Job Positions Available in NC Triangle!

Positions Open in NC Triangle....

We're giving a quick shout out---we are looking for a dynamic teacher for the NC Triangle area region for this summer!  We've had a great response with our classes and are in need of an instructor!  If you or someone you know would love to spend the summer working with young ones in dance---contact us ASAP.

Have a great Monday!

Fun Activity to Share With Your Students.....

Check out the Eagle Cam at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens!  You can get an up close look at three eaglets and their parents in the nest.  It is a live cam--and so fun to watch.

The past few months we have been working on tempo here at Little People's Creative Workshop--one of our exercises was 'Birdie in the Nest, Birdie Out of the Nest'; so your children will have a neat connection with what is going on inside this real nest!  Enjoy!  {Warning:  it has been known to be addicting to watch this cam!}

Successful, Creative Teaching...

Taken from Joanne Bath's studio notes:

Joanne Bath

THE P's OF SUCCESSFUL TEACHING:

Positive Instructor Involvement

Play

Posture for fun!

Practice things together

Positive environment

Praise

Participation

Peers

Play music

Persist

THE C's OF SUCCESSFUL TEACHING:

Cheer

Congratulate

Change

Conquer

Challenge

Contemplate

be Considerate

be Consistent

be Creative

be Calm

be Cognizant

be in Control

be Confident

20 Years Later.......

Being involved with teaching dance to young children brings back all of the wonderful memories of when I was that age and learning to dance.  20 years later, the skills and simple techniques that I learned at that young age are still useful for me today.  The other day while my hands were full of groceries, I balanced a 12-pack of diet cokes on my leg while I fished my keys out of my purse to open my car door.  The balancing act was entertaining for the people around me, I'm sure, but I was proud of myself for making it work.  I didn't drop a thing!  Imagining an invisible straight line going down the center of my body in order to keep myself balanced is something I learned from my dance teacher when I was 3 years old, and I will never forget it.  The lessons we learn at that young age follow us into adulthood and become part of who we are and how we think.  So, acquiring the ability to think creatively and exercise that ability through movement in dance is one of the best things a child can do at that age.

~ Southern New Hampshire University Student/LPCW Dance Teacher

Special Story Featured in Lehigh Valley, PA

During a special class a reporter from the Lehigh Valley Times did a story on Little People's Creative Workshop. Check it out.

Dance workshop

Added by Bill Adams on April 22, 2009 at 11:51 AM

Teacher Liz Story shows children how to stretch their legs and shake their feet Tuesday at the Little Peoples’ Dance Workshop at the Family YMCA Early Childhood Development Center in Forks Township. Express-Times Photo | BILL ADAMS

Tags: dance workshop | Family YMCA Early Childhood Development Center | Little Peoples' Dance Workshop | Liz Story

This photo is part of the Day in Photos April 22, 2009 gallery

Dance Teachers and Director Needed....

We have come across a need for a preschool dance instructor in the Philadelphia suburban area; as well as western NJ area with Little People's Creative Workshop.  If you (or anyone you know) is interested---be sure to send your resume and cover letter to:  LPCWphilly@aol.com  It is a great opportunity for anyone that loves dance and young children.  Don't miss out!  Pass the word.

Little People's Creative Workshop is also looking for an individual to fill a Regional Director position in the Raleigh, NC area.  Resumes need to be submitted by April 15th to:  LPCW@me.com  This position oversees the program and instructs classes.  Great opportunity!

More About the Benefits of Dance for Young Children

Benefits of Dance, by Rachel Kemp

Toddlers love to move, stretch and jump. Teachers can introduce kids to new ways of moving their little bodies in entertaining and constructive ways. All forms of dance, and creative movement can be very beneficial. Kids should be introduced to exercise and physical exercise as early as possible. It might take a little more money, but in the long run it can pay off. Introducing your child to dance is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
Dance promotes discipline, coordination, memory, flexibility, strength, line, grace and stamina. Performing builds positive self-esteem and confidence, helps with other sports, and is just great fun! All kids are capable of relating and understanding basic techniques that are shown to them and demonstrated properly.
The vocabulary they learn through dance can help them express themselves through movement and naturally incorporate it into their lives. Signing your child up in dance as soon as possible can be a great thing for him/her.
As long as children can listen and stay focused, no age is too young to get them started. Of course, forcing children into any activity is never healthy. It’s important to observe how they respond.
As children get older and more serious, the length of the class and the amount of class per week may increase. Again, it might mean more running around for you, but if your child is fortunate enough to find something he or she loves to do, it’s well worth the extra time and money. My parents ran around for me 4-5 times a week to participate in many classes, I don't know how they did it, but I’m so grateful, because I am now blessed to be making a living doing what I love.
Here you will find a teacher who inspires and has a true love and passion for what he or she teaches.
Remember the 4 D’s: DISCIPLINE, DETERMINATION, DEDICATION, DESIRE. Dance class can help your child conquer all four.

Needs of Little Ones.....

We have witnessed so very many dance classes over the many years of being in this industry.  You have the uninterested dance teachers that just want to 'get class over with'--and not the least bit interested in young children; treating their classes like some kind of sentence.  Then, you have the ones that think teaching 'Where is Thumpkin' and the 'Hokey Pokey' can actually count for dance instruction---they love the kids; but are teaching them zilch.  Then, there is the rigid, hard-core teacher that wants preschoolers to have perfect technique and stand at attention.  Then there is the misguided dance education majors that have been taught that preschoolers should be just fine and do nothing but walking and pausing for thirty minutes.  What a waste!

