💡Dance Teacher Tip of the Week 1: 

 "Being Your Own Business" as a Dance Teacher

In today’s world, being a skilled teacher is only part of the equation. Whether you work for one studio or ten, part-time or full-time, you are your own business. You're responsible for how you're perceived, how you market yourself, and what direction you take your career.

Being your own business means:

• You treat your time, energy, and expertise as valuable

• You make strategic decisions about your teaching path

• You show up with clarity and professionalism

• You build a reputation that reflects who you are

This mindset shift is especially important now, as more dance educators build hybrid careers— teaching in studios and online, creating digital content, freelancing, and seeking creative income streams. Treating your teaching like a business sets you up to thrive, not just survive.

So...where do you begin??
The first step is developing your personal dance teacher brand.

Your brand isn't just a logo or a color palette. It’s how people describe you when you’re not in the room. It’s your values, your teaching philosophy, your unique strengths/what sets you apart from others, and the experience students and studios get when they work with you.

👉🏼 Your action step this week:
Write down 3–5 words or phrases you want to be known for as a teacher. Think beyond skills and technique— what kind of impact do you want to have on your dancers?

Are you passionate about instilling confidence? Do you bring a unique structure to your classes? Are you known for creative, challenging choreography? Basically: what do you want your classes, your students, and your collaborators to say about you?

This simple reflection is the starting point for your brand and the foundation for building a more intentional, successful teaching career.

We go deep into this work in Module 1 of The Dance Teacher Intensive, where I guide you through defining your teaching philosophy, identifying your strengths, and building a personal brand that aligns with your career goals.

💡Dance Teacher Tip of the Week 2: 

 The Free Software I Use for Lesson Planning

Listen, notebooks are great in the moment. I still use them to jot down notes and corrections when I watch my students dance. But when it comes to documenting class pans? They're easy to lose, hard to update, and it's tough to create a bird’s-eye view of your year (which is how I always begin prep for each class).

I use an app called Notion to keep everything organized digitally— lesson plans, choreography, notes, costume info, music and more. I’ve used it for 4+ years while teaching full-time, and it’s totally free to download!!

Each of my classes gets its own planning space where I can:

• Build out lesson plans

• Reference my syllabus (this is my overall year plan for the class)

• Make updates week to week as needed

• Jot down notes and to-do's before the next class (because they will leave my brain if I wait)

Everything syncs across my laptop and phone. I can easily reference anything or jot down a quick note in class without wasting time flipping through pages. 

The best part is that it's so easy to keep track of all my content in past classes— super helpful for the following years!

👉🏼Your action step this week: Download Notion Here and start getting a little familiar with it now. In Module 2 of the Intensive, I give you access to all my templates in Notion, walk you through how to use them, and how to build a yearlong curriculum from scratch. 

💡Dance Teacher Tip of the Week 3: 

 Narrate What You See

Rather than focusing on what’s going wrong*... "Stop talking,"  "Don't do that..."*

Observe the room name the behavior you DO want. It draws attention, creates positive peer pressure, and gives kids a clear model of what to do. It also redirects the energy without feeling like you're always scolding your students.

Here's some examples of how I may use this strategy:

“I see Jordan listening with his whole body ready to learn what we're doing next.”

"Thank you Lily, Daria, and Molly for being ready to start pliés."

"Damien remembered the correction I gave last week about the arms in that turn."

As soon as I start narrating who's doing what well and how, the rest of the room usually follows.

In addition— sometimes we as teachers get so caught up in trying to mitigate "bad" behavior, that we forget to acknowledge the dancers who are practicing good work ethic and habits. They need positive reinforcement, too!

FYI: If this kind of strategy speaks to you, we dive deep into classroom management in Module 3 of the Dance Teacher Intensive.

We cover how to establish a positive and productive learning environment, in addition to learning techniques for conflict resolution and building trust and respect from your students.

💡Dance Teacher Tip of the Week 4: 

Define Value, Get Specific

When it comes to starting to "market" yourself, you want to focus on the value you offer— not just what you do.

To use myself as an example— Instead of "I teach ballet and contemporary in dance studios."

Something that would be more intentional and value-based would be: "I help young dancers develop technical foundations and artistry through structured ballet and contemporary classes that foster both discipline and creativity."

Or when it comes to my IG account, instead of "I provide tips and resources for dance teachers."...

"I help dance teachers build fulfilling, sustainable teaching careers by sharing tools, strategies, and mindset shifts that support both their students and their own growth."

See the difference? The second version in each pair speaks directly to who it’s for, what they’ll get, and how I do it. That’s the kind of clarity and connection that makes self-promotion feel purposeful (vs. pushy.)

Your action step👉🏼 Write a 1–2 sentence statement(s)—you can have multiple!— about your teaching (or dance studio) using this format: 

“I help [type of student] achieve [result] through [your unique approach].”

The more you practice talking about what you do and why it matters, the easier it becomes to attract the right people and opportunities your way.

We go deep into this kind of work in Module 4 of the Dance Teacher Intensive, where we expand upon creating your personal brand, promoting yourself, utilizing social media, and more entrepreneurial skills.  

You’re already doing the work—this stuff just helps you communicate it!

****Remember to head back to your email to read Tip #5!!!