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For some people, hearing the beat and sticking with it can be quite a challenge. It's easy to get discouraged after learning a new step or technique to then have difficulty trying to get it with the music.
But keep in mind that understanding music and developing your ear can improve when you practice it-just as you do with your dancing.

 First, let's go over some ideas of how to hone your listening for finding the beat. It can be best to start with a music style and/or song that has a distinct and clear beat to make it easier to distinguish.

Sometimes music like the Salsa can be hard for a musical beginner to hear because it is such a rich music with many different instruments, lots of percussion and finding a consistent beat for the untrained ear can be overwhelming.

For example, take a listen to this intricate and full sounding Salsa:

 For the musical newbie, finding the one count and starting to dance on it is like a new driver trying to merge onto the freeway!  You might have a tough time jumping in or keep up with the beat, especially on faster music.
Also some songs in particular dances can be hard to discern because the beats are less distinct or inconsistently marked, like this ethereal, dreamy Waltz song:

The difficulty of starting on time with the music can be compounded especially when the dance itself doesn't start on the one count, as in the International Rumba (which starts on the 4 or 2, depending the step you begin on) or the Mambo, which starts on 2 (and additionally has a very full orchestrated sound like the Salsa). This is why many people find the mambo to be difficult!

 You can begin to practice deciphering the beat in any kind of music, even if it's not dance music. When you're driving in the car, use the opportunity to try and tap out the basic beat as you're listening. Practice with a variety of music genres and different tempos.  Here is a foxtrot with a very distinctive beat you can practice tapping to:

 Next, tune in to one particular instrument--usually the drum or bass is the most predominant. Focus your hearing on this one instrument and follow the rhythm it keeps throughout the song. Notice the dominant use of the cowbell on all counts 1-8 in this cha cha:

When you begin listening with more focus to the music, you'll begin to see patterns emerge that are pretty consistent throughout most genres. Some of the most notable patterns are:

• Many songs start with either 2 or 4 measures of 8 counts before the singer starts
  

• Most verses of music are 4 measures of 8 before a new verse of chorus begins.

(ex: "Too Much" starts with a 2 measures 8 intro, followed by 4 measures of verse and 2 measures of chorus, then repeats the pattern of verse and chorus.)

• When a new measure or phrase begins, usually a new instrument is introduced, an instrument is taken away, or the singer begins.
  

(ex:  "Blessed" has 4 measures of 8 intro and the vocals begin on count "1" of the new phrase. "Slow Cha" has 2 measures of 8 intro and the cowbell & guiro are introduced on count "1" of the new measure)

Recognizing these patterns will help you to find the beat faster in more styles of music and determine when the one count will start.

 When you get very good at being on time, you'll find that you might even be able to begin to use these predictable points to interpret the music better through your dance steps and how you style them. You'll learn to add dynamics by "hitting" your patterns at the same time as the music hits or intensifying/toning down your energy to match the energy of the music.

Using your musicality is really fun! You (and your partner) will feel that you are part of the music, even using your bodies as another instrument with the rest of the music. In social dancing, you'll find that this skill of musicality is particularly estemeed in West Coast Swing and Lindy. Check out these videos and notice how the dancers seem to be "singing" the music with their patterns and interpretation: