Tag Archives: lyrical

Unique music source for choreographers

At many competitive dance studios, guest choreographers are invited to create routines for the most advanced students.

If you are such a choreographer, and want to bring a unique world-class song remix to your students along with the unique world-class choreography you are creating, look no further than Squirrel Trench Audio. I can take your concept and create a unique song interpretation which can then provide the inspiration for your unique choreography. If you are a world-class choreographer looking for unique music which works in a competitive dance format, send me an email.

Squirrel Trench Audio has created the music for a Mr. Junior Nationals Superstar winner in 2011.

Best place for dance teachers to get unique music

I love monitoring the search terms that people are using to find this Squirrel Trench Audio web site. And here’s my new favorite: “best place for dance teachers to get unique music.”

YES! Squirrel Trench Audio IS the best place for dance teachers to get new, original, and unique music. One of my all-time favorite assignments is to take an existing hit, for instance Martin Solveig & Dragonette’s Hello, and give it a new twist that no dance competition judge has ever heard before (I’ve got a spectacular remix of Hello that will premier in competition in March 2012).

The best part is, with a unique Squirrel Trench Remix, there is NO chance that any other dancer will have the same music. Someone else might have the same song, but the Squirrel Trench Remix will be BETTER, and will impress the judges much more since the audio portion of the routine will be unlike anything they’ve heard before. It won’t be the same-old, same-old that they’ve heard on the radio or on stage dozens of times before.

One of the reasons why a Squirrel Trench Remix is better is that most dance songs are looooong so that they get playing time in clubs. I can take the long song and condense it down (retaining the integrity of the musical structure), giving it as much dramatic impact as possible. The Squirrel Trench remix will hold the judge’s ears’ attention while your student(s) holds the judges eyes’ attention with the dance routine.

Not decided on exactly the right song for your dance routine yet? Give me an idea of the age of dancer, type of dance (lyrical, jazz, tap, acro, contemporary, etc.) and the personality of the music you want, and I’ll give you some suggestions.

So if you are a dance teacher, dance parent, or dance studio owner, and you are looking for new, unique remixes, shoot me an email and I’ll create a unique remix just for you!

I know you are struggling with cutting your music

I know you are out there, and you are frustrated. You are a busy dance teacher, and you’ve got a boatload of choreography you have to create and teach. And in addition, you have to pick out the perfect music for each of your groups and soloists. Now you have the task of cutting down a song that is 4:10 to a competition-ready length of 2:45, or to a recital-ready length of 2:00. You grab your trusty music editing program of choice, and start listening. You stare at a bunch of strange squiggly lines on the screen, trying to figure out what-in-the-heck they mean. How on earth do these squiggles represent MUSIC? They look like a bunch of scribbles that your 3-year-old toddler drew in pre-school! They sure DON’T tell you where the bass guitar plays a riff, or the saxophonist starts wailing on a solo!

Instead of pulling your hair out, trying to figure out what needs to match up to what, just shoot me an email and I’ll solve your music cutting problems for you. And all at a VERY reasonable price! And maybe save you a from a few gray hairs in the process. After all, your students test your patience often enough, you don’t need more aggravation from trying to wrangle your music into shape!

Solos, duos, trios, and gymnastic floor routines

It’s been a blast doing some fun music editing and remixing for this dance season’s soloists, duos, trios, as well as for a number of gymnastic floor routines. I’m really excited for all of these songs to be performed by a wide age-range of students, anywhere from ten to eighteen years old. The songs range from jazz to electronic to pop, and artists range from Martin Solveig to Club des Belugas to Dee Dee Bridgewater.

If your son, daughter, or student still needs their music professional edited for dance routine length or gymnastic floor routine length, send me an email, and I’ll try to get it done for you right away!

Video tutorial: How to Avoid Awkward Fade-outs (Part 2)

Here is Part 2, in which I explain how to avoid awkward fade-outs when editing songs for your dance routines:

In case you missed it, here’s Part 1 of this video tutorial, where I explain why this is important.

Let me know what you think, and what aspects of editing music for dance you’d like me to cover in future video tutorials!

An introduction to Squirrel Trench Audio

An introduction to Squirrel Trench Audio. This video segment covers why it’s important for dance teachers and dance studio owners to edit your dance music correctly from the start!

If you are new to Squirrel Trench Audio, or music editing, here are some links to what you can find here on the web site:

How to Avoid Awkward Fade Outs

Song Ideas for: Jazz • Lyrical • Tap • Contemporary • Musical Theater

Services offered: Song edits • Custom Remixes

Let me know if you found this video worthwhile, and what music editing tips you’d like to learn about in future video segments. Your feedback is appreciated!

 

 

 

Keys to a winning dance competition routine

As pointed out in this article on Suite 101, there are three keys to creating a winning dance routine for competitions.

1.) Start with fantastic and appropriate music. Dance is based on the foundation of music. If you don’t build your routine and choreography on wonderful music, then you are missing out on a major source of emotional impact on the audience and judges. I can help you select winning music for your next competition dance routine. I’ve attended numerous Regional and National dance competitions, and have decades of experience in music. When choosing songs, there are some songs (or versions of songs) that will leave the judges flat. I can help you pick something memorable and appropriate for your dancer. Just let me know the dancer’s personality, age and what song they’ve used previously, and I will give you a couple of suggestions for their next song. Whatever song you select, I can also edit it to the needs of winning competition routines, i.e. the correct duration, and any other minor adjustments it might need, such as a slight tempo change, or boosting the volume without clipping distortion.

