Tag Archives: recital

Ready for some musical inspiration?

DANCE-silhouetteDance teachers, and studio owners, this post is for you.

Right at the peak of Regionals competition season, heading into recitals and possibly Nationals, there is much that needs to be worked on. Some of you are also getting ready for a new season of routines, which means new choreography, which means new music.

When you are ready to start working on the next season, and need musical inspiration, then look no further than a Squirrel Trench Audio custom remix. Every piece of music is worked on individually and uniquely for YOU and your dancer’s needs. There is no cookie-cutter process, and you will not hear your music used by another dance studio. For dancer teachers who love great music, we think the difference between a piece of music which is custom crafted just for you and your dancers is a difference that can be FELT throughout your process of working with your students. You KNOW that this music is YOURS and YOURS ONLY which is something you can feel great about.

We’ve created custom remixes for a number of dance studios throughout the country, including Beatles remixes, Michael Jackson remixes, Janet Jackson remixes, hip hop remixes, movie/Broadway soundtrack medleys, and many others. We’ve also done scary horror-movie themed remixes, and Dancing Through the Ages medleys. We can do recital opening/grand finale numbers such as this fun Wizard of Oz production.

If a Squirrel Trench custom remix is just the ticket to get your choreographic creative juices flowing (especially for your teen, junior and senior groups), then the process is easy. Just email me (morriss@squirreltrenchaudio.com) or give me a call at 413-535-0621 to discuss the ideas you want shaped into the music for your routine. Pricing varies depending on the complexity of the project, but is generally in the range of $89 to $129.

Call or email me when you are ready to get started!

Wizard of Oz Remix is big hit

Just got a link to a video from Kim Houli, dance studio owner of Dance for Joy in Brielle, NJ. This is a video of the opening recital production number for which I did the music remix last fall. It was truly a pleasure to make this music, and an honor to provide the foundation for what Kim says was their biggest recital opening hit to date.

Enjoy the hard work of these fabulous dancers!

And now, you too can purchase and use this remix, thanks to a new service called Legitmix. Preview and purchase this mix here:

Get more Squirrel Trench remixes at Legitmix

Time to choose songs for the 2012-13 dance season

Recitals are wrapping up, or are done, and now on to Nationals for many competitive dance studios. That means now is the perfect time to finalize your song selections for the coming 2012-2013 dance season! When you have selected your song, and you need it edited, cut, or remixed to competition length, then email me, and I’ll make it happen for you. I can also speed your song up, slow it down, or raise its volume without distortion.

Here are a few songs to get your musical creative juices flowing:

Jazz:

Tenderoni – Chromeo

What Is Hip? – Juju Orchestra

Who Do You Think You Are? – Spice Girls

Lyrical:

Against All Odds – Academical Village People (a cappella cover of Phil Collins)

Slow Me Down – Emmy Rossum (nearly a cappella)
Slow Me Down – The Illinois Rip Chords (purely a cappella cover)

Graduation (Friends Forever) – Vitamin C

She’s Got A Way – Dear Abbeys (a cappella cover of Billy Joel)

I Am – Nichole Nordeman

Tap:

Let’s Go Crazy – Dear Abbeys (a cappella cover of Prince)

This Love – Academical Village People (a cappella cover of Maroon 5)
This Love – UVA Academic Village People (a cappella cover of Maroon 5)

If you need more suggestions, check out these pages which are chock full: Jazz • Lyrical • Tap

Time to get your music ready for the 2012-2013 season

Here it is, the end of May, and for most dance studios, that means that Regional competitions are over, and it’s Recital time! As the dance season winds down, and studios get ready for Nationals, Summer Intensives, and Summer camps, now is the perfect time to start getting your music ready for the 2012-2012 season.

If you select your music within the next 1-2 weeks, and send it to me for editing, you can be sure you have the best music ready for your new choreography well ahead of Summer Intensives. Don’t make the mistake that many dance teachers make…. which is to choreograph first, and edit the music afterwards. The problem with doing it in this sequence is that in many cases, editing the song’s intro leads to a better soundtrack for your dance routine, and that is not possible if that part of the song has already been choreographed. If you choreograph the first minute-and-a-half of the music, you are tying your editors hands in terms of flexibility to deliver the best edited/remixed music possible.

Whenever you are ready to get your music edited, send an email!

Fix your music in time for Nationals

Now that it’s the middle of May, and many competitive dance studios have wrapped up their Regional competition season, it’s time to get ready for recitals and Nationals.

If your music is not all that it could be, it’s not too late to get it fixed in time for Nationals.

Is the music in your routine too soft? Too loud? Are there hiccups? Clicks? Pops? Are there swear words that you are getting point deductions for? Are there odd-beats? Double words? Is there not enough bass or low-end in the music?

