The Official Publication of the  Tucson Swing Dance Club	June 2002, Volume 14.0 www.tsdc.net

So, you've decided you want more than you can get from group lessons, and have called your instructor to schedule a private. "How much!? For only one hour?" Or perhaps you have taken some private lessons, but feel you are not getting what you should out of them. Here are some tips on making the most of that expensive lesson time. I gave myself one year and now am giving myself another year. I am totally in love with the dance floor.

Before the lesson: Come Prepared

1. Make sure you know the correct location and time of the lesson. At a convention, this could come down to "which hallway?" Showing up late typically comes out of your pocket.

2. Clarify the actual cost and duration of the lesson so that you are not surprised or disappointed later. For some teachers or studios, an "hour" private is actually 55 or 50 minutes. This helps them stay on time.

3. What happens if you have to miss or cancel?

4. Know why you are there. What are you hoping to learn or "fix"? In this, the same advice applies as is frequently given for consultations with doctors or lawyers. Make a list (mental is OK, but writing it down is better), of items you want to cover. These may be patterns, syncopations, or techniques you are having trouble with. If you walk in and say, "Make me a better dancer," you are at the instructor's mercy. They will give you input to make you a better dancer, but it may not be the input you felt you were looking for. Example: A friend of mine once came from a private lesson with a famous instructor. I asked how it was. He looked chagrined, and replied "I just spent $50 to learn I should lead with my body instead of my arm." Obviously he already knew this, but had not planned on what additional input he wanted from this instructor in advance.

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