SOBuzz: Getting Ready for Fall... Painting!

For a studio owner, getting ready for fall classes means a lot of things... piles of paperwork, phone calls and emails to return, attendance sheets and class signs to prepare.  For me, it also always means painting the studio! It seems like every year I end up painting one or more of the rooms.

Maybe it's just me, but I get very anxious when selecting a new color to paint the studio. Perhaps it's because I will be spending the next two or three years (if the paint is good) staring at the wall color, who knows?  Although I do fine choreographing formations, I'm not a very good visualizer of the end product.  I need something more.  I used to get a bunch of little samples, tape them to the wall and deliberate for a week, asking everyone who walked by whether "summer white" looked nicer than "classic beige".

But wait, there's a solution!

My favorite tool to use before painting is Sherwin William's "Color Visualizer" tool.  You can upload a picture of any room and "paint" using their colors.

Now I can digitally "paint" my rooms and change them around as much as I like before purchasing paint!  Hooray!

If you are still having trouble choosing a color or narrowing your choices consider the following:

Review: Tempo Magic App

I was so excited to try out my new Tempo Magic Pro app last week at our dance intensive tap classes (see previous post here).  I will admit that every time I see it on my iPhone screen I cannot resist the urge to say "tempo MAGIC" while wiggling my jazz hands with a magician-like flair.  Try it with me now... tempo MAAAAGIC!

Ok.

Moving on.

The app is pretty straight forward.  The first thing you have to do is add the songs you want to slow down.  Tap the playlist button.

Link Love: Great Teaching Ideas!

Times Union

Hurricane / Tropical Storm Irene went through my area in upstate New York, but luckily power was all we lost yesterday.  Many places in my area are flooded, but we just had a few downed branches and trees. The creek by one of my studio locations overflowed and closed the road and parking lot, but didn't get close to the building.  I am so thankful for all of the workers who were out yesterday repairing the power lines and keeping people safe from flooded roadways.  Hope all my readers are also safe after the storm.

Now that the power is back on, I have been catching up on some dance blog reading.  There are some really great teaching ideas I can't wait to use in my classes in the fall and share with my teachers.

• Improv Dance Ideas for Children by Sheri
• Beating The Don't Wanna Dance Blues by Sheena Jeffers at Maria's Movers
• Improve Jumps by Sheri
• Beating the First Day Jitters by Stacey Pepper Schwartz at Dance Advantage

Happy reading!

Tempo-Changing App!

Just read Morris Partee's post over at Dance Advantage on this awesome new app for changing the tempo of your music:  Tempo Magic Pro

This app allows you to adjust your song tempos on your iPhone or iPod touch.  As a tap teacher, I am so excited about using this app in class!  Our sound system currently has tempo-changing CD players, so I used to burn my music to a CD and then use the CD player to playback with different tempos.  I am hoping this app will change my life.. hah!  I am teaching this week at our summer camp intensive, so I will report back with results.

...off to go play with my iPhone now!

If you're also an iPhone addict, you might also like to check out this post on two free iPhone apps that I use as a dance teacher.

Theme Playlist: "Circus"

Fill your show with death-defying dances inspired by the big top!  This post was inspired by the SYTYCD routine by Tyce Diorio "The Circus Sets Up" (music from Water for Elephants soundtrack)



Welcome To The Big Top!
Charmed I'm Sure - Circus Contraption - very dark and scary - definitely for mature dancers
At The Circus - Dance A Story - Richard Maddock 
Happy Boys and Happy Girls - Aqua - a cute young jazz or hip hop
Glitter In The Air - Pink - slower lyrical song

Animals & Performers
Animal Crackers - my favorite version is Joanie Bartels
Talk To The Animals - The Broadway Kids Buy From Amazon

Lion Tamer - Sylvia - Prelude: The Huntress
Ponies - any sort of prancing ballet music

Treats Under The Big Top
Popcorn - Crazy Frog
Cotton Candy - Melany - great for Kindegarten age
Circus - Britney Spears

Clowning Around
Make 'Em Laugh
Send In The Clowns
Tears of a Clown
Rodeo Clowns - Jack Johnson - a nice soft-shoe style tap song

Death-Defying Feats!
Tightrope - Janelle Monae - upbeat jazz or tap
Tightrope or Acrobats - Into The Spin - Dessa - the strings remind me of a tightrope
Acrobats - Tea Party - Kerli - great jazz or acro number
Sword Swallowers - Steel Dreams - Cirque du Soleil

Marketing for New Season

I can't believe that our studio's opening day is less than four weeks away!  Our last summer intensive starts this Monday and then we have a break before starting up in September.

This is a list of what I do to market my studio, including the failed ad attempts - hopefully it will help someone!

FREE - The best advertising is free in my opinion!

• Internet Presence:  Make sure your studio shows up when you search "dance near ZIP CODE" on Google! Update or add your studio to Google Places, Bing, Yahoo, etc.  Check out this post for a way to see if your business is visible.
• Facebook:  If you don't have a Facebook page yet, get one!  Post on your studio's facebook wall at least once a week if not multiple times.  For extra credit, mix up your posts between photos, videos and regular "Classes start soon - not too late to register!"
• Twitter:  If you have a large Twitter following, that may be the way to go.
• Email:  Keep an email list of everyone who has ever asked for information for classes.  Send email blasts once a month or so.
• Demo Classes: Offer free demonstration classes and see if you can get them listed in local community calendars or websites.

Continued after the jump...

2011 Song Selections

Just wanted to jot down my song list from this past year for posterity!  (Or so I can look it up at a later time when I can't remember what that song was I used way back when...)

All links open in iTunes, unless otherwise noted

• Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphy: Large group jazz, ages 14-18
• Firework (cover) - Sunny Choi: Small group ballet, ages 13-15 (YouTube link)
• Crabbuckit - K-OS / Tightrope - Janelle Monae: Large group tap, age 14-17
• Who's To Say - Vanessa Carlton: Large group lyrical, age 12-14
• Live It Up - Group 1 Crew: Large group jazz, ages 11-13
• Honky Tonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins: Large group tap, ages 11-13, dressed up as old people...it's better if you don't ask
• Sister Kate - The Ditty Bops:  Small group tap, ages 10-12
• Boogie Shoes - KC & The Sunshine Band:  Small group jazz, ages 8-10, with red sequin sneakers of course!
• Waka Waka - Shakira:  Large group modern, ages 6-9
• Ma Belle Evangeline - Princess & Frog: Large group ballet, ages 6-8
• Happy Feet - Joanie Bartels: Small group tap, ages 6-7
• Funkytown - The Chipmunks:  Large group jazz, ages 6-7
• Trickle Trickle - The Manhattan Transfer:  Large group tap, ages 6-7
• Animal Crackers In My Soup - Shirley Temple: Small group tap, ages 4-5
• Gravity - Sara Bareilles: Contemporary solo, age 18
• Bubbly - Colbie Caillat: Tap solo, age 17
• Stuck Like Glue - Sugarland: Tap solo, age 16
• I Want You Back - Colbie Caillat: Tap solo, age 15 (YouTube link)

And my favorite dance for the year:

• Oh What a Beautiful Morning / Flight of the Bumble Bee / Imma Be / Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows : Had two really small classes, so I combined them and the 4 & 5 year olds were flowers and danced to Oh What a Beautiful Morning.  Then the 6 & 7 year olds came in to Flight of the Bumblebee and then danced to the chorus of "Imma Bee". Then they all danced together to Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows. 

Just Married...

Please excuse the brief hiatus... I was off tying the knot!

Now it is "back to reality"... dance school opens in four weeks - look for many new posts for fall!