An Arthur Murray Counselor is the manager of the New Student Department. They are responsible for helping to guide both the new student, and the new student instructor, to determine the best dance program to match their dancing goals.
While the definition may answer your question, we decided to add a little more perspective and purpose to this incredibly important role in your dance studio.
In the restaurant industry, the front of the house is essentially, "any location within a restaurant that allows customers." So, if you were going to leave a bad review for your customer service - that would be a front of the house problem. If it was due to the food - that's back of the house.
For Arthur Murray, the New Student Department is commonly referred to as the "Front Department". The New Student instructors have to be incredibly skilled in customer service, must adapt well to a variety of personalities, and cannot shy away from a first impression.
The manager in charge of training and delivering on that? The New Student Counselor.
Whether it is high school or college, a transition to a new learning environment is aided through the role of a Guidance Counselor. There, the counselor can make recommendations based on academic goals, and help place the student with the best teachers to handle the plan.
The comparisons from this role to that of an Arthur Murray one are endless. The New Student Counselor is there to help guide and direct new students. New students arrive in a new learning environment and it is the counselor's role to assist with plans, assign the right teachers, and help to pave the way to a clear dance goal.
For the record, your dance studio is not angling to become an after hours dance bar, but that doesn't mean that the New Student Counselor doesn't possess some of the best traits of bartenders. Let's clarify. A great bartender, not your busy nightclub in Vegas that ignores you, but the small speakeasy type is a great listener.
Even with a busy backdrop around them, they find a way to make you feel comfortable enough, to focus on what you're saying, ask a thought provoking question, or a bit of sage advice.
The New Student Counselor may not be serving Mai-Tai's, but that won't stop them from creating a comfortable dialogue over coffee, tea, or water. The true key to a personalized experience is to create a highly communicative process - and the Counselor is the small speakeasy bartender when it comes to conversations about your goals on, or off, the dance floor.
As great as they are to read about, a New Student Counselor is far more effective in person. Schedule a free lesson today, and you could be dancing tonight at Arthur Murray Dance Studio!
Similar to our article"What is an Arthur Murray Supervisor?", both of these managers qualify as Event Planners. For the Counselors, however, the biggest difference is one thins: Time.
The time frame for the dance goals of experienced students may be more far reaching, but a new dance student's events tend to be anywhere from 1 day ("I'm getting married tomorrow, can you help?") to 1 year ("It's our 25th Wedding anniversary next year, we are throwing a huge party, and we don't want to embarrass ourselves").
Similar to vacation planning, the New Student Counselor is your dance calendar liaison. Any event on your calendar where you could add dancing is something to share with this dance floor travel agent.
The goal of a designer is to take the results of a conversation and assemble a desired outcome using their specific expertise. Whether this is an interior designer or graphic designer, the end result must be a marriage between the client's wishes and the skills of the expert.
The New Student Counselor is that expert. The goals of the student are delivered by way of a custom designed dance program. As with any design consultation, it may take multiple conversations and revisions to assemble the right product. The greatest difference with Arthur Murray is that the customization never stops. The planning and communication continues as the student evolves so the plan always remains fun, exciting, and relevant to the goals of the student.
The Arthur Murray Live Counselors
The counselors are a lot like Kindergarten teachers - they help students cross the major learning milestones. Every Kindergarten teacher has expert level customer service skills, and can spot and assist any students who may be a bit nervous.
While no one stays a new student forever, the New Student Counselor places the cornerstones in a dance student's foundation that are cherished and layered upon for years to come.
A goal is just future regret until you take action. We hope this article inspired you to do just that. Spend 45 minutes of your time and we know you'll discover something that will positively impact your life.