For Group Ex Instructors or Coordinators: How do you teach new instructors to cue on the 32 count?
I am looking for effective resources for teaching a small group of instructors-in-training how to cue on the 32 count. I have a great ACE DVD from Lawrence Biscontini but am looking for more resources, particularly those that can be used at home for the instructors who have a harder time grasping this and need to spend more time practicing it. If you know of anything instructors can listen to, watch, any how-tos, or group drills, please share! Thanks!
One thing that can help is to do this exercise (using made for group ex music with a heavy beat).
First start by counting it out loud like this:
1, 2, 3, 4, now-I’m-gonna-give-a-cue
This helps to get the feel of the beat. You can clap or tap a toe to help out with that. Once you have that down, pick a simple move from a format they teach that is one-sided. For example, a knee lift. Start doing that move to show how it goes with the music (for the knee: up, down, up down).
Next add the cue in, so the instructor is doing the move (knee lift) and getting ready to cue to go to the other side:
1, 2, 3, 4, now-it’s-time-to/go-left!
Once an instructor gets the counting down, there can still be a lag between “I understand the 8 count” and “I can cue on the 8 count.”