I love evolving. It is exciting to realize that you can and have changed for the better. I can remember like it was yesterday, the first time my knuckles stopped dragging on the floor. Seriously though, one of the areas I have evolved in is music. Not so much the type of music I like, but rather the variety of music I like to use.
From Pre-Class to In-Class Music
Maybe this has happened to you — While browsing iTunes you find this perfect song. The rhythms are so cool and hip (although saying “hip” may not be cool). You”™re already imaging how you are going to use this song in your upcoming playlist. You click the “Buy” button and wait in anticipation for the progress bar to make its way to the right so you can get the full dose of this inspirational new song. However, approximately 2 minutes into the music, everything goes silent….then weird sounds….some dude singing opera….a mysterious sound…..(2 minutes later) the beat kicks back in. Utterly disappointed and heart broken, you file the song into some obscure folder and mourn the lost of $1.99.
I”™ve got a number of pre-class music playlists that I rotate from week to week. These are the tunes I play before class begins. I also have post-class playlists (for…well…after class) that include a variety of mellow cool-down music. These playlists are where I dump all of the songs I download that fall into the above scenario. However, I”™m now finding myself going back into my pre-class music playlists thinking, “wow, this is a cool tune, I can use this.” The song then graduates out of the folder of misfit tunes.
Insert Some Drama
I”™ve been drawn more and more to the songs with the weird interludes (or the funky non-rhythmic sections). These seemingly non-musical, awkward sounding sections provide a great backdrop for some drama. There are usually less instruments and a lot of space to talk, so it is perfect for building up the suspense for what is to come. Sometimes I will tell a short story about something we believe we couldn”™t do and then when the actual music kicks back in — WE GO FOR IT!
Depending on the song, I”™ve found these tunes to be great for 2-3 minute intervals. We”™ll work hard until the music goes wack and then use the bizarre musical backdrop for a short bit of recovery before going at it again. It”™s a lot of fun, particularly when you time it just right.
What I Hated I Now Love
I find it ironic that the reason I didn”™t like certain music is now the driving force for using it. It is also nice to know that we can continue to grow as instructors and coaches. Growth in this way may be from building a better cueing vocabulary or becoming more confident or both. Obviously one helps the other.
So give it a go. Dig back to wherever you hid those lonely rejected songs and see if you find that your horizons have expanded and…just maybe… you are ready for some drama.
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Exhibit 13 from the Blue Man group is my favorite – it has a full minute of silence in the middle and when it comes back it’s completely different = go for it!