are each individual people with their own thoughts, feelings, etc. When I was younger my mentor, Gregg Russell, had to call an end to a rehearsal I was conducting for his tap company because it was 1 or 2 in the morning and I was so focused on making the dance perfect I had lost track off the fact that I was working with real humans who get tired - especially that late.</p><p>So I thought of a fun across the floor idea to try out. I told my students they would be creating their own across the floor combination. Now this is not a big deal - I've done this before - nothing new here. But wait! The catch was that the combination had to <b>express who they are</b>. HA!</p><p>Talk about throwing a wrench in things. Many of them weren't sure what to do with this, but by and large they rose to the occasion. I saw a side of some of them I had never seen. </p><p>And the very best part was seeing the smiles on some of their faces as they went across the floor doing their own thing and expressing who they were through their combo. It was so cool to see those smiles.</p><p>If you've never tried this with your classes before you might give it a shot. It was well worth it!</p>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-35206988287199893122017-06-29T19:30:00.000-07:002017-06-30T13:07:14.730-07:00Prepping the Kids or Preventing Mutiny<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So from time to time I do some out of the ordinary things in my tap class. I may do a completely different class structure, I may use some really strange music, or I might try a whole new style (just did that the other day).<br />
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In the past when I've done these things I've noticed you can VERY quickly lose your class for any number of reasons. "What is that weird music?" you might hear or "Why are we doing this?" with that wonderful teenage tone:) In short whenever you deviate from the norm, it throws students off. Big time! And in general they don't like it. Unless it's tap games week, but other than that they are not fans of sudden change (most people fall into that category).<br />
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What I have found though, that largely mitigates this opposition to change is to simply talk to the kids at the beginning of the class and give them a heads up. If I'm using strange music, I will literally say straight up "I'm going to use some really strange music. I know it will sound really weird to you but it really inspires me. Can you be open to that?"<br />
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This does several things:<br />
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1. It prepares them ahead of time for the change so they aren't shocked out of their skin the first time they hear the song.<br />
2. It puts a reason behind why I chose the music. It doesn't even really matter what the reason is - people like it when you have a reason. If the reason does have substance (such as "this music really inspires me", or "my Grandpa used to play it a lot when I was at his house and he was one of the most important people in my life..." then the kids tend to be even more open to it (doesn't mean they'll like it though!).<br />
3. In asking "Can you be open to that?" I'm giving the kids the chance to step up to the challenge of trying something new. They will almost always answer yes and that helps align their mindset in being open to the new thing we're doing.<br />
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So as I alluded to earlier I tried a new style of tap I'm working on in a class a few days ago and gave all the kids a heads up ahead of time. It went great. They were super receptive even in spite of the new style being kind of tough and awkward at first. Now part of them handling it so well is that they are just great kids, but I would love to think that part of it is me giving them a heads up before hand.<br />
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So if you're contemplating trying something new in your tap class just let the kids know ahead of time and give them your reason why you're doing it. It will greatly increase the chances of it going well.</div>
Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-36027947348211942152016-05-13T23:26:00.000-07:002016-05-13T23:26:27.272-07:00The Human Brain is Built to Mimic or I Talk Too Much<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just had one of the most successful in-class sessions of my entire teaching career. Why? What did I do differently this time?<br />
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I shut my mouth!<br /><br />Before I get into the details let me give some quick background:<br /><br />We were working on Waltz Clog Pullbacks. I have explained to the class before how to do these and the kids have had mixed levels of success with them (some get them, many don't). Usually I will explain how to do it and then give them all time to work on it while I go around giving individuals pointers to help them get it. The results of this are usually some slight improvement.<br />
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This time I did it differently. I had a contest with the kids based on them mimicking me. Basically I did a waltz clog pullback then counted them in and they all did one together. If they all do it right (for the most part) and most importantly if their sounds are all together, they get a point. If their sounds are almost all together it's a tie, and if their sounds aren't together I get a point. No it's not remotely fair and I tell them this up front (don't worry about that, their competitive spirit will kick in anyway).<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure I have taught them these before and we have worked on them before but the level of success I had this time is unlike any success I've had ever. And we're talking in 27 years of teaching.<br /><br />I had nearly every student doing the step exceptionally well with the proper timing and separation of sounds. And it was all based on them seeing me do it correctly, then trying to match it - rhythmically. It worked. It actually worked - better than anything I've ever done. Maybe it was a fluke but if it was it was a most glorious one.<br /><br />What I didn't do this time is explain it to death. I didn't tell them how to fix this, or adjust that or anything. Either they sounded like me and got a point or they didn't. And just having that feedback of "it sounds good you get a point or it sounds bad I get a point" was enough for them to unconsciously make any and all adjustments they needed to do it right.<br /><br />I'll have to try this again with a different step, but I may be on to something here!</div>
Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-28712387974034534882015-11-12T13:08:00.002-08:002016-05-13T23:07:28.143-07:00I'm Doing It Wrong Again or Reality is Unforgiving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Okay so in my last post I wrote about new warm-up:<br />
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I have all the kids get into a line. Then I teach them a short simple pattern - step heel, step heel, step heel, stamp. All the kids do it together first, then the first kid in line does it solo. Then all the kids do it together again, after which the second kid in line does it solo. And we continue to alternate from group to solo until we get through the entire line. If I think the kids still need more work on the pattern we go through the line again<br />
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This simply doesn't work long term for warm-up. Why? Because we cover at most 4 patterns (at most). There are simply too many steps to cover that we will never get to. Also this usually takes a while so it becomes a mix of warm-up and technique. The net result is that the number of steps the kids actually do in a class is greatly reduced. Yes they are getting to really hear their own feet and yes that's helping to make their steps sound better, but too many steps simply don't get done at all this way.<br />
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So what to do?<br />
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Currently I have returned to my old style warm-up where I put on music and have the kids following along with whatever steps and/or patterns I do. This allows them to do a wide selection of steps, improves their ability to quickly learn new patterns, and strengthens basic steps.<br />
