As we look towards the next season with hope, a lot of us are starting to think about music. Pom or jazz, hiphop or kick, here are my top tips for selecting your tunes.
1. Stop Googling 'good songs for a pom mix'
We've all done it, and we've all swiftly realised that it never leads anywhere. What you'll find is a selection of overused music which doesn't fit the kick-butt vibe you're going for. Your team's music is personal - it sticks with you for a whole season and in years to come you'll always remember the routine that went with it. Make the decision over your music personal too.
2. Avoid the recent chart toppers
I'll be the one to say it - 'Level Up' was the most used song in 2019-2020 mixes. Almost every hiphop team used it, and plenty of pom too! There is nothing wrong with that - it's a great song - but there is no doubt that an audience can tire of it quickly. Previous contenders include 'Survivor,' 'Rise Up,' 'Formation' and 'Move Shake Drop.' These are all awesome songs, but that makes them super popular. If you'd rather have something unique, steer clear.
3. Start shuffling your iPod, and then your Spotify.
The best music - the kind you'll listen to years from now and jam out to - is the stuff already in your music library. You need to love your music. If you do, there is a pretty high chance you'll end up loving the routine too. When you start to look, look at your library first. Make a note of great songs as they come up - I have a list for each style. This will make your selection process quicker.
4. Find musical nuance and hold on to it
A very common critique of all styles of routine, is that there isn't enough 'light and shade.' The routine doesn't have much variety in intensity, purpose, style or character. This starts with your music. Often lyrical music is chosen that is very similar from start to finish - there is no build, no epicness, no audibly awesome moments. In pom and hiphop, this often appears in the 'sameness' of style of music - for example having a ton of female pop singers with a similar tempo often makes the mix feel flat.
Instead, find musical nuance. Find the light and shade. It might be that the music takes you somewhere, with a very defined build, climax and resolution. It might be that your music has some great sound effects which break up the usual melody, or that it contains a ton of variety in the songs themselves. Hold on to those nuances and highlight them as best you can.
5. Think broadly on time period
If we're avoiding chart toppers, let's look back in time. Not just the last decade, but even more widely than that. By chosing music from different times we give our dancers a greater cultural scope and we make our routines unique.
6. Think broadly on genre
This is a fantastic way to avoid our music being 'samey' from start to finish. Consider traditionally hiphop songs for your pom mix. Consider rock music for jazz. How about a house, reggae or even an instrumental song to add depth and texture to your hiphop routine? Move away from the pop music bubble and you open up a ton of exciting, fresh options.
7. Consider beats per minute (BPM)
Think long and hard on the content and vibe you'd like to have for your routine, and chose an appropriate BPM range. Songs with a super slow BPM range can be hard to turn to when counting traditionally. Here's an example, 'Set Fire to the Rain' by Adele is around 110 BPM. If trying to do traditional à la seconde turns with normal counting, most athletes would struggle. This could be countered by changing up the turn sequence, for example doing 3/4 turning spot à la secondes on a single count each, but still presents a challenge in other areas. Traditionally pom and hiphop mixes vary from around 140-160 BPM, but there is a huge range and there certainly isn't a magic number that we should be aiming for. It's also worth noting that music producers can often speed up, slow down or remix songs as necessary.
8. Consider countability
When chosing a song, also try to consider its countability. Most songs can be counted 1 through 8 without a problem, but others must be counted 1 through 6. This shift is difficult, so worth considering.
9. Consider team size
Look, I've seen incredible solos to 'Coming Back to Me' by Celine Dion, and I've seen teams of 30 slay an acapella lyrical cover. There are always exceptions and you have to go with your gut, but by and large my advice is to correlate the number of instruments in your routine with the number of dancers on the floor. Very often big orchestral songs will drown out a soloist who struggles to keep up with the complexity of the music, while a large teams can look out of place and flat dancing to a quiet little tune.
10. Build a shortlist and then ask for other opinions
You'll find that asking people for suggestions rarely delivers results. Asking their opinion, or for songs that fit into the playlist you've created will yield a better return.
11. Trust in your music producer
This year I had a vision for one routine. I had the music all planned out in my head and sent over my ideas in a long series of voice notes and screenshots to my music producer. Within an hour, she got back to me and said that there was no way that one of the sections would work. A little crestfallen at my idea being scrapped, I told her to use whatever she thought would work. She sent it back with a different song, and it turned out being my favourite section in the whole mix. Find someone whose work you love, and trust in their judgement. Communicate back and forth, ask for amendments if you need them and make your music producer a partner, not just a supplier.
12. Consider costuming throughout
Especially this season, budgets will be tight. Fundraising might be thin on the ground and many people have lost their jobs. If you find that you can't buy costumes in, consider what you already have or what you could borrow/rent. Let this guide your judgement on music.
13. Find your 'yes' moment
It's hard to explain a 'yes' moment in writing, but when you know, you know. When selecting your music, try to imagine it with your team on the floor. What does that dance look like? What are going to be the 'wow' moments in your routine? You don't need to start choreographing them, but your music should inspire you.
14. Use a certified bop
There are some tracks we all love. There are some tracks you, and you alone adore. I usually cut a shortlist myself and then let the athletes have the final decision. If we're stuck between songs, I'll have them improv or make up a short routine to both, and we'll decide from there. The key to a successful team is to instigate buy-in from your athletes. Making sure they're on board with your vision is a great starting point.
15. Avoid anything inappropriate, even with senior teams
It's written in almost every rule book in the sport, but it's one rule we keep breaking. The theme song from Magic Mike shouldn't ever see a competition stage. Strike anything which is questionable from your list, regardless of how good the song is and more importantly, regardless of how old the athletes are. Remember that while seniors might not mind dancing to more risky songs, younger athletes often stay to watch those teams. Let's keep the sport family friendly.
And that's it! My 15 top tips for choosing music next season. If you're having trouble, I'm here to help! Reach out and let's make something wonderful together.
Love and Cheers,
Maddie
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