Welcome to the series, how to teach preschool ballet. Let’s talk about a preschool ballet curriculum, my favorite! In the previous video we talked about setting goals for your preschool ballet class. Now we are going to discuss your curriculum.
First, what Are You Going to Teach? Before you can teach a good ballet class, you need to have a well thought out and creative curriculum. How you come up with your curriculum may depend on where you teach and whether your program director provides you with a curriculum. In all cases you will be teaching a few basic ballet steps and presenting them in a creative way.
I provide my teachers with a curriculum, because I have created my wish upon a ballet program for preschoolers which I love. Places at which you teach will either have a curriculum, or they will expect you to come up with your own. The curriculum for your class may also depend on the kind of school where you are teaching. A program may want a traditional ballet class or they may want a class that is freer to let the children explore.
I personally believe a class that has many creative games and activities will be more productive for preschoolers than a class that has the children repeating steps over and over or standing at the barre. Preschoolers learn best through creativity and imagination. The bottom line is, children will follow you in whatever you do if they can also play games and pretend to be their favorite characters. They truly learn better this way.
Come up with a child friendly theme and find songs for choreographed dances and creative movement games that go with that theme. Preschoolers need to be able to imagine different situations, places, people or animals. Each song should have a story. Who are you singing and dancing about? Let’s take an example of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. There are many different versions of this song that would go well with a ballet class. How can we spark the students’ imaginations? It is a song they know, which is helpful, and it has a pretty melody. Ask the students to pretend to look up at the night sky. Can they see stars? What do they look like? Can they wish on a star? What would they wish for? Can they be a star? If a star could dance, how would it dance? We could have a whole class on this one theme. Throw in some pliés and tendus and you will be all set!
Make sure you not only have enough material at each class but have extra songs and activities in case you need them. Be over prepared. You may need to change what you are teaching if something you planned is not working. Sometimes one dance will work with one group but not another. Some classes move through material faster than others. Having extra games may also be helpful if the class is on the younger side or having a “squiggly” day and just can’t focus very well on what you have prepared. Using props such as scarves, shakers and stuffed animals also helps. A parachute is great to have in class for a change of pace.
So now What ballet steps can preschoolers handle? There are a few basic ballet steps I make sure I cover each session. These include first position, second position, plié, relevé, and tendu. Usually I include arabesque and passé as well for fun and to practice balance. At the end of each session these are the steps I want my students to know and be able to show their families. I may add other steps to mix it up from time to time but these are the ones I make sure to cover.
Now let’s talk about knowing the subject of ballet. If you would like to teach ballet, then learn about it. Not only take class, but read about ballet. Part of why I created my website www.wishuponaballet.com was for my own benefit. I wanted to learn more about ballet history, famous dancers, ballet companies and all of that. In addition, many parents of my students ask me ballet questions and I want to be knowledgeable.
Teachers should keep training and taking classes. There are always new discoveries to be made when learning ballet. Continuing your training keeps you on top of your technique, sets a good example for your students and gives new ideas on how to teach. We are all still learning.
A three year old is not going to have any idea what your ballet training is and their parents may not as well, but that doesn’t matter. Be respectful of the art of ballet and of your students. Know ballet.
Now let’s talk about knowing your curriculum. It is much easier to teach a class when you know the dances and the steps you are going to be teaching by memory. I am not saying you can’t have notes to look at from time to time. That’s actually a good idea. I may have notes reminding me about my class order or any new choreography. But if you need to carry notes around with you and look at them often, that will be an issue. You don’t want to take too much time away from your class. Preschool students have very short attention spans and if you don’t keep class moving they will find something else to do.
When a subject is new, you will have to practice at home until you can perform your dances without looking at your notes. Why is this important? In order to teach a preschool ballet class you need to be fully present. There are so many things you will have to focus on during your class. Are the children paying attention and following you? Do they understand the material? Are they having fun?
The dances need to be second nature in order for you to dance and give directions at the same time. For example, while you are dancing you may have to remind a student to use her listening ears. Or, you could sing along with the songs to make the dances more fun for the kids. Finally, you could remind the students what is coming up next so they don’t fall behind. We teachers have so many things to do while we are dancing at the same time.
To sum up, it is so important to be prepared for your classes. You, as the teacher, are responsible for creating a class that is fun, engaging and actually teaches ballet! Put a lot of thought into the class as far as what you are going to teach and how you are going to teach it. Being prepared will help keep your class engaged and super fun. It will benefit you as well because you will be much more relaxed and actually have fun too!
Thanks for joining me for this discussion on preparation. In the next video we will continue this idea when greeting your students at the beginning of class!