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However we are still left with unresolved issue of the kids not being able to hear their own feet and/or not properly executing the steps. I don't have a good solution for this, but I have an idea that may help (I'll try it tonight in class):<br />
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During warm-up I'm going to have the kids face to the right when they have done a step/pattern correct twice in a row. If they mess up after facing the right they have to face front again. (Having them face directions is just so I can easily tell who thinks they are doing it right.)<br />
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The point of this is just to get them to focus on their feet more. In order to face right they have to do it correctly (in their estimation) twice in a row. Ideally they'll pay close attention to their feet to assess if they're doing it right or not - so even if they aren't always right, just them paying closer attention to what their feet are doing will be a big win in my opinion.<br />
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After warm-up we do an across the floor combination and then we do the "All/Solo" pattern I had tried as a new warm-up (see above) to focus in on a few steps/patterns. My kids came up with name ALSO so now I just call it "ALSO".<br />
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So that's where I'm at right now. As always it's ever-changing:)</div>
Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-51507783419611457592015-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:002015-05-13T12:12:14.340-07:0025 Years of Doing it Wrong or I'm Still Learning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After 25 years of teaching tap dance I think I've been doing warm-ups wrong the entire time. Granted there is no official right or wrong way to do warm-ups, but I measure their success by how well my students can execute the steps we do in warm-up each week.<br />
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Before we go on I want to share my thoughts on the purpose of a warm-up. In most cases I don't think it's really about "getting warm" or "warming up the muscles". At least not for the young kids I teach who can break out into a full-on run with no preparation whatsoever, or who can drop into the splits without first stretching for a few minutes. I'm a little older so for me it does serve a bit of the "warm up the muscles" before we torture them purpose. But the kids I teach are good to go. So why do it?<br />
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I do it for 2 reasons:<br />
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1. Reinforce basic steps. There is no substitute for repetition. If you do 100 step heels a week I promise your step heels will sound infinitely better than someone who does just ten. When you add in all the other steps that incorporate a step heel, the number of steps improved by having good step heels grows quickly.<br />
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2. Teaching the kids to pick up new patterns quickly. Recently I've been alternating between a pre-recorded warm-up and a live warm-up where I do a short pattern for a number of steps. Having to pick up a new pattern for each step helps the kids' learning skills and teaches them to pick up more quickly.<br />
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So my typical live warm-up is to put on some music and tap out patterns using a variety steps. We'll do some patterns with just our toes, then heels, then step heels and so on. Each week the patterns tend to be a little different. We usually cover all the major steps too like buffalo, cramp roll, irish, maxie ford, waltz clog, etc. <br />
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But it isn't working. How do I know? Simple - just ask the students to do any of the steps or patterns in the warm up by themselves. Yep, just one at a time. You will hear inconsistent rhythms, missed sounds, scraping sounds, weak sounds, etc. And it's not because my students don't care or aren't "good tappers". They really try during the warm-up (most of the time), but they're missing an absolutely key element - they can't hear their feet.<br />
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It's not just that music is playing during warm-up, it's that there are 12 other kids tapping at the same time. I'm pretty experienced and I still have to listen very closely to check my own sounds when a class is tapping with me. But even I find I have the same issues they do. There are some steps that I think I'm doing well when we are all tapping together (and I'm listening close) but that I find are slightly deficient in some manner or other when I'm tapping by myself (usually there's a sound that's just a bit early or late somewhere in the step) . <br />
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So what do we do about this? I'll tell you what I'm doing now, but I'm still in search of a better solution. I have all the kids get into a line. Then I teach them a short simple pattern - step heel, step heel, step heel, stamp. All the kids do it together first, then the first kid in line does it solo. Then all the kids do it together again, after which the second kid in line does it solo. And we continue to alternate from group to solo until we get through the entire line. If I think the kids still need more work on the pattern we go through the line again.<br />
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After each kid does their solo, I give them feedback regarding what to fix and/or how to fix it. As valuable as my feedback may be, it pales in comparison to when the kids can hear their own mistakes. There is no substitute for immediate and clear feedback. And NOT feedback from someone else, but from yourself. <br />
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If you try to throw a ball through a hoop and miss, you don't need someone to tell you that you missed. You know it. You can easily see if you threw it too high or too low and then make a correction. I can tell a student their shuffle is too early all day long, but when they hear it themselves their eyes light up with realization. It becomes real to them, because they heard it themselves. <br />
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They now have direct feedback. That feedback makes all the difference in the world. It doesn't guarantee a fix. I'm still there to give them advice on how to make the shuffle start later, but for the most part they are no longer focused on trying to hear the issue I'm pointing out to them, they are now focused on fixing it and evaluating how well they're doing so based on immediate feedback.<br />
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Most of the students like this system despite not having music playing and despite having to tap solo. There are some who are less confident with their footwork that don't like it precisely because they have to go solo. However I suspect once their footwork improves they won't mind it so much.<br />
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There are drawbacks of course. The primary one being time. I can only get through 4 or 5 patterns with this technique. During my old warm-up I would do maybe 20 or 30 patterns. <br />
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I'm still in the earliest stages of implementing this. I've thought about keeping my old warm-up and just making this new system the "technique" portion of class, but there's a flaw in that set-up. If the kids are doing the steps wrong in warm-up, then they're essentially getting worse because they're practicing the steps wrong. What is the point in that? <br />
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I don't have all the answers. I'll keep you posted as this develops.<br />
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Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-87505264938710532822014-11-04T02:18:00.002-08:002014-11-04T02:18:33.453-08:00Partner Week or Two is Better Than One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In my never-ending quest keep class interesting, for both me and my students, I tried something new a couple of weeks ago. We had partner week. <br />
