Heather offers questions and considerations to ponder as you look back at your dance program and curriculum and as you look forward to improving it and making a difference in the lives of your students next year.
About Heather Vaughan-Southard
Heather Vaughan-Southard is a dance educator and freelance choreographer based in Michigan with rich teaching experiences in higher education, K-12 public schools, and private studios. With an approach of teaching dance as a liberal art, she draws from her experiences dancing professionally in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles to create experiences that move beyond the boundaries of a studio, producing well-rounded, thinking dance citizens. She is author of the blog EducatingDancers, where she chronicles her perspectives on dance and dance education. Heather holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan, BFA in dance from Western Michigan University, K-12 Dance Certification from Wayne State University and is the mother of two small children whom never seem to stop moving.
Measuring Success: Data Driven Dance
May 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Dance educator, Heather Vaughn Southard, encourages tests that go beyond pencil, paper, and even presentation as she outlines ways to assess program philosophy, performance goals, teaching methods, class achievement, and individual student growth.
Let’s Talk Arts Integration: Defining What You Do
April 11, 2013 by 1 Comment
Have you ever danced about the water cycle? Did you learn anything about dance? If not, then your science education was enhanced by dance not integrated with it. Heather gives examples of how dance might be integrated with other subjects and some tips on collaborating with another teacher.
Managing the Middle School “Shut Down”
March 19, 2013 by 2 Comments
Dance educator, Heather Vaughan-Southard uses exploration, choice, and personal responsibility to get beyond the walls her middle school students sometimes throw up. If you’ve experienced the emotional and academic ‘shut down’ typical of this age group, her findings will interest you. We’d also love to know your approach to reaching your tweens.
Exploring Limitations With Your Students
March 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Heather’s middle school dance students research limitations in dance by mapping phrases, making observations, and finally working within set limitations.
Happy Slips: Using Competition to Internalize Good Habits?
February 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Heather had mixed feelings about the “Happy Slips” reward system she established in her elementary school dance program, however, a small change that has kids “competing” for slips seems to encourage more personal responsibility in her classes. Learn more about what’s working for Heather.
Personal Study: Observation In and Out of the Studio
January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Heather thinks ahead to how she’ll refuel in the New Year and during the summer so that she can best serve her students. Don’t worry, early planning of stay-home summer strategies can ensure better productivity through-out the current semester. Try it!
Acknowledging the Person Before the Dancer
November 15, 2012 by 8 Comments
Sometimes as educators we get caught up in the act of teaching and forget the people we are mentoring. Unless the children you have in your studio have a reason to connect to your material, the extent of your reach will be limited and your influence fleeting. Heather provides insight to help you structure your class as a guided experience rather than a traditional lesson plan.
From Questioning to Concert: Making Concert Dance Work
October 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment
In the era of standardized assessment, there is a lot of talk about “teaching to the test”. While this generally refers to classroom teachers catering content and delivery to what may appear on those standardized tests, there is a fair amount of that happening in the dance classroom, too. What should be an exhilarating adventure [...]
Dancer Speak: Re-Thinking How We Talk About Dance
September 13, 2012 by 2 Comments
When it comes to talking about dance, there are plenty of possibilities. Sometimes using “real-life” synonyms to the “dancer speak” that we are accustomed to allows kids to see how big ideas relate from discipline to discipline. Dance in the public schools provides an outlet for kids to express themselves but also a way to [...]
Warming Up to Engage: Three Options to Get Your Dancers Moving
August 9, 2012 by 4 Comments
The role of warm-up progresses as our understanding of dance changes. This is true whether our role is that of a student or a teacher. For many young dancers, warm-up is something to be endured before set free to really “dance” in the subsequent segments of class. For my students, it is what they are [...]
Why Dance Matters: Survival of the Fittest
July 12, 2012 by 3 Comments
The dance classroom is more than a studio; it is a laboratory. It is the training ground for an unforeseeable future. In the age of standardized testing, arts environments can provide the safe havens where mistakes are treated as discoveries and expression is celebrated. Higher order thinking is a natural part of the performance and [...]
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