It’s Labor Day here in the United States, so in honor, here is a short work-inspired playlist to with a little something for everyone!
These songs would also work great for a job-themed recital – we did “Work & Play” a few years back.
Continue reading
Click here for previous playlists
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This week’s playlist is an eclectic mix that has something for everyone, from instrumental tracks from around the world to beautiful and unique vocal tracks. Enjoy!
Children
Row Your Boat – Brent Lewis (instrumental)
Colors – Kira Willey
Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color For Your Eyes – Kristin Andreassen
Wake Up – Sliimy
Variety
Cat Walk – Brent Lewis (instrumental)
Dance Dance Dance – Lykke Li
Blackbird – Dionne Farris
Veins – Charlotte Martin
World Sounds
Ninja Tunesi – The Cinematic Orchestra (instrumental)
Sitar Ritual – Banco de Gaia (instrumental)
Waka Waka (Time for Africa) – Shakira
Siren – Tori Amos
Bowls – Caribou (instrumental)
3/4 Timing
Yin & Yang – Soulfood (instrumental)
Utopia – Alanis Morrisette
Sea Song – Doves
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Click here for previous playlists
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
A fun mix of pop hits, oldies and funk that will keep your elementary students moving and grooving in jazz class!
Pop Warm-Up & Cool-Down Songs
These songs have a moderate tempo to get things warmed up without hyping up the class. Great for exercises like “point / flex”, isolations and stretches. Sometimes I like to use them to calm a class down if they are very hyper.
Kiss The Girl – Colbie Caillat
Beauty and the Beast – Jump5
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You – Marvin Gaye
Do You Believe In Magic – Aly & AJ
You’ll Be In My Heart – Drew Seeley
Happy Tracks
Great beat, these songs would be good for class or for recital! They have a loud easy beat to hear and pick up on without being too fast. I danced to Dinosaur Rock N Roll when I was in 2nd grade and we had a “real” dinosaur (one of the older students) moonwalk across the floor like she says in the lyrics! It was my favorite dance!
Reach – S Club 7
Fun, Fun, Fun – Sugar Beats
Love Train – Sugar Beats
Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong – Spin Doctors
Dinosaur Rock and Roll – Joanie Bartels
Sugar-High Songs
Great for jumping jacks, jump across the floor or to inject some energy if your class starts to nod off!
Bouncin Off The Ceiling – A*Teens
Da Roof Is On Fire (Follow the Leader) – Soca Boys
Happy Boys & Happy Girls – Aqua
Tra La La – The Banana Splits
Full Disclosure: I am affiliated through iTunes, so for each purchase you make directly from my site, I receive a small (very small) percentage of the sale. Thank you!
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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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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 uniq
ue 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!
A fun mix of pop hits, oldies and funk that will keep your tweens moving and grooving in jazz class!
Warm-Up / Cool-Down
Just The Way You Are – Bruno
Don’t Waste The Pretty – Allison Iraheta
Mine – Taylor Swift
Unwritten – Natasha Bedinfield
Across The Floor & Center
Halo / Walkin on Sunshine – Glee
Just The Way I Am – Skye Sweetham
Live it Up – Group One Crew
Love Generation – Bob Sinclaire
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Walkin on Snow – Jordin Sparks
Love Struck – V-Factory
Calabria 2008 – Enur
Red Alert – Basement Jaxx
Canned Heat – Jamiroquai
The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson
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
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+
Trying to stay ahead of the trend in music for your classes? If you’re a music-download junkie like I am, you are always looking for new music to use in class or to choreograph to. This article will give you some new resources. Last week we focused on Pop music – by checking out Billboard.com and Radio Disney.
This week, we change genres to mash-ups and remixes.
So what exactly is a mash-up? Well, its a mix of two songs (often from different artists or genres) “mashed” together to create a new song. If you watch the series “Glee” on FOX, you may remember the episode from Season 1 where the club was challenged to come up with a mash-up. Here is the girl’s result which combine’s “Halo” and “Walkin on Sunshine”:
You can find this song and the other Glee mashups on iTunes. 
Halo / Walking On Sunshine (Glee Cast Version)
Where else can you find the hottest mash-ups and remixes? Go straight to the source: DJs. These guys and gals mix for the hottest clubs and will usually record their own spin on songs. These are a few of our favorites – and they often have their mixes available for download right on their websites.
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5654723&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0
Norwegian Recycling – Viva La Viral on Vimeo.
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:
Next week’s New Music Monday will have another new music resource for remixes and mash-ups!
Looking for past New Music Mondays?
The Dance Buzz 