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For warm up I pulled a student up in the front of class to be my partner (if there was an extra one to be had - an even number of students meant I was on my own). We did a simple pattern like 4 toes together then I did two stamps and then my partner did two stamps. The fun and interesting part is that it was all done on the fly. I didn't go through which partner would do what part ahead of time other than some general guidelines:<br />
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1. Sometimes you and your partner will tap together and then do separate parts (like I explained above).<br />
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2. Sometimes you and your partner will do separate parts first and then tap together (I do step heel stamp, my partner does step heel stamp, and then together we do three step heels and a stamp).<br />
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3. When reverse a pattern or switching to the left foot, the partner on the left (this was not me) would go first for the separate parts.<br />
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In some classes this whole process went smoother than others but most students enjoyed the change of pace. However the classes where I had no partner and could only motion towards my "invisible partner" had a harder time grasping how it worked on the fly.<br />
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After that we did a short combination traveling across the floor that had each partner trading off steps throughout the combo. This went fairly well.<br />
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From there I gave each set of partners a short series of steps to work on with the main goal being to execute the steps as together as possible. Having to execute this task together brought an elevated amount focus to the students' tapping that was well above what I usually see. By and large the students did an excellent job tapping in time with their partners.<br />
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Then we moved on to turns and I had each set of partners turn at the same time in opposite directions. Frankly that didn't do anything special for anyone. I'll make note of that for next year.<br />
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After turns we did pullbacks, again adding some trade offs in a short combination. This went fairly well too.<br />
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To finish we did our standard combination we had been working on for the previous three weeks. Thinking back I would do partner week at the beginning of the month and start a new combination that also incorporated partner work.<br />
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All in all it was a great change of pace and earlier today I even had a student request to do it again. It really brought a breath of fresh air into class and I highly recommend giving it a shot.</div>
Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-10627052586875743072014-07-25T14:53:00.002-07:002014-07-25T14:53:57.594-07:00The Big Jump or HOLY COW!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every so often you see a student for whom everything suddenly clicks and like a rocket they take off to unbelievable heights. I had the fortune of recently seeing this in not one, but two students at the same time. Often when a tapper reaches the top of the class I recommend they straddle classes by continuing to take the current class and also taking a class that's the next level up. <br />
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The straddlers typical have a hard time in the harder class but are usually ready for the challenge. What I almost never see is a straddler who takes the harder class and just eats it up straight away. I recently had two tappers do just that. For one of the tappers I could see this coming - she's been tapping well and has been very focused in class. The other one has always been a good student but her amazing jump came out of nowhere for me. <br />
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And Man is it EXCITING! It's so fun to see kids suddenly make a huge jump forward like this. As tap teachers we struggle week in and week out to make sure our students know what they need to know and that they sound good. Progress is usually relatively slow and steady - most kids only tap once a week (twice if you're lucky). So when a couple of students can suddenly do things they couldn't before and do them so well to boot it's a very happy teaching day!<br />
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Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-91460199868911017132012-07-22T11:29:00.000-07:002012-07-22T11:29:38.765-07:00Summer Format or Tech Ketchup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So basically from late January through June/July I have ben working on recital routines in my classes. I did take a few weeks off here and there to work on technique but by and large I was working on routines. Naturally when that happens I find the students (and my) technique suffers. So as summer classes ramp up I have decided to focus almost exclusively on technique including omitting my longer combinations I usually do at the end of class. I figured I'd share my summer class format with all of you:<br />
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First 10 minutes - Warm-up or as I call them "Drills". I've never liked the term warm-ups for tap even though I use it. As I get older it applies to me more and is more of a process of actually getting the body moving and warmed up but for most kids I teach - they come from other classes and are ready to go. I prefer to call them drills because it is a chance in my view to drill steps they already know as well as easy steps and keep them strong. We tend to think advanced tappers are automatically good at the easy stuff even if we don't drill them at it but that's not true. Even advanced tappers will find the simple things getting rusty if they don't drill them from time to time.<br />
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Next 10 minutes - Across the floor. I'm starting with simple things like flaps, flap heels and flap ball changes. As I said above these things do get rusty when they haven't ben worked on. I do combine them to make the kids think a little.<br />
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Next 10 minutes - Work on your own stuff. I have the kids spread out, picke any step they want, and work on it for 10 minutes. I think it's good for the kids to have some self directed time. It's good for them to take charge of their own tapping and not just wait for me to tell them what to do. I walk around to each student while they're working and give them pointers to improve the steps they're working on.<br />
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Next 10 minutes - Turns. I'm starting withe basic things like step heels and buffalos. <br />
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Next 10 minutes - One at a time. A really nice commenter suggested the following: when you go one at a time, after one person goes have everyone in the class do the step they were working on. It was a brilliant suggestions and keeps the kids much more interested. So this past week I had them get in a circle and each person could choose what step they wanted to do. They did the step and then I asked them what they heard. Some could tell me what was wrong and some could not. If they couldn't tell what was wrong I asked the other kids what they thought. Many times the other kids heard the mistakes. If no one heard I repeated the steps doing the same mistake the kid did but exaggerated it so the kids could more easily hear it and sometimes that would help them to hear it. So after each person went everyone else would do the step they did twice just to get a chance to tap. It went really well. It has ben the best set-up for going one at a time I've ever used.<br />
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Next 10 minutes - Wings and Time Steps. I find wings are largely a question of strength once you understand the basic mechanics. Repetition builds strength. Also it was good to review time steps. <br />
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Overall this format worked well and I look forward to seeing how it goes for the rest of the summer. I'll keep you updated. <br />
