Dance and music have been intertwined for thousands of years. However, it is still unclear how this specific relationship works when it comes to teaching dance improvisation and how music functions as a didactic tool in dance improvisation education. Previous research has focused on pedagogical entries to improvisation and how the brain understands music, but the way teachers use and think of music is underexplored. This study aims to fill that research gap and examine how dance teachers use and reason about music in improvisation lessons. Data was collected through observation and semi-structured interviews with three active dance teachers, and analysed through thematic analysis. The theoretical framework consists of pragmatism as the primary lens and embodied cognition as a supporting theory. The findings show that music is used in different ways during improvisation lessons, but that silence is an equally deliberate didactic choice. Furthermore, the use of music in improvisation is based on intuition and experience, forming an implicit approach in their lessons which can be articulated when reflected upon. This study contributes to the field of dance pedagogy by highlighting this unspoken relationship, making room for further pedagogical discussions regarding music as a didactic tool in dance education.