Young ones are capable and deserve so much more than this!  They crave eye contact, variety, challenges that are age appropriate, and passion for creativity!  Let's not waste this wonderful opportunity we have been given---to work with little ones.  We have a chance to make an investment for life!

Teachers Need to Also Be Students

As dance teachers of little ones it can become easy to lose focus of the need to also be a student.  We need to be a student of life---and definitely remain a dance student ourselves.  It is important to nourish our own souls and dance passion with classes and performances that keep our enthusiasm and art polished, and enabling us to pass on new inspiration to our young students.

A soul left unnourished will soon wither.  If you are an instructor of young ones be sure to invest in yourself so you can keep investing in your students.  Enjoy!

The Joy of Teaching Dance to Young Children........

"My love for dance started at a very early age.  I was excited every Saturday morning to get up, put on my leotard and get to dance class!  What made it such a wonderful experience for me were my amazing dance teachers.  As I grew older I used them as my role models and saw not only how much passion they had for dance, but for teaching as well.

I always thought I would end up teaching high school or older students in a studio, but once I started working with Little People's Creative Workshop I knew those thoughts were gone!  Ask anyone you know how they get greeted when they come to work.  I bet they don't say by twenty smiling and excited faces screaming your name--and these aren't even the children you teach!

Teaching "little people" brings out the best in a teacher, not only because they make you smile and greet you with hugs so powerful they almost knock you over; but because they are so eager to learn.  LPCW has an amazing curriculum that allows children to explore dance through themselves but yet in a very structured and fun atmosphere!

LPCW is so great for children because it allows them to go off into imaginary secret places while learning how to move their bodies properly throughout space.  At this young age children absorb everything and what makes LPCW so great is that we are able to offer the classes while the children are in school; so they are able to relate things that they are learning to dance and to the arts which most children do not have the opportunity to do!"

                           ~Liz Story, LPCW Regional Director and Instructor

Flexible Working Options for Moms......

Many women these days come to a point in their lives that they must make a choice.  It doesn't involve heels vs. flats or whether to make a dinner at home or order takeout.  It is the much more important choice of whether to go to work or raise a family.

Many women would rather not have to make that choice---family should always be priority; but with the economic situation as it is, many moms must work in order to help with the family's budget needs.  

Our industry is such a blessing in this situation.  By teaching dance classes to young children moms are able to work a few hours a day and make a wonderful living---while working mostly from their home, and being home in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends.   Our dance teachers and administrators get to have both----a stay-at-home mom status as well as a paycheck and the flexibility of creating their own schedule around the needs of family.  

So, for those of us choosing this option---we can say good-bye to long work hours and corporate demands---as well as the uncertainty of job security that is so prevalent in the corporate world today.  We can fully embrace the joy of being there for our children and spouses while owning our business---one in which we love and have a passion.

A Great Note from a Parent.....

"My son attends the Wed. afternoon dance class.  The purpose of this E-mail is to probably tell you what you already know:  your program has terrific teachers!

I happened to pass the classroom a time or two last semester (prior to my son's enrollment) and it looked like everyone was having fun and the instructor was full of life.  I asked a parent of one of the students what they thought of the class and they said they loved it.  So I signed my son up for the semester.  I could not be happier with the class and your teacher's overall approach.  She not only teaches them how to be creative with their dance moves, but also allows them the freedom to make the setting as comfortable as possible for them.  My son is very apprehensive about new situations and new faces.  At the beginning he took more of an observer status.  Your instructor did not force him to participate in anything that he did not feel comfortable with; but by the same token she didn't forget that he was "participating" in his own way and would always be sure to call on him for his "turn" whether or not he actually waited in line.  Each week he participates more and more in class in the traditional sense.  He really loves dancing now and the interaction with the stories.  And of course the instructor's bubbly personality and the exuberance helps keep everyone interested and dancing.  I feel very fortunate that my son has been able to have such a positive experience with dance class and just wanted to let you know how much we love our teacher."

Dance is so very powerful for young ones---especially when instructed with the right heart!

Dance Teacher Profile.....

Dance teachers of young children really have to be multi-faceted.   They must be able to communicate effectively with adults and handle their concerns and questions; and then step into the classroom and be able to be a pumpkin in a patch with the students!  He or she must be energetic, enthusiastic, and extremely passionate about their art----if not, the energy of the class and excitement will not be present and little ones will soon lose interest.  Dance teachers need to be very animated with little ones.  Young children are experts at picking up on a teacher that does not really want to spend time with them.

Any program that offers dance or theatre arts classes to young children is only as good as its instructors and program design.  The teachers that are sent out to teach a program have to be phenomenal!  The programs who train their teachers well and only choose the best are the programs that are seeing great success in this volatile economy that we are experiencing.  Parents and students alike quickly pick up on the programs that are fluff.  Now, more than ever, parents are making sure that whatever they choose to spend money on is well worth it in every way.   We are seeing the mediocre programs quickly fall to the wayside----a great sifting, if you will, in the industry.  The silver lining to this is that the children's programs that stand for excellence and are time-tested have a clear path to take over when this happens.  (And that is what we are seeing presently.)  In children's dance programs the strong, quality programs are gaining great momentum and strides!  Great news for us who love what we do and do not compromise our standards in passing our love of dance and theatre to the next generation.