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Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-82681860509028395422012-05-28T00:51:00.000-07:002012-05-28T00:51:02.220-07:00Pick a Card or Simple Motivation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I like my students to be self motivated but sometimes we all need a little push in order to pull out our best work. Try a deck of cards. An old deck of cards, preferably (or a cheap deck). Here's how it works:<br />
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Split the deck of cards in half based on color - half red, half black. Now have your students perform the dance or combination they're currently working on. While they're dancing you walk around watching their feet, face, arms, etc. If you notice good footwork from a student, hand the student a black card (yes, while they're tapping - they are talented and will be able to dance just fine with it in their hand, though the card will get a bit mangled). If you notice anything else done really well such as sharpness of movement, great expression, or nice body lines, give them a red card.<br />
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That's it! You'll be amazed how hard the kids will work for a simple playing card. Also there is no punishment or taking cards away. Most rehearsals we tell them what they're doing wrong and how to fix it. This trick does the opposite. It gives them recognition for doing things right. I did this once last year. Once. The kids remembered and have been requesting for quite a while now, so I finally remembered to bring the cards in and it went great.<br />
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Now I wouldn't do this every week or else it will very quickly lose its appeal. There are also variations that can keep it interesting such as:<br />
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1. At the end of the performance, the students with the most red cards and black cards, get to step out of the dance for the next performance and hand out cards themselves. This is a good thing on many levels. They suddenly become keenly aware of what a "card-earning" performance is. They also see things differently than you and will often give cards to people you missed. Also I don't give everyone a card every time. If someone fails to get any cards I will try to watch them and try to find something they are in fact doing well so I can give them a card for it. <br />
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2. Kids are naturally competitive and will compare how many cards they got with their fellow dancers. You can shake things up a bit by making Aces worth 3 cards. This throws a little randomness in there and gives dancers who might not normally get the most cards a chance to "win". <br />
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All in all this little game makes for a more enjoyable rehearsal with highly motivated students to boot. Give it a try, it's a win win for all. </div>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-11502105479144740922012-05-28T00:32:00.004-07:002012-05-28T00:32:50.481-07:00Teaching's Not the Same as Tapping or Where Did My Sounds Go?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm sitting here writing this in my nerdy Atari pajamas and my "I'm not a morning person." (it's true) t-shirt after a 45 minute tap workout. Faced with a gradual decline in my tap skills I figured it was time to take action. But how did I get here in the first place?</div>
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First and foremost I teach less "live" classes than ever before and most of that time lately is cleaning routines. When I tell people I'm a tap teacher they often comment how I must be in great shape. Unfortunately that's not the case. The longer I teach, the less I tap. That's because I'm spending more and more time listening and correcting my students' feet instead of working on mine. I'm not saying I don't tap at all, but my total actual tapping time for 18 "live" classes this week (some are a half hour, some an hour) was probably 1 hour. That's it. My focus is cleaning my students' formations, arms, and feet, not my own. Teaching tap is not the same as tapping.</div>
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Then there is the age thing. I'm certainly not getting any younger! It's not just that though, it's the many, many years of tapping as hard as I could for many hours a week. That takes a toll on your body. Now I deal daily with back and toe problems that often hamper my ability to push myself when I want to.</div>
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Speaking of "when I want to" - there are so many things going on in life (father of 15 month old twins for one), it's rare that I practice because I want to (or have time). That's kind of sad. Don't get me wrong I'm not looking for pity here, I make my own decisions. Unfortunately tapping for pleasure has fallen low on my to do list. </div>
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But I don't take decline lying down! Eventually, the urge to slip on the shoes and get my skills back up to snuff hits me like it did this morning in my pajamas. It was both invigorating and sad (that my skills were so bad). But most importantly, it was enlightening, in many ways.</div>
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Throughout my teaching career I have often gotten new students who were very good at the studio they came from, but who struggled with often simple things I had them do like dig toes or shuffle step. Now I know why. When you become advanced you rarely spend time doing dig toes and shuffle steps. Instead you are working on the latest 5-count wing or 6-sound pullback. But without doing those simple steps over and over, they get rusty. Really rusty. In fact I'm sweeping the rust off my practice floor right now. </div>
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In addition to that, tapping slower is actually a skill. It takes a different set of abilities to properly execute and time slower tap movements than fast ones. If you doubt this have a reasonably advanced tapper do a simple step slow, not super slow, but slower than they normally would. You might be amazed how many rhythmic or auditory inconsistencies you find. They might be amazed too!</div>
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I've always taught a variety of tap classes from beginner to advanced. Doing warm-ups in the beginner classes I did many many dig toes and shuffle steps (I often wonder how many shuffles I've done in my life...I think it has to at least be 50,000). That was a big reason my feet were always sharp and clean. Which brings me to a simple but iron-clad rule of tap dancing.</div>
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THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR REPETITION</div>
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I have many tricks to help my students (and me) get their sounds and make them clean but sometimes you just have to do a step a couple hundred times. Which is what I did today. In so doing, I caught myself trying to fix my feet with my ears. What I mean by that is that I heard a problem like an early spank in a scuffle step (dig spank step) and I kept listening to it while trying to adjust my feet. But my main focus was on listening to it not the actual adjustments I was making. When I transfered a majority of my mental focus to the specific adjustment I was making (or needed to make) I had much more success. This was enlightening and I'll be sure to pass it on to my students. </div>
</div>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-38560971242867602382012-01-22T01:40:00.000-08:002012-01-22T01:40:01.963-08:00Knowing When to Cut Your Losses or Let's Try Something Else<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Over the years I've learned a valuable lesson about abandonment. In tap, especially choreography, it's a good thing. Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you just can't create choreography you love. Sometimes you've spent hours brainstorming and have an incredible idea but when it comes to actually making it real, it just seems to flop. When this happens you have two choices. Keep going or scratch it and start anew. Most times I think starting anew is the best way to go. <br />
