Should My Child Be Taking Classes During Covid-19

  Many studios and gyms across our nation have been working hard at developing new systems of class delivery and health protocols during this time of COVID-19. Some have been forced to be "locked down", and others have been working with area health officials, their insurance provider and their faculty and staff to continue to deliver their services to their area families. It has been a time of high stress, uncertainty and fear.

  But through it all, this is what we know. Children are not made to be locked down, They are a creature of constant movement, giggles and fun. Movement is their release for stress. Movement helps them to think and even work better in school. The one thing that should not be taken away, for any reason, is movement classes. Especially movement classes that actually teaches self confidence and resilience. Stopping these type of classes is like asking the person to stop breathing.

It is very important to a child to be in their movement classes right now. It is where they make and maintain friends that have a similar interest in having fun. It is where the music brings a playful mood or feeling. It is where the real world dissolves and the magical world, that all children want and need as a mental escape, appears. 

Movement classes offer so much for a child's growth and self esteem, that many movement instructors believe that it is vital to to all children's mental, physical and emotional health during the COVID-19 pandemic. And we believe that fully as well here at Academy of Fine Arts. It is why we are still offering classes and lessons, either virtually or in person.

Movement classes, music lessons and art classes have all been found to be beneficial to our well being as humans. It is why a brisk walk can lift your spirits and help with stress. It is why when you listen to calming music, you no longer are anxious. It is while painting a landscape , you may find yourself smiling. 

Instead of classes and lessons being thought of as an extra expense during a frightening pandemic, these may actually be the just right prescription to a healthier immune system. Classes and lessons can also be a happy distraction from every frightening moment due to COVID-19 and such great chaos and unrest in the world. 

There are many options for classes and lessons right now, from a free class on Facebook, to Zoom classrooms, in person small group classes and even private lessons. After 12 months of fear and uncertainty, it just may be the right time to research for a location that has 

1) health protocols in place, 

2)options for virtual or in person,

 3) private or small group classes, or 

4) an occasional free virtual class in your area.

Mary Myers is the Owner/Director of Academy of Fine Arts of Woodward OK

 

Is Your Dance Teacher A Genius?

Most dance teachers would probably say no, they are not a genius. But when you consider all the continual training and the areas of training they have studied over the years, your dance teacher may be one of the most educated persons you will meet in your life. Especially if your teacher is also part of the administration, or the business owner, of the dance school you take classes at.

For instance, your teacher has spent many years on their own training and learning from the very beginning, just as you have. They have suffered through the sore tight muscles, blisters, muscle fatigue, etc, such as you have. They have worked on memory skills and retention, again and again, just as you have. But their training has never stopped at a certain level or after a particular master class.

If there is any one reason to admire your dance teacher, that for sure is that they are a "lifetime learner". With dance being an ever changing element in performing arts, with many trends and the classics to stay abreast of , a dance teacher is always studying, always working and always trying to be the best that they can be for their students.

With new trends, especially the more athletic styles of dance, has came more opportunity for student injuries in class. This means that your dance teacher not only needs to know the moves, steps, style, etc, but also the correct technique that helps his or her students to learn injury free for a lifetime. He or she has most likely trained in assessing injuries to a certain level  and has taken first aide and CPR classes.

Your dance teacher also understands history and the progressions of dance and how to use that history to build creative choreography for the future. Dance is not new. It is just evolving all the time. By knowing dance history, your teacher knows how to connect to the world and help a dancer to grow.

To understand technique, your teacher has spent hours upon hours of study and practice in  dance and stretch techniques, anatomy, physiology, kinetics, and general science. They know how the body should operate free of injury and understand the different elements that makes up one movement at a time. If they did not, they would not be able to break down the dance movements and teach it in different steps or levels for their students.  They would not understand how to defy gravity for turns, leaps and jumps.

All dance teachers have studied nutrition. Either in a class situation or on their own. Nutrition is essential for a properly working body, and so they study to be able to continue to to dance for hours and multiple days a week. Great dance teachers also are a role model exhibiting proper hydration and preparation before, between and after classes by what they choose to eat and drink.

Time management is an important skill that teachers spend hours in developing. After all, every class that she has you in, there is a designated amount of time allowed for what is to be worked on in class. Time management skills is also used in developing lesson plans, selecting costumes, choreographing dances and administrative duties. Time management skills are always being improved upon by self study or attending training's.

Costume and set design sounds like fun, but a skilled dance teacher knows just how to make every student on stage look beautiful in their performance! Besides getting the right fit, color and style of costume, your teacher also has to match it to the show theme. And then there is the set/stage design and the lighting and sound to be considered. Dance teachers spend weeks and hours on getting it just right, so that the dancers look beautiful and the audience is entertained.

Human development and coaching is also an area your dance teacher may of studied as well. Ever noticed that when you have a problem, your dance teacher may be someone that you feel comfortable enough with to go to? For some reason your teacher is a person that is easy to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, a voice to encourage and a person to quickly give you information as to where to go to to get help, how to handle a situation, how to find your personal courage, etc.

Problem solving is a number one skill your dance teacher has had to learn to do. Ever notice how quickly they can change a part of the choreography that is not working? Pull a costume back together that decided to come apart just as you are about to step out on the stage? Find a way to mend a hurtful moment in class between you and another student? Help you tape a hurt ankle to go right back onto stage? Dance teachers have high level problem solving skills that tend to be over looked by many.

So, is your dance teacher a genius? They would probably say no. But ask as many adults today what skills they learned most from their dance teachers. Probably they will not remember the dance steps or technique. But they more than likely will tell you about all the life skills they learned in dance classes from their genius dance teachers.


*Written by Mary Myers, owner and director of Academy of Fine Arts in Woodward OK.