New Music Mondays: Preschool Playlist

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Inspired by last month’s post on Zooglobble, I set out to find artists featured on his blog to come up with a unique playlist for preschool dance that wasn’t filled with Disney artists. Here is my result:

Warm-Up Songs
One Tiny Light – Recess Monkey
Morningtown – Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem
C’Mon – Renee and Jeremy
Let Me Be Yours – Lucky Diaz
Funkee Flora de Fiesta – Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

Movin’ and Groovin’! – directive songs
Constellation Conga – Recess Monkey
The Dance From Outer Space – Billy Kelly
Tennessee Wig Walk – Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem
Rocks & Flowers – Caspar Babypants
Stomp Stomp – Putumayo Jazz Playground

Other Fun Tunes
Going To The Moon – Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke – this would be a fun sing-a-long
Dog Gone Gone Dog Gone – Caspar Babypants – this is just a fun song to listen to
Frenzy – Dean Jones – your body just starts moving to this song!

Enjoy!

Click here for other playlists

10Jan2011

New Music Mondays: Zoo Globble

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

If you’re looking for new preschool / elementary music, or if you’re a parent of a little one, you will love the Zooglobble blog! Stefan Shepherd, the man behind the blog, reviews preschool albums that parents can actually listen to on repeat without going insane. Check out this post on the Best Kids Music for 2010.

While the site is not aimed towards teaching dance, music and dance go hand in hand, so it is a great resource for any preschool teacher. I have found a lot of new music and sometimes the artists he features will offer free downloads. The posts usually have some way to preview the songs, artists and albums they are reviewing, so you can see if it will work for you.

Even if you don’t have room to add another blog to your reading list, at least bookmark the site for their huge list of children’s music links on the side of their site.

Other ways to find Zooglobble: Facebook Twitter

5Jan2011

Studio Owner Buzz: Music Licensing FAQ

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

After just receiving my ASCAP licensing fee invoice for 2011, I thought it might be a good idea to do a post about music licensing. I dove into researching the topic and came up with the answers to my own questions along with some interesting other facts.

Full Disclosure: I only researched copyright laws of the United States, so if you have any information about international music licensing, please comment!

So without further ado, here are some frequently asked questions about music licensing (after the jump):
Read more »

13Dec2010

New Music Mondays: Contemporary Playlist, Part 2

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

The term “contemporary dance” has evolved over the past few years to encompass a variety of dance genres. On TV shows like “So You Think You Can Dance”, it overlaps into lyrical, modern, ballet and jazz. Here is a playlist attempting the span the reaches of contemporary dance. Leaning more ballet/lyrical… check out the Slow and Delicate songs. Or pick up the pace for some jazzier selections. Miss your lyrical face? Bring on the angst!

Click here for Contemporary Playlist, Part 1

Soft and Delicate
Lighthouse – Hope
Breakable – Ingrid Michaelson (Bonus: 3/4 Time!)
Glitter In The Air – Pink

Picking Up The Pace
Move You – Anya Marina
Help I’m Alive – Metric
Rebellion (Lies) – The Arcade Fire

A Bit Angsty
Pitter-Pat – Erin McCarley
Nicest Thing – Kate Nash
Broken – Seether ft. Amy Lee

Off The Wall & Slightly Exotic
Hi – Psapp
Drumming Song – Florence & The Machine
Amazon – M.I.A.

Click here for the full playlist in iTunes
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6Dec2010

New Music Mondays: Holiday Music!

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Sick of playing ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ for your classes each December?

Here are some fun holiday albums to keep your spirits high!

Boogie Woogie Christmas – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
These tunes will keep your feet tapping along to holiday favorites.
Standout Songs: “Sleigh Ride” and “Jingle Bells” are great up-tempo songs, “Winter Wonderland” is medium tempo, and the “Nutcracker Suite” would be great as a large production number!

Merry Mixmas – Classics Remixed
An eclectic mix of classic songs performed by classic singers (Ella Fitzgerald, manipulated to have a new beat!
Standout Songs: The latin-styled “Rudolph The Rednose Reindeer (Malibu Mix)”, Psapp’s updated quirky version of “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”, and the jingly classic “Sleigh Ride (Ralph Myerz Remix)”.

Now! That’s What I Call Music Christmas 4
Great for tweens and teens – but you will need to listen to they lyrics on a few of these tracks.
Standout Songs: Sheryl Crow’s “Merry Christmas Baby”, “What Child is This” by Carrie Underwood and Sean Kingston’s “Drummer Boy”

Joy To The World – Pink Martini
Many unique takes on the traditional favorites – this album is self-labeled as ‘globally minded’ and it deservingly so. Unique beats, it offers a lounge-feel without the yawns. Would be great for a modern class.
Standout Songs: “Schedryk” (their take on Carol of the Bells), “Little Drummer Boy”, the fun tango-feeling “Ocho Kandelikas” and the celebratory “Auld Lang Syne”.

Christmas With The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters with their three-part harmonies are this generation’s Andrews Sisters. A great idea for swing classes.
Standout Songs: “Mele Kalikimaha”, the swingy “Step Into Christmas” and “All I Want for Christmas”

Single Tracks
Mistletoe – Colbie Caillat
Boots – Killers
Santa Claus Is Comin to Town – Jackson 5
Last Christmas – Ashley Tisdale
Do You Hear What I Hear – Kristina DeBarge

Happy Holidays!

