NDEO鈥檚 Guest Blog Series features posts written by our members about their experiences in the fields of dance and dance education. We continue this series with a post by Madison E. Lence, Dance Choreographer and Educator.聽 Guest posts reflect the experiences, opinions, and viewpoints of the author and are printed here with their permission. NDEO does not endorse any business, product, or service mentioned in guest blog posts. If you are interested in learning more about the guest blogger program or submitting an article for consideration, please click here.听听听听
The Importance of Musically Educated Teachers
Dance is a versatile discipline that requires a plethora of schooled skill for an individual to be successful in their field of dance. One such area of dance that necessitates a keen knowledge is the understanding of music. Music is coupled with the practice of dance, yet many people disregard its significance to the education of a dance student. Far too often I have found myself in a class or rehearsal where the instructions being given contradict the musical inclinations that are provided through the presented song or rhythmic material. As a scholar of both dance and music for many years, I find myself wrapped in the bias of an established musical understanding. This knowledge forces the following question which will guide the following discussion: How can dance educators become musically informed in a way that benefits the education of their students?
First and foremost, it is imperative to acknowledge the role that music plays within dance. The article 鈥淲hat Music Theory Does for Your Dancing鈥� explains music theory as the concept of learning how to write when it suggests to 鈥渢hink of learning dance like learning how to write,鈥� meaning in learning how to write we learn a proper structure of how to operate within the written word (Brigham Young University-Idaho Course Material). In short, when relating musicality to the example of writing, 鈥渕usic theory would be [considered] rules of grammar鈥� (Brigham Young University-Idaho Course Material). Within the discipline of writing, if all the punctual and grammatical rules were disregarded, you would still have the words, but they would not have as significant of a meaning. In reality, 鈥渋f we don鈥檛 know the rules of music, our dance can look off and not make sense,鈥� and the predictable form of music becomes disrespected (Brigham Young University-Idaho Course Material). In order for something to grow it is required that it has a strong foundation or framework, and 鈥渕usic provides the framework for dance鈥� (Brigham Young University-Idaho Course Material). Recognizing such a foundation, and the logical structure that it provides, allows teachers and students of dance to begin making sense of music鈥檚 role in dance, thus allowing learning to commence.
Within my personal experience in dance, I have had the opportunity to be involved in a plethora of musically based genres such as footwork, world dance, ballet, lyrical/contemporary, and jazz, which all rely heavily on the juxtaposition of music in dance. However, within this variety of musical exposure brought on by each category of movement, it is my knowledge of tap dance that has allowed me to refine my musical understanding, and not only paraphrase a musical inclination but also find ways to contrast the given rhythm. My personal experience with tapping has also allowed me to better understand modes of teaching when I have stepped outside of the role of a student. It is my personal opinion that tap dance is critical in teaching basic music theory or providing grammatical structure.
Some would argue that musicality is a skill that cannot be taught. However, some would also argue the contrary. One such advocate for musical education is Thelma L. Goldberg, a tap dance educator for over thirty-five years. In Goldberg鈥檚 article 鈥淩elease, Relax, Ready: A Rhythm-First, Holistic Approach to Teaching Tap Dance,鈥� she explores the idea of teaching rhythm and musicality as an essential aspect of any tap dance curriculum, signifying tap as a key resource in musical education. Goldberg points out a common problem when she says that 鈥渢ap instructors often focus on teaching steps that result in a dance routine for the end-of-year performance鈥� while forgetting to 鈥済o beyond teaching choreography and include the music theory鈥� (Goldberg, page 17, 18). The issue with solely focusing on a dance routine for a recital is that dance students are often deprived of a holistic learning experience, which integrates various modalities of teaching, promoting student connection to what is being taught. Moreover, there are extensive benefits in teaching proper musicality in a classroom setting, which Goldberg describes as building an understanding of rhythm. When the rhythm is taught in class, especially tap class for that matter, teachers can strengthen 鈥渢he clarity of the rhythm for both students and observers into a multisensory experience,鈥� thus allowing class participation to form an established understanding (Goldberg, page 18). But for a person to teach rhythm, they must be humble students themselves.
One way educators can use an established sense of rhythm while teaching is by understanding that 鈥渆ach sound made with their taps has a corresponding note,鈥� and then accompanying that understanding with the action of vocalizing their steps by saying each step as it is done (Goldberg, page 20). When a teacher associates the cadence of their tap sounds with what are familiar steps to the students, dancers can begin forming a physical connection with a musical foundation. Essentially, as Goldberg claims, teachers should always 鈥渟ay it the way [they] want to hear it done鈥� (Goldberg, page 21). Additional ways that musical rhythm can be successfully established among students is through the use of drumming with various instruments or simply allowing students to experiment with moving their hands in the same motion that their feet would be moving in their tap shoes. From the words of Goldberg, it becomes evident that musicality is a skill that can be taught when approached through the correct methodologies.