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I remember I had a brilliant idea for a tap piece that would be done almost entirely behind a large piece of fabric. To create visual interest, since you couldn't see the tappers' feet, I was going to have them use objects to push against the fabric to basically tell a story of sorts. I spent many hours planning this and at our first actual rehearsal we gave it a shot.<br />
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Total Failure.<br />
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Due to a variety of factors the shapes were not at all distinguishable from the audiences perspective. It went from brilliant idea to total flop in a matter of minutes. I spent a little time thinking of how I could save it, but realized that in this case it was better to scrap it, which I did.<br />
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Best decision ever!<br />
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The song I was using was "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap with a back beat I had added to give it a little more oomph. I decided to play off that title and have them popping out from the fabric and then hiding back behind it. Sounds simple and cheesy but it actually read exceptionally well. To this day I am super proud of that routine and so glad I made the decision to start anew.<br />
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So as I come upon my third week of working on a certain recital dance, once again I find I'm faced with the decision to keep going or start anew. I think I know what I'm going to do.<br />
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Rod Howell http://www.unitedtaps.com<br />
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</div>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-90785234445852275912011-04-01T14:51:00.000-07:002011-04-01T14:51:09.380-07:00Giving Students Power or "This is Harder than I Thought"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So sometimes students need a little motivation. A goal of some kind. Kids are naturally competitive so I try to harness that trait and direct it in the direction of hard work and improvement. I often have little contests. It's me versus the whole class (this keeps them working together as a team, and of course they would just love to beat the teacher). Now of course this isn't fair, and I tell the kids that straight out. But I also tell them how incredible they would be to beat me when the odds are stacked against them (they do win more than half the time). Some groan of course, but most are up for the competition. Basically I do whatever step we need to work on by myself, and then they do it all together after me. If they are exactly together and do it right (heels up etc.) they get a point. If they are almost all together, it's a tie and no one gets a point. If they aren't together or do it wrong, I get a point. <br />
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They generally lose the the first 2 or 3 points right off the bat, but their competitive spirit really kicks and magically they suddenly "get better". Wanting to do something well is half the battle to getting better. When you unlock that drive, great things happen. <br />
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Well it's not always smooth. Sometimes they just can't stay together as well as they'd like and I pull far ahead. Predictably, they begin to call foul and claim I'm biased towards myself and that's why I'm winning. Usually at that point I explain that my deepest hope is for them to beat me. I tell them if they beat me, that means I have done a good job teaching them. Today however I took a different approach I've never done before. <br />
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I offered one of the kids the opportunity to be the "judge" of who gets a point. My only requirement was that she was totally honest. I think she was a little taken aback by the sudden possibility of all that responsibility but like a brave little youngster she stepped up and did it. <br />
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The first round of her judging was a tough one and I think she called it a tie (it was a fair assessment from my point of view). After that we tied a few more times and then she awarded a point to me. The rest of the kids were not quite so pleased with this and some complained and encouraged her to give them a point (granted they weren't the ones holding the dry erase marker and responsible for giving an honest score). After that she quickly decided to pass the role of score keeper on to someone else. Of course about ten people immediately surrounded her all dying to get the marker and thus the role of score keeper. She was having trouble deciding who to give it to so I made the decision for her. The next girl also started out giving a tie or two. But after 2 rounds she gave the winning point to me.<br />
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Again some of the other students groaned but she just shrugged shoulders as if to say "hey, fair is fair". <br />
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And so that was the highlight of my teaching day. I felt bad for winning of course (sometimes when they get really far behind I make one round of competition worth 5 points if they win and only 1 if they lose - that helps them catch up). But it was really interesting to see how they handled having the responsibility of who gets a point and how honest they were once they had that power. I think everyone had their perspectives broadened.<br />
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Rod Howell http://www.unitedtaps.com<br />
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</div>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-14033720243790231132011-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:002011-02-20T12:20:57.991-08:00Computers Make My Job Easier or No They Don't<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Everyone is aware how much computers have worked their way into nearly every aspect of our lives. Teaching tap is no different, at least for me. Granted I'm a bit of a tech-nerd, but nevertheless some of the tools available are REALLY helpful (and occasionally hurtful). <br />
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Currently I use a macbook when I teach for a variety of reasons. <br />
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1. Speed control - There is an app called Djay (See the sidebar for a link) that allows me to control the speed of the music I play which is very helpful to adjust for students who need to go slower or want to go faster. It also has cue points which allow me to jump into any specific spot in the music just clicking a button. In addition to that it automatically calculates the BPM of each song and allows me to sort by it so I can make up a combo and then look at the BPMs to find music with a speed that would work well.<br />
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2. Garageband - I use this for choreographing and rehearsing routines. It is not the best music editor BUT I can still do the edits I need to and more importantly I can instantly control what part of the music plays and whether or not it repeats. This is great if there is a section of a dance that needs a lot of work. I quickly (quickly is key here!) set the start and end point of the section of music I want to play and put it on repeat. This allows me to go watch the students closely and help individuals having problems without running back to stop and start the music. It seems like a little thing, but once you are able to do that, you'll never want to go back to stopping and starting the music each time you want to run a section over and over with music. <br />
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The next great thing about Garageband is that I can record my voice saying the steps over top of the music. This is helpful in so many ways. First of all it helps me remember the choreography quickly and hear how it goes with the music. Secondly it helps the students learn the names of the steps and helps them to hear how they go with the music. Granted I can shout the step names over the music over and over, but it's so nice to record it once and then have it play when I want (one button click can shut off the voice playback so you can easily choose when you want your voice heard and when you don't). <br />