22Nov2010

New Music Mondays: Contemporary Playlist

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Contemporary dance has evolved over the years to encompass a variety of dance genres. It seems to overlap into lyrical, modern, ballet and jazz. Here is a playlist attempting the span the reaches of contemporary. Leaning more ballet/lyrical? Checkout the Slow and Delicate songs. Feeling jazz? Pick up the pace then. Miss your lyrical face? Bring on the angst!

Slow and Delicate
She is Love – Parachute
Fondu au Noir – Couer du Pirate (Bonus! Its in 3/4 time)
Hang With Me (Acoustic) – Robyn

Picking Up The Pace
Cosmic Love – Florence & The Machines
Bring Night – Sia
Heartbeat – Enrique Inglesias ft. Nicole Sherzinger

A Bit Angsty
Decode (Piano Interpretation) – Paramore
Where I Stood – Missy Higgins
Stand Still Look Pretty – The Wreckers

Off The Wall
Veins – Charlotte Martin
Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Paradise Circus – Massive Attack

See previous playlists

18Nov2010

Two New Favorite Free iPhone Apps!

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Check out these two iPhone apps – the only thing you will need is an iPhone or iPod touch. Perhaps similar apps are out there for Blackberry and other phone users – there is always hope.

As a tap dance teacher, Metronome by Marketwall.com has been invaluable for those times when I need a steady beat, but can’t find the right tempo music or don’t want to clap my hands raw. It mimics a real metronome (which brings back nostalgia of my old piano lessons) and can tick tock its way from 1 beats per minute (why you would ever need that slow is beyond me) to 210bpm. If you have a stereo system with an audio headphone jack, you’re in business! It is a little tricky to accurately slide the little metronome weight thing (does that have a name?), but otherwise I am happy. It has a different tone for the downbeat of the measure, which you can change to 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 timing.

There are a few other apps that do the same thing, but since I am pretty happy with the current one, I haven’t tried any of the other options. Comments are welcome if you have!

My second new favorite app is BPM by CHEEBOW. This handy little tool helps you determine the beats per minute in any song you can tap your finger to. It registers the BPM just after 3 taps and if you keep tapping, it will average your speed so even if you have an unsteady finger, it will give you a fairly accurate reading. I have used this to organize my dance class playlists by tempo, so I no longer go crazy trying to find a faster or slower song in the middle of class. You can add the BPM to your songs in iTunes under the “Get Info” option.

Share your favorite ‘apps’ in the comments!

See previous technology posts

15Nov2010

New Music Monday: Teen Tap Playlist

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

This week’s playlist is ordered by tempo / beats per minute and is a mix of pop, techno, and swing. From standards and ‘oldies’ like James Brown to the R&B feel of Mutya Buena this tap playlist will keep the teen interested and give you some new material for tap class.

Teen Tap Playlist: Ages 12+

B Boy Baby – Mutya Buena – bpm 104 –
Shut Up and Let Me Go – Ting Tings – bpm 110 –
Move Along – All-American Rejects – bpm 110 –
Cantaloop – US3 – bpm 118 –
A Night Like This – Caro Emerald – bpm 125 –
Heartbreaker – MSTRKRFT – bpm 130 –
Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex – Rachel Stevens – bpm 130 –
Jump (Malinchak Remix) – Flo Rider – bpm 132 –
Comin’ Home Baby – Michael Buble – bpm 144 –
I Feel Good – James Brown – bpm 148 –
She Said – Plan B – bpm 150 –
Mr. Pinstripe Suit – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – bpm 218 –
(If You’re Wondering) I Want You To – Weezer – bpm 220 –

3Nov2010

New Music Mondays: Pop Music

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Trying to stay ahead of the trend in pop music? If you’re a music-download junkie like I am, you are always looking for new music to use in class or to keep those finicky teens engaged. This article will hopefully give you some new resources.

Billboard.com – I like to check the Charts section for Top Digital Songs or Hot 100. The Hot 100 are chart-climbers so you can spot the next hottest song before anyone else!

Top 40 – Find pop hits from around the world. The USA chart will be very similar to the Billboard site, but check out top hits from other countries for some unique music from your class. My favorites are France, World Latin, and World Dance/Trance.

Radio Disney – Check the Top 30 Countdown for all the hits that your tweens are listening to. Bonus: You can rest assured that all of these songs are age-appropriate.

Disclaimer: Of course you will still have to do the usual bad-words check before playing any song in class–which may also require translation for the world songs, which leads to my next resource:

YouTube – It’s probably not your first thought for new music, but you can find remixes, mash-ups and radio versions of popular songs that are often available to download from the user who created them. Type in a song and you will find remixed versions, mash-ups and edited radio versions.

Next week’s New Music Monday will have another new music resource for remixes and mash-ups!

Looking for past New Music Mondays?

13Sep2010

New Music Mondays: Ballet Music

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Looking for some new ballet music?

Here are our current favorites:

1. Aly Tejas – Music for Ballet Class III

Described as “haunting” and “beautifully melodic”, her album Music for Ballet Class III is one of her best and most recent. You can’t really go wrong with any of her stuff, but we especially love this album.

2.Dancing Fingers Volume 8 – Michael Roberts
We’ve been using Michael Roberts’ album “Between the Barres” for years, but his new album, “Dancing Fingers” is another classic. 34 songs, most of them between 1 and 2 minutes makes them perfect for class.

3. We’ve mentioned Sunny Choi in a previous New Music Monday post – but she has some cool covers… available for FREE on Facebook.

4. Musique de la Danse (Ballet Class) – Fernando Davil

Enjoy!