Teachers ? needing some help here :) ?

Question: Teachers !? needing some help here :) !?

i've been teaching for a while, but this year i'm picking up a musical theatre class!. I've never taught it before and i haven't taken a MT class in so long so i'm completely lost :|
any suggestions on what i can do in class before i start choreography !?
any input it greatly appreciated !
thanks ! :) Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

My advise!? Actually go and take some Musical Theater classes first! You really shouldn't be teaching it unless you're qualified, and have previous experience in it!.

You should obviously be doing excersises with them!. Musical theatre is alot like jazz, but with acting involved!.

At the begging of class, do some stretches and warm up with them!. Then you'll need to test their skills!. If you don't know these kids, you need to asses where they are, jazz wise!. There's no point choreographing triple pirouettes and switch leaps into their routines, if they can't even do a single or a straight leap!.

You can always build on their skills from jazz class!. You should also do improv with them!. Put on some sort of show music, and let them act silly, crazy and funny, all while dancing!.

I guess you could go through facial expressions with the!. Ask them all to show you happy, then surprised, then angry, then tough, etc!. Any that you use in musical theatre class!.

If there are any musical theatre type steps you know, teach them these!. I'm sure there is some sort of "strut" you can teach them!. Use jazz combinations, but make them more musical theatre orientated (i!.e!. bigger smiles, more cheesy, and jazz hands!)

Then teach them routines!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

just make the class fun!.!.!.im not a teacher but i am a student and i like my classes if you have fun! :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Just don't grade so harshly!. kids hate that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com