Four, three, two, one... and we're LIVE!

So, yesterday I taught my first Kangoo Jumps class by myself. And survived. And got invited back. These are all good things. Was I as good as I wanted to be? No. Was I more than adequate? Yes. Given that my personal life was pretty unusual the week leading up to this, I feel OK about the first class, and have plans for how to improve the aspects that were not quite how I envisioned them.

Here are a few of the lessons learned from that first class.

• Setting up in a new place will always take longer than expected, so arrive even more early than seems reasonable.
• Tech rehearsal should not be done the same day as the event or show, regardless of lack of options.
• An index card with a few key words on it, taped to the top of my sound system, supplements memorizing.
• Experiment with my microphone more to find that perfect angle so they can hear me talking to them but not hear me licking my lips due to nervous cotton-mouth.

There were also a few things that worked exactly as planned.

• Having an assistant who has been through the Kangoo Jumps instructor training is helpful beyond words. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)
• Songs that I practiced cueing while driving, and rehearsed dozens of times exactly alike, worked perfectly. (So make that ALL of them next time.)
• The class schedule was not finalized until the newly purchased KJ boots arrived.
• A small class encourages people who prefer not to learn the basics in the same class with people who are way beyond the beginner level. They were the ones who invited me back.

Now I have my self-critique done, and my plan for improvement in place. (Of course there are more details, but if I tell you everything, many of you would say "TMI!") My boots are all arranged on their to-go cart, and the pretty knee socks are in a pretty hat box. Disinfectant spray, forms new students must fill in, spare batteries for microphones, even a spare microphone -- all packed and ready for the next class. My sound system is almost done recharging. Now it's time to get dressed for the class where I am the student, because good instructors never stop learning.