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You can also record the actual tap sounds over the music so the kids can hear and understand the timing and shading even better. This has proved to be a very effective tool.<br />
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3. iMovie - Video notes are the best. I used to write out my dances in short-hand which was good for feet but occasionally left me without knowing the actual rhythm and often without knowing the upper body movements. iMovie fixes all that. My Macbook has a built in webcam which allows to me record straight into iMovie without the need for a separate camcorder. Once the video is in iMovie I can scan it quickly by running my mouse over the clip. This is key because I can scan the video very quickly to find the spot I need as opposed to just playing it normal speed or fast forwarding/rewinding. Also when a student misses class they can ask me to send a video of the latest part we learned. All I have to do is export the video and send it. Very easy.<br />
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So what's the downside? <br />
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1. Djay - you HAVE to have iTunes and have all your music in there. For most people with a Mac that's not a big deal, but it leaves you no choice about using a different music program. (The reason you need iTunes is that Djay uses the music database from iTunes instead of generating it's own...it's complicated).<br />
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2. Garageband - There's nothing like being halfway through a routine and the music just stops! As a newer version of Garageband gets released it tends to run slower and slower on older Macs which sometimes leaves you without enough power to get through a song. Granted this is about 3% of the time and simply starting the song over fixes it (don't ask...I can't begin to know why something doesn't work and then 3 seconds later pushing play again makes it work). Also keep in mind I push my machine hard - because of my editing and extra voice and tap tracks I end up with 15-20 tracks of audio all playing at once. <br />
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3. iMovie - Dropped frames. In other words sometimes when it records it drops out a few seconds. No big deal unless those few seconds are the intricate footwork you need to see. Again there are probably several reasons for this such as using an older Macbook, using the newest version of iMovie, unrelated (I've stumped the guys at the Apple Genius Bar more than once!). <br />
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There are other issues as well but that covers the basics. Don't get me wrong the benefits FAR outweigh the drawbacks but there are always glitches to deal with (some of you with iPods have experienced issues so you know what I mean). <br />
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So right now I'm trying to convert to using a new music program called Reaper (morbid name I know). So that requires shifting all of my audio files into the new program! Why would I do that? The app is faster and more stable than Garageband on my Macbook. It allows instant speed change which is great for rehearsal (yes Djay does speed control but I don't really want to be using Garageband and then have to switch to Djay to get speed control, especially if I've already set a specific section to repeat in Garageband). It allows me to edit music more easily as well. BUT...I basically have to learn how to use it (300+ page manual...oh boy!). I also have to transfer out all of my garageband files - music, voice, and tap into separate tracks for Reaper. <br />
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Stay tuned and I'll tell you how it goes.<br />
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Rod<br />
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</div>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-29148574526100347192010-12-05T12:51:00.000-08:002010-12-05T12:51:45.047-08:00The Element of Surprise or "Awww man..."In order to shake things up a little in class and make things a bit more interesting I tried something new this past week. I had each student make up their own "step" which had to consist of 7 sounds with the counts 1 & 2 & 3 & 4. Furthermore, it had to start on the right and end on the left and be repeatable. Other than that they could do whatever they wanted with it and many did some really cool and creative things (after teaching over 20 years it's nice to see other people's creativity, especially students). I gave them some time to work on it and get it down and helped a few kids that were stuck. For those kids I simply tell them to make a sound, any sound. If they stamp their feet (for instance), then I tell them to give me a number between 1-4. If they pick 2, then I say "there's your first two sounds, stamp stamp, now make another sound and pick another number." That usually gives them a start. <br />
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So once they get their "step" down I give them the bad news. "Students, the "step" you've just created is actually a turn!" Cue the "Aww man..." comments and the bulging eyes as they contemplate how in the world they are going to turn their "step." Many need help with the mechanics of when to spot but they eventually figure it out and end up with their very own turn. <br />
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It's a fun exercise (at least for me) that throws a little element of surprise in there to keep them on their toes. If any of my fellow tap teachers have cool surprises they spring on their students I'd love to know about them.<br />
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Rod Howell @ http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-9703638675126192212010-10-23T12:14:00.000-07:002010-10-23T12:14:32.349-07:00The Right Combination or Making Easy Steps Seem HardSo I've been in a "back to basics" mode this year trying to strengthen my students' basics skills like shuffles, buffalos, cramp rolls, etc. In so doing I've found that if you manage to put some of these simple steps in just the right order your students will end being really challenged by them (depending on level of course). For instance in one class I did buffalo shuffle ball change cramp roll flap ball change. Sounds pretty easy. But for some reason the brain wants to do a flap ball change after the buffalo not a shuffle ball change, especially on the 2nd or third repetition of the pattern (I do this across the floor). I also like this because it allows the kids to practice differentiating shuffle step and flap. Some kids never ever have a problem confusing the two but others never seem able to internalize the difference. I have tried a couple of tricks like:<br />
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Flaps go Front, Shuffle go Side (usually) noting the letter F in flap and front and the letter S in shuffle and side.<br />
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They all "get it" when I write this on the mirror, but two weeks later it seems to be gone again and once again a shuffle has been mistaken for a flap (or vice versa). Anyone have a great way to tackle this problem?<br />
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Rod @http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-39899356294410482052010-09-22T03:47:00.003-07:002010-09-22T03:47:52.472-07:00Computers Rule the Future or I'll Be Obsolete<div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">It's a bit cliche, but we often hear about computers someday taking over the world. So how will they affect the world of tap dancing? Well I hope to be leading that charge in a positive way. I've been working with a software programmer for a while and if all goes well I may end up with a computer program than can "hear" a students feet and draw their sounds onto a video screen in the exact way they tapped them. Thus showing them visually when a sound was missing, early, or late. It's not a substitute for listening to their own feet, but I think it will help train their ears to be better able to pick out "off" sounds. </div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">That's step one of course. Step 2 is the computer understanding what mistake they're making and then telling them how to fix it. Truth be told, if I had the money to hire as many good programmers as I need I could make that software right now. So mark my words that's coming down the pipeline. </div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Now don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to create a bunch of tapping robots here. The computer is meant as tool to help the kids, not as a be-all end-all for tap dancing. Think of how much guitar hero has gotten kids into music they might otherwise have no interest in. Maybe computers can do that for tap dancing someday. I'm hopeful and I'll keep you updated.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Rod Howell at http://www.unitedtaps.com</div>Rod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-24667274875643649992010-09-04T00:09:00.000-07:002010-09-04T00:09:26.316-07:00First Day Back or Here We Go........Today was my first day back for normal fall lessons. Luckily for me it was only two hours which makes for a nice easing-back-into-things start to the new season. The kids were were attentive, eager, and in good spirits and who doesn't love to teach to that? These classes are at a studio I'm relatively new to (just started there about 2 months ago) so the kids are still learning my terminology. <br />
