With the advent of cheerleading competitions, cheerleading music has become a genre all of its own. It's best described as a series of songs edited and spliced together. Furthermore, it's common to add sound effects throughout the piece of music. Cheerleading music is generally between 138 to 145 beats per minute. This makes for a very fast and exciting routine.
Five Tips for Choosing Cheerleading Music
If your squad is in competition, choosing the music is the most important part of what you're doing. While the choreography is important, it will pale if it doesn't fit well with the music. It's also important that your cheerleading music be exciting.
Tip One: Do Mix Original Music
There are CDs out there you can buy of pre-mixed cheer music. While it's the cheapest option, it's generally not the best. First of all, if it's already pre-mixed, it's likely that another squad at the competition is using it too. When you compete, you really want to shine in front of the judges, and make them remember you. Unoriginal music is a sure way not to be remembered.
You don't have to mix your own music, but you can. You can also go to a professional service and have your cheer music mixed. If you do this, put a voice over of your team's name into the tape for added originality.
Tip Two: Don't Choose What's Popular
While it might be tempting to choose music from the most popular songs out there, it won't set you apart in a competition. From the judges perspective, listening to the same music over and over again, is boring. You definitely don't want the judge to associate your routine with the word 'boring'.
Tip Three: Consider Your Team's Style
Most teams tend to go with the latest hip hop music. However, if your squad's style isn't quite hip hop, it's okay to branch out and consider something different.
Tip Four: Don't Use Music at Its Original Tempo
There's not a lot of music out there written at 140 beats per minute. Anything you use will have to be sped up significantly. Keep that in mind when choosing songs. It opens to the door to consider elements of songs that you may not have considered before.
Tip Five: Don't Overdo the Sound Effects
Music with too many sound effects sounds weird. It doesn't flow. However, using a sound effect when you hit a stunt or to go along with a specific choreographed element in your routine makes your music really pop. This is definitely a case where less is more.
Tips for Mixing Your Own Music
Mixing your own music takes a lot of time and effort and will require the use of professional equipment. However, it's much easier on the budget. You can still come up with a professional sounding cheerleading music mix, although it will take you more effort.
Tip One: Length of Songs
Use songs in your cheer music mix for at least three eight counts, but no more than six eight counts. If the length is too short, it makes the music seem choppy. If it's too long, it makes the routine drag.
Tip Two: Make Sure Your Music Flows
Ideally, you'll be thinking of specific choreography that goes with certain elements of your cheerleading music mix. It's important that the cheerleading music and the choreography go together and flow without being too choppy.
Tip Three: Cheering In the Middle of Music
If you are at a high school cheerleading competition, chances are good that you'll have to put a cheer in the middle of your routine. The energy of a routine drops substantially when this is done. To help minimize this effect, consider putting a back beat into your music to help energize the cheer portion.
What to Expect from a Professional Mixer
Choosing someone to mix your cheer music is a big step. If this is your first time having your music mixed, consider whether or not the provider you're considering offers the following services:
- Custom Cheerleading Music
You should be able to choose your songs. You should never have to pay someone, and then have to settle on a small selection of pre-selected music.
- Knowledge
While you should be able to choose your music, a professional mixer who is used to working with cheerleading squads should be able to offer good advice on what will and will not work.
- Custom Voice Over
This is very popular right now because it shows the competition judges that your squad is unique. A good provider will include this service at no extra charge.
- Revisions
A quality cheerleading music mixer should provide at least one revision for free. Let's face it, sometimes ideas sound better in our heads than in the music.
