At about 0:35 seconds in to the video (below), I start the 3 minute clock, where I tell you 3 tips in 3 minutes to "fitting more in" to your Tap classes...and...GO!

In your mind, Tap Teacher Training might go in that "would be nice" section of your never-ending to-do list.

But might Tap Teacher Training really be a "MUST" for you? A "NEED"? A "GAME-CHANGER"? 

Since I started the Tap Teachers' Lounge in 2018, I've seen first-hand that Tap Teacher training is the most powerful way for a Tap teacher to bring out fresh enthusiasm for Tap dance in their students, and a deeper sense of accomplishment, inspiration & confidence in the Tap teacher who truly commits to the training process. 

So, if you're wondering if Tap Teacher Training might help you,

here's a quick checklist for you to help you answer this question. 

1) You have a hard time clarifying the MUSICALITY aspects of your lesson planning.

If your current lesson plans are too "step-focused", then you're missing the other wing of the bird. Without the "musicality wing" of Tap class, you'll find that you're constantly hitting several walls. The depth of Tap...

CHECK OUT THE SHORT VIDEO BELOW   to help you navigate the options when it comes to Tap Teacher Certification, Tap teacher training, and Tap class curriculum options. Click here for more info on the Tap Teacher's Lounge program. 

Many teachers briefly use the ballet barre or chairs in their Tap classes to help students work on wings, pullbacks, etc. It’s not the only way to teach those kinds of steps, but definitely a common approach. This is a quick and temporary use of the barre.  

In this article, I am more focused on the use of the ballet barre for more significant amounts of time in Tap class - for warmups, etc. 

If you use the barre in this more extended way, I want to offer this food for thought that might challenge the way you think about barre use, or it might make you feel more confident in your use of it! 

Here are several factors to consider, for Pre-K students, adults, and everyone in between. 

The Class Structure & Management Factor

Tap classes can feel especially tough to manage, especially when dealing with a class full of kids just straight-up making noise with their shoes!

And if teaching Tap isn’t the dance teacher’s strong suit, it...

As an aspiring performer in NYC, I realized very early-on how uninformed I was about Tap dance history and culture.

I couldn’t hold a basic conversation with anyone about a dance form that I had studied for YEARS. There were times when I was around Tap dance “greats” & had no clue who they really were. I felt a kind of quiet, but very real embarrassment inside. I knew so little, AND I didn’t know what I didn’t know. 

It just felt OFF, very “out-of-alignment”.  

This definitely affected my teaching. In my early days as an educator, I taught very little history I’m sad to say. I didn’t know what to tell my students about Tap dance history. On top of that, I was a novice Tap teacher who didn’t have the skills to teach technique & clean routines efficiently, so there wasn’t even TIME for history. So in those ways, many of my students were short-changed.

Over time, I gradually gained more knowledge....

We all know the sayings, don't we?

Practice makes progress! Practice makes perfect!

But is it really true?

In a word: SOMETIMES.

We all loooooove to say “Again! One more time!” in our classes. So HOW we use repetition in our Tap classes is an important topic, especially when it comes to our Tap class lesson plans, and how we manage each class as our students are working to make progress on any exercise or piece of choreography.

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I remember an aspiring professional dancer taking my open Tap class at Broadway Dance Center in NYC, and saying:

“I tried for like 10 years at my home studio, but I still can’t do wings. Can you help me? I have a big audition coming up and I need to be ready.”  

So this dancer practiced wings for YEARS.

Rep after rep. Week after week. Year after year. 

Years of reps. 

Years of practicing that didn’t work.

 We all know of situations like this,...