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Are you leading a cheer or dance team and wonder how those other teams get custom music mixes? It takes a little practice, but you can learn to do it easily. Once you get the hang of it, you can create simple pieces or get creative and make layered pieces for routines. We'll show you how.
Steps
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Get with the program. Download a music editing program. There are some great ones out there.- Audacity is one that runs on Mac, PC, and Linux, and other operating systems—and it's free!
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Find a few different songs that go well together. Let your team members help pick the songs.- Look for songs that have a similar beat or feel, or look for songs that are timed to the tempo of your routines.
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Open the songs in your sound editor. At the same time, create a new blank sound document.- Find the pieces in each song that you want to use.
- Cut each piece, in order and place into the empty sound file.
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Add sound effects ! You can buy CDs or download thousands of sound effects to add flavor to your cheer routine. Cut these and overlay them in various places of your music. -
Timing is everything! Make sure the finished music meets your requirements. Listen through your mix with your teammates, and see what they think. After you do a couple of these, it'll be second nature! -
Burn to a CD . Congratulations, you just made a great mix, and now it's time to use it. Make copies for your friends, pass them out, and get your team on the floor!
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you make a good mix of songs?Emilia Richeson-Valiente is an AFAA Certified Dance-Aerobics Instructor and the founder of Pony Sweat Aerobics. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Pony Sweat started in 2014 as a way to share joyful, non-competitive dance with others. Emilia has since brought Pony Sweat events to cities throughout the country like New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and more. She has performed at events ranging from neighborhood punk shows to Coachella Music Festival, and has choreographed dance aerobics routines for the music videos of Alice Bag, Hayley Williams, Gal Pals, Shark Toys, and Wallows. Emilia received a BFA in Acting from Emerson College.Start with a warm-up song that has a slower BPM and a feeling of excitement and anticipation. You want people to recognize the beat and get on the floor to dance. Once their bodies have warmed up a bit on the dance floor, their inhibitions are down, and they're feeling more confident, transition to songs with bigger energy where people can really have big expressions of feeling.
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QuestionCan I do voiceovers as well?Community AnswerI would put voiceovers ONLY in the beginning of the mix. Just record yourself by hitting the "R" on your computer keyboard. I'd also recommend adding some echo to it and removing background noise.
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QuestionHow to choreograph a dance?Community AnswerChoreographing a dance isn't that hard if you think of what your body would naturally do after a certain move. Find a song that opens your mind more to different moves. Get a song with a good beat in the back. Know all the dancers' best abilities and apply them. Creating a dance is a lot of back and forth. Don't get flustered.
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Tips
- Make sure you have a blank CD. Or two!Thanks
- Listen to mixes that other teams are using. Don't use songs that get overplayed on the radio or with other teams.Thanks
- Be original. Try indie artists for something new and fresh.Thanks
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Warnings
- Be careful of downloading free music online. It may be illegal and certainly can lead to computer viruses.Thanks
- Don't try your skills for the first time with an important competition routine. Practice a while first!Thanks
- Be sure to make back-up copies of your custom mixes. You might want parts of those in future routines.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Internet Access
- Music (either on the computer or on CD's)
- Music editing software (some can be downloaded for free)
- CD's to burn the finished music on.
- Sound effects (Optional).
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about dancing, check out our in-depth interview with Emilia Richeson-Valiente .
References
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 436,829 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "The step by step is awesome. I have read through it and can't wait to apply it when I get home. I'm ready to start making music for my girls." ..." more
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"The step by step is awesome. I have read through it and can't wait to apply it when I get home. I'm ready to start making music for my girls."
..."
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