Heike Salzer // Teacher
2013.07.07
This is a really interesting one! I used to think, I wish that I had more time and space to prepare before I come into class. But usually there is little time and I am busy setting up the music, people asking questions etc.
I have now learned that I don't need that time beforehand, but I need the moment of focus to feel the energy in the room, the atmosphere of everybody in it and I can go from there. Although I have a planned class I always have a starting exercise/task that is different each time. Like a 'hello'. And this one is not planned, but I let it 'come' to me, by zooming into the space. Simply feeling and being for a moment, going in the middle of the room and waiting for everybody to realise that we are starting. It is often a little scary as I must trust, that whatever the first task is, it will come! I have tried planning this first task but it never felt really right, as it did not take the energy of the room into account.
Do you have a similar method? What did you do before you start?

Tomas Danielis // Teacher
2013.11.05
I am tuning in 2 steps during my walk/travel to studio - how my body feels, where I am and what could class look like. Than I come to studio and on the way to sound system I look who came to my class, hows mood and how people move. I take it from there - most of times I drop the plan and I work with people. Even though is nice and helpful to come with some sort of plan. I love to warm up before, but its rare.
If I do not need to talk - which I prefer - I go to starting position and wait people to realize and focus. If I have a bunch of happy students taking long time I just start and they join - starting times improves each class.

Nicola Balhuizen Hepp // Teacher
2013.11.07
I like to plan my classes to have something to fall back on. Generally I even have a "meta" plan that includes a series of classes. However- I just use it as a framework. Each day on my way to the studio I think about the students of this particular group that I will teach today, what we worked on last time, the situation they are in at the moment... I then make a mental note of one or more things that I would like to focus on in today's class. Once I am in the studio, it can still be that I deviate from this, reacting on the mood and energy of the group.

marcella moret // Teacher
2014.01.22
I have still little experiences of teaching. I am just starting. Never the less I am developing a sensing - how I imagine, what targets I set, what do I believe in and what do I remember helped me in a long term:

I aim to build up a strong relationship with my students so that THEY know how to get ready for my class, so that they would actually be able to start without me. THEY should know what to work on and create the "right" mental and physical state. The class is about them and I am only the guide. So my preparation would actually be the one at the end of the class before, or in general, the whole building up of trust and healthy relationship and helping the student to be independent but jet know how to use me.