- Keep it in perspective
Your music is personal and important to you. You put much time and effort into your sport. Sometimes when you are so close to it, you lose any other perspective other than your own. This can cause mistakes when making choices. When it comes to music, you will always have a variety of tastes and opinions. Some things to consider are:
Is this good performance music? (or is it just a song I like)
Does it fit any theme we are using? (if you are using a theme)
Is it age appropriate for our team?
Does it provide choreography or rhythm concerns?
Remember, the judges, audience and athletes (if you are in charge of a team) do not care what type of music "you" like. You should pick music you like that will also be entertaining and effective. Here are some different perspectives to consider when looking at your music and routine:
"You"- personal. You know what you like.
"Music Mixer" - what makes for smooth transitions and excitement. Does the music fit the routine section (ie: if you are doing a tumble path or a dance section, music should fit for movement types)? Choose songs that make maintaining tempos consistent (ie: double-beat style songs can cause problems as they change the feel).
"Judges" - music choices appropriate for performance. Energy. Consistency. Creativeness. Songs are pleasing. No profanity or inappropriateness. Matches skill level of individual or team. If you are doing a theme, do the songs, voice overs and effects fit so that it is portrayed strongly?
"Audience" - Entertainment! Energy! The audience should not have to work to understand your theme or to get what you are trying to portray. They simply want to soak in your performance. If you do not capture them within the first few seconds, they will lose interest.
- Themes
Many times we see people choose music that has no relationship to their routine. Sometimes people will choose a theme which is difficult to portray or limits song choices. It is both confusing and non-entertaining to the audience and judges. If you are going to use a theme, choose something which is easy to communicate. Something which does not overly limit your song choices. This is where people end up with songs that really do not match their movement section. Examples of strong themes would be "Girls/Women"; "Fame/Star", "Medleys" (ie: Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, etc.); "Hot/Fire". These themes have lots of songs and voice overs to choose from. They provide options for sound effects and choreography that can tie into your theme. A good way to test your theme is to try to put yourself in the perspective of the audience or judges(as mentioned above) and see if you would be able to understand. Ask the opinions of others to see if they would be able to easily understand.
- Words
While it is motivating to choose songs with positive and meaningful lyrics, be careful to avoid getting caught in the "word" trap. This is where you are so concerned about the words in a section of a song that you forget to make sure the song meets good performance requirements.
- Be Prepared
Make sure you are prepared when ordering a music mix. Revisions can cause delays and additional costs. If there are others who will have input (athletes, parents, other coaches), check with them before submitting your information. Communicate what you are looking for and what you like. Instead of just saying that you want "current" music, give some song samples or a song list. If you are not using mapped 8-count sheets for pre-choreographed routines, provide as much information as possible. For example, do you like lots of sound effects or a few? Do you have anything in mind for custom voice overs, etc.? The more information you provide, the less guess work and possible miscommunication.