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I find the terminology a tough thing. I tell the kids to learn and remember as many names to steps as they can because that way when they take from someone else they'll hopefully be prepared for their terminology. However regardless of how hard I try to teach new students who have had other teachers my terminology, they tend to still revert back to the very first names they learned for steps.<br />
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Anyone got a solution to that?<br />
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Rod at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-47759223992673212222010-08-21T11:51:00.000-07:002010-08-21T23:59:09.536-07:00The Rise of Technology or There's Four of Me!So yesterday I made an ambitious attempt to replicate myself 3 times through the magic of modern technology, and it worked! Here's the story:<br />
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I was scheduled to teach a production number at one of the studios I work at and all the kids were coming at the same time (as opposed to splitting them into groups and working with one group at a time). Well I didn't want 3/4 of the kids just sitting doing nothing while I worked with one of the subgroups within the production, so I replicated myself. The night before I was scheduled to teach I video-taped myself teaching the choreography for three of the groups. The next day I put three of the groups each in separate rooms with a tv and had them learn the choreography off of the video while I worked with the fourth group "live." I did have an assistant overseeing my youngest group that was learning from video. So how did it go?<br />
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Splendid! Worked like a charm! So in the amount of time it would have taken me to teach one group one section, I taught each of four groups their own section. Granted it was a ton of work filming and editing the video the night before (didn't get to bed until 5 a.m.). It was definitely worth it though. The kids really appreciated having some choreography to learn instead of sitting around watching the other kids work on their sections. Also with the ability to pause the video when they needed to they could adjust the pace of learning to their needs. Also, the group I was working with "live' had to leave early, so after they left I was able to hop form room to room to answer questions and give corrections while the kids were learning from the video. I was sort of like my own assistant. It was great having that freedom to roam and correct without being tied down to one room. I felt I could get a lot more done. <br />
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Score one for technology!<br />
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Rod Howell at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-86170196334675918922010-08-11T23:29:00.000-07:002010-08-11T23:29:35.923-07:00The Joys of Being New or Enjoy it While it LastsSo throughout my many years of teaching I've taught at many different dance studios. Teaching at a new place can be exciting and slightly intimidating all at the same time. One of the perks however is that for a brief moment in time you're the "new guy" and the kids are genuinely excited to take class from you and learn all the great things you have to teach. <br />
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Like all good things though, this soon comes to an end. Not that the kids suddenly don't like your class anymore, it's just sort of like that new toy that was the coolest thing ever when you got it and then a few weeks later it's just another toy. <br />
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Nevertheless those first few weeks are a real joy and can really remind you why you got into teaching in the first place, or perhaps why you haven't left. <br />
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Have you had the same experience?<br />
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Rod Howell at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-72789804291173433912010-08-10T22:05:00.000-07:002010-08-10T22:05:57.146-07:00Set Warm Up? or When Does Autopilot Kick In?So invariably at some point I usually do a set warm-up. It has changed throughout the years and most recently it has taken the form of some prerecorded "tap-like" sounds making the right rhythms over top a nice back beat. This way the kids can hear how the rhythm of a step is supposed to go and then "copy" it as they do the step. Humans are natural born imitators so why not use that to our advantage? <br />
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So what's the downside? Well, it depends. Some kids get bored of repetition fast and others can handle a lot (unfortunately I can handle extreme amounts so my perspective is always skewed towards more). There's no doubt that repetition has a place in tap training. It's quite valuable to have the muscle memory to pull off a wide range of steps without having to think about it. On the other hand, at some point their brains will shut down and they'll just go through the motions without really trying to make everything sound good. <br />
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So what I try to do is use the set warm up for a couple of months or so (maybe longer or shorter depending on the group of kids I teach) and then do some "live" warm-ups. There's no doubt that after doing set warm-ups for a while the kids are not as quick at picking up new patterns in a live warm-up, but the quality of the steps they're doing has usually improved. So it's basically a balancing act. <br />
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Do you use a set warm-up and if so for how long?<br />
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Rod Howell at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-3518450446195718192010-08-10T00:00:00.000-07:002010-08-10T00:00:51.974-07:00Kids Love Games or Water is WetSo for one of the studios I teach at today was their last summer class. On special occasions like that I have some fun tap games I like to play. <br />
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"What step am I?" - I split the class into 2 teams and one person from each team steps forward. I begin describing myself as if I were a tap step (often using non-related tap descriptions) and the first person to figure out what step it is and do it gets a point for their team. For instance I might say - "You might find me on an envelope." The first person to do a stamp gets a point for their team.<br />
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"Guess by sound" - I make all the kids turn away from me and close their eyes. While their eyes are closed I do a step like Buffalo. Then they all turn around and each student tells me what step they think I did based upon the sound of it. If they guess correctly they remain in the game if they guess wrong they're out. If everyone guesses wrong we do the step again. Also, if some people are out and the rest of the people still in all guess wrong on a step 3 times in a row, the people who are out get to come back in.<br />
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What games do you play?<br />
