Level 2 Exercise to Music Instructor
Join the group exercise to music community and open the doors to a world of freestyle and pre-choreographed class formats
An exciting entry-level route to teaching freestyle group exercise to music. Whether you want to choreograph your own classes, or go freestyle, this is the entry-level qualification for becoming a studio-based instructor.
Online or attended course formats
YMCA Awards qualification with Ofqual and CIMSPA approval
Everything you need to achieve is included
Discover how to work to your own beat with this energetic group exercise to music qualification. This is the entry level qualification for anyone wanting to teach freestyle or pre-choreographed group exercise to music and provides access to a range of alternative formats, including Les Mills, Insanity and Zumba.
Our Level 2 Exercise to Music course is the minimum qualification required for anyone wanting to teach group exercise in a studio-based environment. Whether you want to teach ‘old school’ aerobics, or deliver alternative formats of group exercise to music, this is the entry-level qualification that will allow you to become a professional studio instructor.
According to recent reports, around 4.86 million people participate in group exercise classes each week, and this excludes those participating in online group exercise classes delivered on social media and fitness apps. The active leisure and fitness sector has grown steadily for the past 10-15 years and this trend shows no sign of reversing. As more and more people appreciate the benefits of leading an active lifestyle, the demand for qualified group exercise to music classes has never been so high.
This qualification will give you the necessary knowledge to be able to plan and teach safe exercise to music. More importantly however, it will give you the skills to enter the group exercise studio with absolute confidence in your abilities to deliver exercise to music classes with passion and energy.
There are no formal entry requirements for this course, although you will need some experience of taking part in group exercise to music classes as a participant.
We also recommend that throughout your study period, you try to attend 2-3 classes per week if you can, but this does depend on your previous level of experience. It isn't always necessary.
On enrolment, we'll supply you with all the materials and resources you need. You'll get print and digital training manuals, interactive eLearning, and an extensive range of practical and theory online videos guiding you through all the essential content. We'll also give you an easy to follow' study guide which breaks down the course into modular steps for you to follow.
This Level 2 exercise to Music course is certificated by YMCA Awards and provides you with a full regulated Ofqual qualification. The qualification is also endorsed by CIMSPA and is recognised by all leading health and fitness employers.
On completion, you'll be eligible to deliver freestyle group exercise classes in any environment suitable for exercise. Whether you want to set-up your own classes in a village hall, dance studio or even outdoors, you'll be qualified. Alternatively, if you want to work in a health club environment, you'll also be eligible and our CV Connect programme will certainly help you to get your CV out in industry.
Let our team of learning support tutors fill in the blanks and guide you through your training and beyond. As and when you need it, your personal support tutor will be able to assist you over:
Our exercise to music courses are designed with your long-term success in mind. During your studies, you’ll experience world-class teaching and learning resources and highly energetic practical training experience, at one of our regional training venues. Unless of course you're completing the training online, in which case you'll access this from home. The attended and online courses cover exactly the same content, so regardless of your study method, you'll cover all of the following content, and much more.
- Components of fitness
- Principles of exercise and fitness
- Training programme variables
- Strength training recommendations
- Endurance training recommendations
- Cardiovascular training recommendations
- Flexibility recommendations
- Motor skills development
- Monitoring fitness development
- Anatomical language and terminology
- The skeletal system
- The muscular system
- The cardiovascular system
- The respiratory System
- Energy systems
- The nervous system
- Basic nutrition
- Healthy eating guidelines
- Structure of music
- Beats & phrases
- Finding and using the beat
- Fast & slow beats
- Music timing-
- PPL & licence free music
- Different styles & genres of music
- Cueing music changes
- Using freestyle choreography
- Lesson planning
- Warming up & cooling down
- Main aerobic component
- Adapting & progressing choreography
- Rules of combination
- Muscular strength and endurance (MSE)
- Body conditioning
- Stretching and flexibility
- Timing and cueing moves
- Visual and verbal instructions
- Effective class observation
- Correcting participants
- Teaching to the beat and phrase
- Cueing exercise to music
- Holding patterns
- Layering & mirroring
- Evaluating ETM classes
*Images and videos are for illustration purposes and may not depict specific course materials.
If you're passionate about exercise and you'd like to take centre stage, then a world of existing opportunities awaits you. Join our thousands of group exercise to music graduates working with some of the world’s leading health and fitness clubs and brands.
Exercise to music instructors require a wide range of knowledge and skills to be able to deliver safe, effective and engaging group exercise classes. Therefore, this qualification includes a range of assessments that will ensure that you have the necessary attributes to practice as a professional studio instructor. Many of the assessments are embedded into the programme, although there are some, like the theory and practical assessments for example, that are a little more formal.
We've provided a brief summary of the assessments below. You can also take a look at our assessment video, which provided a little more context and detail on the assessment methods.
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