Class music

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  • September 8, 2013 at 11:33 am #4585

    smithsonballet
    Participant

    I’m a the owner of a small school. My kids are getting bored of the music I use in class. I have a few cds i rotate through but a looking for more options. Any ideas? And would it be “cool”l if I used more current music every once and a while?

    April 22, 2015 at 4:45 am #7285

    Phillip B
    Participant

    It appears there are two schools of thought about this, one arguing to stick to your guns on the music that works for you, the other to go currently popular as needed. What seems possible to me is a mix of some kind. I’ve come across some CD’s that offer the popular themes, but these are produced here in the U.S. There are others made in Europe with unfamiliar but agreeable musical themes. These latter I found at Dancemelody.com in Hungary. The administrator is Boris Yakshov. It takes about a month for products to make it through the mail, but they always arrive and are well made. This includes their printed music as well. I wish I could be more specific but am a retired musician, not a ballet teacher. I would like perhaps to produce a music CD for class use. .Maybe you can tell me: if in a given barre exercise; e.g., for plie, rond de jambe, pas de chat, or such, what is the critical element? Is it the meter; e.g.3/4, 2/4, 6/8, or such, or is it mainly the tempo and phrasing of a tune that makes it useful? This is a topic on which I would appreciate more information. Where could this be found? I also wonder whether there is much difference on this between methods as Vaganavova School vs Cechetti Method. Many thanks for your thoughts.

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    December 8, 2016 at 2:54 pm #38813

    minniemouseballerina
    Participant

    I like to use traditional ballet music that includes songs from different ballets as well as piano versions of music that the children are more familiar with. On iTunes there are some great albums Lisa Harris has an album for ballet called “The Magic Wand” this has lots of ballet versions of Disney songs as well as traditional nursery rhymes and some Broadway. The music still gives the class a traditional atmosphere, but also makes it fun for kids! Lisa Harris has another one called “My favorite ballet class” with many Broadway and familiar tunes all with a traditional feel. For older students I know there are also albums with piano versions made for ballet class of current songs by Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé. There are several albums like that but one I know of is called “ballet goes pop”. I would definitely check iTunes!

    April 30, 2017 at 9:38 pm #51189

    Dancer107.9
    Participant

    Try using variations from well known, or not so well known, ballets and songs from popular ballets, so that your students can practice remembering the music and recognizing different composers and ballets. You can also find many CDs online now of Ballet goes Pop and other fun Disney CDs where kids know the music and have fun listening to.

    June 20, 2018 at 4:06 pm #54438

    Jarred Drozd
    Participant

    I got a few CDs. They have inspiring classical and popular solo piano music including Chopin, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Brahms, Ravel, Mozart, Grieg and others. The music is edited for length, phrases and tempos to suit a classical ballet class.
    All music is “square” e.g. 8, 16, 32 counts etc. though some are “continuous” version. This CD is intended for beginner to advanced levels. All pieces have a four count introduction and clear phrasing to accommodate ballet movements. Music was performed on a solo piano.
    It’s here
    https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/JarredDrozd
    and one of them on ITunes
    https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/piano-music-for-ballet-class-inspirations-i/1303644998

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