Corrections

[straceydor]

My dd age 11 has said that she is not getting corrected in a ballet class. 

Would this mean that she is

1. getting everything right and not being stretched

2. not being seen doing it wrong

3.the teacher believing that she can not do better than she already is and so not being corrected

4. my daughter not realising that she is being corrected

 

Any one any ideas ?

 

[Ellie]

How long has she noticed this for (and how big is the class?)

 

1. It could be that she is executing the exercises well, but there is ALWAYS something which can be improved.

2. Again, how big is the class and is the teacher giving more time to children who are struggling ?

3. Hope not. (see point 1 )

4. Could be, as I said how long has she noticed this for ?

 

It may be worth, at some point having a chat with her teacher to clarify any queries...x

[straceydor]

It is not her main class and its been going on for a couple of months, I am not sure how many there are in her class but I think it is about 15-20.

"there is always something which can be improved" that's what I thought and I assumed that she had been corrected

The class' are based on age and were auditioned before attending and the teachers are not  easily accessible

[sarahw]

Hi Straceydor,

 

I think all children should be receiving corrections in class. If she is not either 1) she isn't realising they are being made or 2) they are not happening.

Either way you should be able to discuss with the teacher. I would be very unhappy if there were never opportunities to contact the teacher about such issues - you are a paying customer! The class is certainly bigger than the ones my dc is in.

 

Good luck!

[Flit and float]

I would definitely mention it - maybe the teacher thinks she's doing ok & isn't giving her as many corrections at the moment as there are other children requiring a bit more, or maybe your daughter was getting more corrections before & the teacher is letting her consolidate/not wanting to overload with corrections? If she never gets any corrections then that's a problem. I

 

had a time in classes (not ballet & I was quite a bit older than your daughter) when I felt I was getting ignored & must be not worth bothering about - I had a chat with my teacher & he said that he thought I was doing fine & was able to self correct to some extent for the moment - I knew what I was doing, but that he would definitely start paying me more attention & giving more corrections. Which he did, so it's worth a chat!

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

I agree with the above posters, your DD should be getting corrections. I also think it is a good idea to speak to your DD’s teacher and see what she/he says.

 

Most people/DCs' parents probably know this already, but in case it’s helpful, I would also suggest it’s a good idea to say something along the lines of, ‘My DD really loves her ballet classes and really wants to improve. What would you suggest she works on?’ rather than, ‘Why is my DD not getting any corrections from you?’

 

I hope it works out, good luck.

[mimi66]

11 is an interesting age... I think in ballet terms this is the age ballet gets "serious".

 

From the sound of your DD's school, I wonder if they are encouraging children to listen carefully the corrections given to other children and/or to the whole class and learn from that. And may be she is not realising that.  Just a speculation.

 

I noticed that this is somthing to be learned through childhood training be that ballet or musical instruments. When one looks at an adult ballet class, those who improve are the ones who attentivly listen to corrections addressed to others or the whole class.  Those who tend to complain they do not get teacher's personal correction/attentions ("I am a paying customer and I demand personal attention!!!") are ones who ignore general correction though often those were specifically aimed at them!

 

Also when a teacher gives correction to a specific student, often that correction applies to everyone - that student was picked only because on her body (or ability) it is easier to explain and demonstrate that correction.  It is so not "not my problem" just because you aren't the one who was being corrected.

 

In any case, for most of us mortals, this sort of thing is the real value of having learned ballet as a child - a very useful skill for (non-ballet) professional life as well.

Edited February 4, 2014 by mimi66

[taxi4ballet]

With a big class such as this, the teacher will often give corrections to the group as a whole, as well as individually, so if your dd is used to a much smaller class maybe you could mention this to her, so that she can listen out for it

[straceydor]

Thank you all for your advice. 

[drdance]

I agree with a lot of the posts above. In a class such as this teachers do tend to give whole class corrections. In that case it might be worth asking your DD whether other children get personal corrections too.

 

Another thought is that a good teacher will actually avoids giving too much correction as people can only focus on 2 or 3 targets at any one time. I usually teach class where I want everyone to really focus on a particular element and rather than giving individual corrections I will set all the exercises to really work on articulation of the foot, or balancing, or posture etc. In that case everyone will get my attention, especially as they will be doing things in small groups, but because my focus is on something specific, I will be looking out for that in every student.

 

I hope that makes sense.