Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Review: Jam™ Session with ZJ candidate Michele Pome!

On Sunday, 8/24 I went my second Jam™ Session (first one was with this lovely lady!).  There are two types: choreography, where you learn 4 songs plus a bonus song (more on that below), and rhythm, where you learn a lot about a particular type of music (e.g., cumbia) plus two choreographed songs.  This was a choreography session.  After the first one I participated in, I had new songs I could immediately put in my playlist - they break them down and you're pretty much ready to teach them when you walk out the door... so I was excited for my second session!

Here are 5 takeaways from Michele's Jam™ Session:

1. A prepared Jammer is a good Jammer. When we walked in, we got the choreography notes as well as a goodie bag with the essentials: a granola bar, hair tie, mints, etc. It was a nice touch! More importantly, she knew her stuff when it came to the music and routines!

2. You get a great variety of music. Michele included salsa, cumbia, tango, and dem bow (in the reggaeton family). There was something for everyone. She also pulled songs from new-ish Zumba mega mix CDs which was helpful because the CDs were still on the top of the stack, but I hadn't yet had a chance to choreograph most of them! I probably wouldn't have picked the tango off of a ZIN CD, but I'll totally use it now.

3. Jam™ Sessions help you get out of your own head. If you've been putting the same old sleepy leg in all of your songs, it's time to get to a jam - stat! Lots of new ideas to go around, whether you use the choreography exactly as it was taught to you or not.

4. It's a good excuse to shake what yo mama gave ya. If you're only teaching classes and not taking any, you're missing out on an opportunity to focus on you (which you shouldn't be doing while you're teaching) and get a good workout.  A Jam™ Session is like the ultimate master class - but it helps your practice as an instructor, too.

5. There are Pitbull songs I still don't know. How is that possible? Michele used one for her ZJ tip, which is a bonus song that uses the same choreography you already learned in a slightly different way. 

Thank you, Michele!


Have you been to a Jam™ Session? What did you think?

1 comment:

  1. AMAZING POST!!!! Congratulations to Michele for her ZIn Jam Session. Love to hear it!!!! Also a big THANK YOU Jennifer to write such a great post about her ZIN JAM Session, which is all about every ZIN JAM SESSIONS, about the ZIN JAM PROGRAM. It shows clearly and helps ZINS who never been in ZIN Jam Session what to expect. Thank you again on behalf of all the ZUMBA JAMMERS. Great job!! ZJ Bernadett Fejszes, Boca Raton, FL

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