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Rod howell at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-45534860546052818932010-08-04T18:24:00.000-07:002010-08-04T18:24:36.288-07:00New Shoes or Am I Crazy?I finally got my new Capezio K360 Pros from http://www.dancingfair.com/ all set up with taps and rubber. They are apparently better made than the standard K360's as they are double soled and made in America.<br />
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Up until about 2001-2002 I used K360's exclusively, but I developed tendonitis in my ankles and frankly they just weren't that comfortable for tapping 5 or 6 hours in a row. So I switched to the Capezio Tap Sneaker. The taps on those were horrible. They were so curved that only a tiny part of the tap (especially the heels) touched the floor at any given time which resulted in really quiet heel sounds. But they were comfortable. Mostly. You see, they actually had NO arch support at all. After many years in those I developed a toe problem on my left foot. I though it might be the shoe so I made my own tap sneakers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HEzaQYcw9g - the shoes are shown at about a minute into it). They worked okay but the toe problem remained so I turned a pair of dress shoes into tap shoes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA1q5p4UX84) but they developed their own problems such as the bolts holding the taps on breaking and the head of the bolts popping out. So I decided to go back to the tried and true Capezio K360's.<br />
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Now lately I've been having some issues with my back so I kind of feel like I must be crazy to be going back to a shoe that has almost no cushion at all. Granted I did stick some Dr. Scholls cushions inside and they do help. I only taught an hour today so I decided to try out the new shoes.<br />
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Bottom line: I like them! They felt good, and light, and perfectly suited for tapping. That may sound silly but after having several shoes that weren't really made for tapping it's nice to have a pair that are. Time will tell how well they hold up and how well my back holds up using them, but I will keep you posted from time to time as to how they're doing. <br />
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What tap shoes are you using and how do they hold up to extended use?<br />
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RodRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-14664644644274102742010-08-03T22:11:00.000-07:002010-08-03T22:11:31.277-07:00One at a Time? or How to Make Your Whole Class BoredTap teachers face an age old dilemma. Check the students' feet one at a time or not? Sure you can go in medium sized groups or even twos but with several kids tapping at once it can be challenging for me to hear the flaws and often even more so for students who haven't spent their entire life listening for them. Tapping solo in class reveals everything and students are often surprised at what they hear. The good news is that they get instant, clear feedback on the quality of their sounds in addition to my full and immediate attention telling them exactly what to fix and how to fix it. The downside of course is that the rest of the class is left with no choice but to watch as the same step is attempted over and over. Sure, for the first couple of kids everyone pays close attention to learn a thing or two, but by kid number 7 they're just plain bored. <br />
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And there's also the question of how long to spend on each kid. If a student still hasn't gotten the step after a minute or two do I just move on regardless? There's a big part of me that hates doing that because I feel that time has been wasted if they didn't improve. On the other hand I could burn up an entire class if I worked with every kid until they got it right (not because they're not good tappers, but because there's a good many of them, and some simply make adjustments faster than others). <br />
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I generally do move on after a minute or so just to keep class moving. Despite the boredom, I do think there is value in having them tap one at a time. If anyone has a great idea on how to keep the rest of the kids interested/entertained while each kid goes, I'm all ears.<br />
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Rod Howell at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-20570640766717556762010-08-02T23:30:00.000-07:002010-08-05T00:40:38.215-07:00Community Combo or My Back HurtsSo my back was hurting during teaching tonight (it hasn't totally locked up yet, but it's getting close) so I tried something new for a combination. I had the kids stand in a line and asked each one to give me a step. As each person gave me a step, we added it to the combination. I kind of coordinated and clarified the rhythm as we went, but it worked out great and we ended up with a combination that was definitely different than anything I would have normally given them. Give it a try and let me know how it goes for you.<br />
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Rod at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358972930910707400.post-44685478440720542602010-08-01T02:06:00.000-07:002010-08-01T02:06:56.057-07:00Tap into the Network or Combination BurnoutI had the pleasure of teaching a class at Gregg Russell's tap intensive called Tap into the Network. I taught a combination to an Eminem song (it was the clean version I promise). I was VERY excited and a bit nervous to teach it. I had created it a week before specifically for this occasion, and I was really feeling it. <br />
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Sometimes as a tap teacher you don't always really feel every combination you create. Granted I always try to create something I like, sometimes you're just more inspired (or less fried?) than others. Of course it's always nice when you get inspired before a big class/event like this. <br />
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One of the challenges for me since I teach at 3 different studios is "combination burn-out." I like to create my combinations ahead of time, but I learned long time ago that it was a little crazy to have completely different combinations for every level at every studio. Even with notes (which I use - more on that in another post) trying to load your brain with completely new information for every class can have you spinning in circles. I've found it's best to create 2 or 3 core combinations that can then be adjusted to the level of each class. <br />
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The upside is that after you've taught the combination once, you've got a good handle on it and it's in your brain so you really don't have to reference your notes very much. The downside though is that after doing it a few times with a few classes you get tired/bored of it. Now I'm the first to say if you're bored with it, spice it up with harder feet or style. That's not a problem for a student, but as a teacher I can't just go and add a bunch stuff to a class that's just trying to get the core choreography. <br />
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So how does this relate to teaching at Tap into the Network? Well I always want to be well-prepared (perfectionistic tendencies are stubborn things) so I rehearsed the combination a lot and even did a dry run teaching it (to imaginary students of course) to make sure I had all the counts down and so forth. Well the morning of the class I was concerned I had over-rehearsed it and would be bored (combination burnout) but it actually turned out just right. In fact I was very glad I had done the teaching dry run because it was very helpful to have the counts already worked out.<br />
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On a side note, I don't choreograph counts, I choreograph rhythms and then figure out how to count them (usually).<br />
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So I'd love to hear from some fellow tap teachers out there how you deal with combination burnout?<br />
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Rod Howell at http://www.unitedtaps.comRod Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06267697095961543895noreply@blogger.com0