FAQs

Yes, there are various performance opportunities throughout the dance season. Last year, IPAC dancers participated in a dance team clinic and performance at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul for the Minnesota Swarm. IPAC also provides dancers the opportunity to be a part of various dance conventions and parades! All of these opportunities are optional for dancers. If your child is looking for a more company-oriented class with more performance and competition opportunities, we do offer Performance Company.

At this time our lobby is closed to minimize the amount of people throughout the building. 1 parent of our 3 & 4 year old dancers are able to accompany their dancer into the studio and for your viewing, we offer closed circuit TV in the lobby where you can watch your child’s class as it happens!

At Inspiration Performing Arts Center, we believe in small class sizes. Our smaller class sizes allow for more individualized learning. At this point in our 2020-2021 Season, all our dance classes have no more than 9 students to allow for 1 teacher and 1 Company Mentor based on age, level and experience. Company-based classes have a max of 15 students.

The dancers at IPAC will participate in 2 recitals throughout our dance season. Each recital is held 2 to 3 days (over a weekend).  Parent chaperones and volunteers receive a $10 IPAC Gift Certificate.  Generally speaking, our Winter Performance is held over the second weekend of December and our Spring Recital is held the third weekend of May.

Our beautiful, state-of-the-art studio is equipped with the best floors. Dance is a very physical activity that requires a lot of jumping, which can put stress on bones and joints. Unfortunately, most dance footwear does not provide the needed cushioning or support, so the shock of dance movement can place a lot of pressure on the knees and back of a dancer. The best way to prevent against potential injury is by choosing a studio with a professional “Floating Floor.” A floating floor is a dance floor that rests on a system of high‐density foam, to absorb the shock of jumping. Our floating floors all rest on high-density foam here at IPAC with a overlay of Marley flooring!

We have some of the most competitive costume prices on the costumes we order for the Winter Performance and the Spring Recital! All of your answers regarding these questions can be found via this link: Information-Packet-2019_2020

Since each class is different, we ask families to look over our policies and procedures manual. Please click here: Policies & Procedures.

Give us a call! We’d love to chat with you! Or, shoot us an email!
Studio Contact by Phone: 651-214-8713
Studio Contact by Email: info.inspiration.dance@gmail.com

Great question! That all depends on the instrument. . .
Piano – At Inspiration Performing Arts Center, 5 years old is the youngest age that we start students in private piano lessons. At this age, they have begun to develop longer attention spans and can retain lesson material with ease. Their hand size is also to the growth needed for playing piano.

Guitar – Acoustic, Electric & Bass: At IPAC, 8 years old is the youngest age that we start students in private guitar lessons. Guitar playing requires the use of the fingertips. During lessons, the fingertips have to press on the strings. Due to small hand size for children 7 and under, guitar lessons begin at age 8. Bass guitar lessons generally start at age 10 and up.

Drums – The age depends widely on the size of the child. Children must be able to reach the cymbals and pedals. Generally speaking, our youngest students are 8 years old.

Vocal Lessons – Voice lessons for any age can be a fun and rewarding experience! Because of the natural development of the voice, the age to start vocal lessons is typically 10 years old. The reason being is to assure that your child is developmentally ready to learn the following: proper breathing techniques, vocal chord endurance, and strong lungs that have the capacity to adapt to the structure of lessons. Younger voices are not quite ready to carry on the structure of a full voice lesson. However, we can structure and adapt our lessons to fit any age.

No, you do not need a full drum set to start drum lessons. Of course, we provide the drum set in the studio for use during lessons. Students can start lessons by using a practice pad. This is a small dinner plate sized pad that costs $20-$30 that is used for practicing basic drum rhythms.

It is ideal if you do have a piano at home, but you can start lessons with our piano teachers by using an electric keyboard at home to practice on. Most of our students rent or buy small electric keyboards to practice on at home. We recommend a keyboard that has regular sized keys and a touch sensitive response. A touch sensitive keyboard means if you press a key harder it will play louder and if you press a key softer it will play quieter.

There is no set answer of how long it takes to learn an instrument. With regular practice, a basic level of playing can be accomplished in a few months. Most of our students take lessons on a long term basis because they want to be constantly improving and they find the lessons enjoyable.

Yes! Even if you don’t have a musical background you can ask the teacher for advice on how to help your child practice. By simply monitoring that they are doing exercises a certain number of times per day, the student will progress. Many parents occasionally sit in on their child’s music lesson to get an idea of the proper way a song should sound or how the student should be positioning their hands.

Please check our Policies & Procedures Informational Page, click here – IPAC_Policies_Procedures_2019_2020.

All music students should dress in an age-appropriate fashion. Students must be able to practice their instrument of choice comfortably in whatever they are wearing.

Group classes work fine for ages 3-4 music programs, and theory lessons. However, when actually learning how to play an instrument, private lessons are far superior. It is hard to miss important material when receiving one-on-one instruction. And, each student has the ability to learn at his or her own pace. The teacher can take the time necessary to focus on the student’s strengths and weaknesses – for the entire lesson time, the student is the sole focus of the teacher. The teacher also enjoys this as they do not have to split their attention between many students who may be at different levels.

The music students of IPAC will have the opportunity to perform in  2 optional recitals throughout our 2019-2020 season (Sept-May). The recitals are optional, although highly encouraged.  We host a Holiday Music Recital in early-December and a Spring Music Recital in May.  The recitals last no more than 1.5 to 2 hours in length.   Our Music Recitals are held on a Thursday evening in December. And, our Spring Music Recital is held the 3rd or last Thursday in May in the evening. Both recitals are held at Chautauqua Fine Arts Center – 8000 75th St N, Stillwater, MN 55082 and tickets are $8. Please check our Events Calendar on our homepage for updates as these months draw near- click here.