Now that there has been a foundational argument for the importance of music, as well as the definitive demonstration that it can be taught, it is important to acknowledge the functionality of music in dance, to understand why 鈥渋t is the essence of all movement鈥� as described in the article 鈥淗ere Is the Reason Why Musicality Is Crucial for Dancers鈥� published by Ballegro Player. This article further presents the idea that without music, dance would be meaningless in the sense that there is always a feeling of rhythm within the body. This is where some might argue that musicality is void in the absence of music, however, 鈥測ou can choose to dance in silence, but this only heightens the importance of creating musicality inside of your body鈥� (Ballegro Player). When dance teachers can mindfully use musical structure while teaching, they are not only allowing their students to gain knowledge of basic music theory as mentioned, but they are also creating an environment that is exciting and uplifting to their students. After all, 鈥渕usic is more than a beat or metronome鈥� Music is energy. Music is movement. It is movement of sound and vibration, which physically exists in the space鈥� (Ballegro Player).
This information prompts an additional question: What else can musical education do for dancers? When a teacher helps to establish an environment where their students can be exposed to different forms of music, within any genre of dance, they are helping to establish 鈥減hrasing and dynamics within the context of鈥� movement (Ballegro Player). Exposing a dancer to tap is not the only way musicality can be used, but it is an excellent starting point in teaching music theory to novice students. Moreover 鈥渋dentifying how the music鈥� is being used 鈥渋nitiates what you are doing,鈥� making ballet an excellent example of such initiation (Ballegro Player). A student of ballet is required to perform multiple turns within a class, such as the well-loved pirouette. Because pirouettes are executed 鈥渙n the 3 sub-beats of a Waltz,鈥� when a dancer spots and moves their head around on each sub-beat, they will 鈥渓ikely have a more dynamic and successful Pirouette鈥� (Ballegro Player). Such an action would not be plausible without even the briefest of musical interpretations.
The answer to the initial question presented concludes that for dance teachers to become musically informed in a way that benefits the education of their students, they must grow to be experienced in music themselves. The only way any teacher has gained the knowledge that their students need is by first becoming a student. If you as a teacher are struggling with the concept of music, get in the classroom and learn how to tap. Approach each learning situation as an opportunity to grow your personal teacher鈥檚 handbook, so to speak. By educating yourself in basic music theory, especially through the example of seasoned teachers, you are not only setting up yourself for success but your students as well. Movement cannot take precedence over music, nor music over movement, because these two forms of art are heavily intertwined within the field of dance education. When dance educators expose their students to the benefits of musicality, and do so in a way that uses a correct musical framework, the dance student will begin to thrive in a way that turns movement into magic.
Madison was introduced to ballet at the age of thirteen through the encouragement of her mother. Not long after her introduction to ballet, she began serious training in classical styles of tap dance, jazz, and similar contemporary genres. Her love of dance took her to train at a local dance studio in her hometown where she was encouraged to fuel her passion for dance by teaching dance classes at the age of fifteen. Teaching dance, as well as a passion for the academic study of, and research in dance, led Madison to graduate with honors from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a Bachelor of Arts Dance Pedagogy, emphasizing in percussive dance styles, namely tap and clog, as well as world dance. While attending BYU-I, Madison was involved in numerous performance and teaching opportunities. Such experiences include, but are not limited to, dancing with school company teams such as Collegiate Dancers, and Dance Alliance, choreographing for student-produced productions, as well as instructing introductory-level tap technique classes for multiple semesters. Since graduating, Madison continues to fuel her love for dance as a dance educator and choreographer.
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Works Cited
Ballegro Player. 鈥淗ere Is The Reason Why Musicality Is Crucial For Dancers,鈥� Ballegro Player, 10 Apr. 2019, www.medium.com/@ballegroplayer/here-is-the-reason-why-musicality-is- crucial-for-dancers. Accessed 10 Feb. 2023.
Brigham Young University-Idaho Course Material. 鈥淲hat Music Theory Does for Your Dancing,鈥� Brigham Young University-Idaho. Accessed Jun. 2022.
Goldberg, Thelma L. 鈥淩elease, Relax, Ready: A Rhythm-First, Holistic Approach to Teaching Tap Dance.鈥� Dance Education in Practice, vol. 4, no. 3, 2018, pp. 17, 18, 20, 21., https://doi.org/10.1080/23734833.2018.1492831. Accessed 10 Feb. 2023.
Photo credits: All photos courtesy of Madison Lence