2.) Choreography. I am no expert in this field, that is for YOU the dance teacher to make great. I agree with the article; great choreography nearly always tells a story. It doesn’t matter if the audience doesn’t fully understand the story conveyed, if there IS  a story, then the dancer has a message to transmit to the audience, and that’s the important thing.

3.) Costume. Dance is a very visual medium. While the music provides the auditory part of the routine, the costume provides the foundation for the visual part of the routine. The above referenced article goes into greater depth on costume choices.

4.) What this article leaves out is the most important part of a winning dance routine: PRACTICE. Practice equals love. If your student loves to dance, it will manifest itself in the practice habits of the dancer. One of my favorite sayings is the difference between amateurs and professionals is that amateurs practice until they get it right, PROFESSIONALS PRACTICE UNTIL THEY CAN’T GET IT WRONG.

So now we know that music is the foundation of the dance routine. Costume is the foundation of the visual part of the dance routine. Just as you wouldn’t put your dancer on stage with a ripped or torn costume, why would you put your dancer on stage with music that contains scars, hiccups, half-beats, partial measures, jumps, cuts, awkward fade outs, or unnatural silences? I’ve heard all of these music editing mistakes at competitions. Are they enough to reduce the scores from the judges? I don’t know, but why take a chance? Since you put countless hours of rehearsal into your choreography and practice every week, shouldn’t your music reflect the same meticulous level of detail and precision?

When you are ready for your music to step up to your dance, Squirrel Trench Audio is here to deliver.

What have YOU found to be the key to creating a winning dance competition routine?

Songs for lyrical dance routines, part 2

Below are 19 songs that could be great for your next lyrical routine. If you have other great song ideas, leave them in the comments below and I’ll add ’em! If you want to use any of these songs and need them edited perfectly for competition, we’d love to serve it up for you. We also have song suggestions for Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Musical Theater, and Kid Friendly Hip Hop. If none of these songs grab you, here is Lyrical Songs part 1, and we’ve got the whole list of lyrical songs here.

FREE* edit available! (*Free if you already have Try, if not, it will cost $1.29):

Get more Squirrel Trench remixes at Legitmix

My Ghost – Glass Pear

Collide (acoustic) – Howie Day (sample choreo)

The Freshmen – Jay Brennan (Verve Pipe cover)

Sunny Came Home (live) – Shawn Colvin

Chasing Cars (acoustic) – Sabrina (Snow Patrol cover) (sample choreo)

Strong Enough (live) – Sheryl Crow

Last Kiss (acoustic) – Boyce Avenue (Taylor Swift cover)

Time After Time – Eva Cassidy

Love Will Lead You Back – Young Divas

Where the Streets Have No Name – Vitamin Piano Series (U2 Piano Tribute)

Over the Rainbow – Celtic Woman (sample choreo)
Over the Rainbow – m-pact (a capella)
I’m Yours/Over the Rainbow – Straight No Chaser

Love, Reign O’er Me – Pearl Jam cover of The Who

Beside You – Marianas Trench

Imagine – Jack Johnson
Imagine – Taio Cruz

Love’s Devine – Seal

The Moment I Said It – Imogen Heap

If you didn’t find something that tickles your ears in the list above, we’ve got a bunch more lyrical songs here. And whether or not you wind up using one of these songs, we’d love to edit it to the correct length perfectly for you!

Original remixes for your dance routines

Are you looking for new, exciting, and fresh music for your next dance routine? Then you are ready for a custom Squirrel Trench remix. Your music should be as memorable and fresh for the judges as your choreography.

Here are some samples:

Pixie Hollow – Squirrel Trench Remix

Drive – Squirrel Trench Remix

Original Squirrel Trench Remixes are already underway (and some completed) for the upcoming 2011-2012 dance season. These remixes include the Beatles, a Slumber Party theme, a train theme, a movie theme, and others.

If you are interested in a custom Squirrel Trench Remix for this upcoming dance season, send me an email!

Songs for lyrical dance routines

Below are 15 songs that could be great for your next lyrical routine. If you have other great song ideas, leave them in the comments below and I’ll add ’em! If you want to use any of these songs and need them edited perfectly for competition, we’d love to serve it up for you. We also have song suggestions for Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Musical Theater, and Kid Friendly Hip Hop. If none of these songs grab you, here is Lyrical Songs Part 2, and the complete list of lyrical songs here.

FREE* edit available! (*Free if you already have Try, if not, it will cost $1.29):

Get more Squirrel Trench remixes at Legitmix

Blackbird (jazz cover) – Kathleen Grace
Blackbird (jazz cover) – Eve St. Jones

Hello World – Lady Antebellum

Timshel – Mumford & Sons

Candlelight – Imogen Heap (sample choreography)

Unlike Me (A capella) – Kate Havnevik

Colorblind – Natalie Walker

Porcelain Heart – BarlowGirl

Innocence – Avril Lavigne

River God – Nichole Nordeman

Miss Invisible – Marie Digby

Come Down To Me – Saving Jane

You Belong To Me – Ben Taylor

Happiness – Riceboy Sleeps

With or Without You/Where the Streets Have No Name – Emiel Van Dijk (acoustic guitar cover of U2)

If you didn’t find something that tickles your ears in the list above, we’ve got a bunch more lyrical songs here. And whether or not you wind up using one of these songs, we’d love to edit it to the correct length perfectly for you!