Catch up on or revisit these essential TAPography articles by Tristan Bruns. Famous tap steps and their history, buying and customizing tap shoes, the relationship of tap dance to music, and teaching tap skills.
tap class
Teaching Tap Improvisation: Exercises for Beginners
Begin with a very structured 4/4 song that does not have any strange segues or extra measures. Have all students beat their hands on their legs, clap or snap to the beat. Continue their time keeping, but have them now count out loud – “1..2..3..4”. Be sure you do not have them count “5..6..7..8”. This is a cardinal sin in the music world, as you’ll find out if you dance with live musicians! Explain to your students that each set of four counts is a measure, or a bar. I often use this with my elementary students who are learning addition and/or multiplication.