Any of these common music editing problems can be fixed. Just email me a copy of the music as you are currently using it, and I will fix it. Most fixes can be done at the standard music editing rate of $39 per song. I will get the song repaired for you as quickly as possible to maximize the rehearsal time you have before recitals and Nationals.

Break through at your dance competitions

Many competitive dancers are looking for ways to break through to higher scoring at dance competitions. Hours upon hours of rehearsal, of focused practice, is the number one requisite to winning. In addition to practice, much effort and thought goes into creating the perfect costume.

Don’t overlook the foundation for any dance choreography: the music. The music provides the energy, the vibration, and the platform to express emotion and story in the dance.

One way to lift your dance to the next level is to use a fresh, original remix of the music you use for your choreography. There is no reason to use overplayed songs when there are many things you can do to make your music unique. You don’t have to settle for simple edits. Your music can be much more than that.

Squirrel Trench Audio is in the midst of new season of spectacular, original remixes for competitive dance as well as recitals. I will be sharing many of these original remixes once their routines have premiered in competition the weekend of March 3, 2012. If you have a routine you are proud of, and are interested in taking the music for the routine to the next level before competition season gets underway, shoot me an email.

Special offer on song editing for dance routines!

Squirrel Trench Audio is currently running a SPECIAL OFFER good only through Friday, September 9, 2011. Submit your song to be edited (and payment) before that date, and I will cut it to routine length for ONLY $29! (That’s a $20 savings!) If you want to take advantage of this offer, email: morriss@squirreltrenchaudio.com.

Songs for Tap Dance, part 3

Nationals have wrapped up, summer dance camps have begun, and we are now in the full hunt for just that right pieces of magical music for next season’s routines. A cappella (which means without instruments) songs can be a fantastic choice for tap, if your student is a strong hoofer, because the music is open enough to let the sound of the taps really ring through. If you have other great song ideas for tap routines, 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 edit it for you. Also, we have song suggestions for Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical Theater, and Kid Friendly Hip Hop. And here are even more songs for tap, and Songs for Tap, Part 1 and Part 2.

I’d Like To (a cappella) – Voices In Your Head

Jesse’s Girl (vocal style) – Co Co Beaux (Rick Springfield cover)

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker – Sandy Thom

Rolling In The Deep – Angela Wolff (Adele cover)

4 Minutes (acoustic) – Boyce Avenue (Madonna cover)

A Cappella in Acapulco (a cappella)- The Real Group

Dancing Queen (acoustic guitar) – Frank Turner (ABBA cover)

Need any of these songs edited to dance routine length? Let me know.

Get more taptastic Squirrel Trench remixes at Legitmix

Find even more tap songs here, and Songs for Tap, Part 1 and Part 2.

Dance competition length songs

Today, this site received several hits from people searching for “dance competition length songs.” So perhaps a bit of explanation is needed if you are new to the world of dance competitions.

Most dance competitions have a time limit for routines. For most studios and competitions, the maximum length is three minutes exactly. However, other studios or competitions might have a 2:30-minute time maximum, and some recitals have a two-minute duration maximum.

So how do you find great dance songs for competition if most songs are 3:30 or longer? How is it that Lady Gaga’s Pokerface is 3:57, yet this song has been used by countless competition dancers?

The answer is in editing. A skillful music editor can cut parts out of a song, and make it seamless to the listener by using a few professional skills. A good music editor can do this by understanding and analyzing song structure, making edits at zero-crossing points, using crossfades, and adding reverb where necessary. Sometimes a verse and/or chorus can be cut out, other times a long intro can be shortened. In still other cases, repeated sections can be cut out. Sometimes all of these things need to be performed in order to make the song optimal for a dance routine. Knowing EXACTLY where and when to cut out parts of a song is a skill that takes years of music knowledge and experience to do well.

So the next time you hear a song that would be fantastic for your next competition routine, but find out that the song is four minutes long, don’t despair! Just let me know what song you want, and I will edit it down to competition length for you! Check out my services here.

If you limit your song choices to only songs that are less than three minutes long, you are limiting yourself to a tiny fraction of the great songs that can be used for dance! So don’t make your choice based on the length of the song. Choose the song you want, and then have a professional edit it to the right length for the dance routine.

Summer Time is Music Time!

Summer here is here, recitals are over or nearly over, and all that is left is Nationals before summer dance camps!

That means IT’S TIME TO CREATE NEXT YEAR’S MUSIC!

Squirrel Trench Audio brings decades of music experience for one purpose: To make YOUR dance music flawless! Whether you need a song edited perfectly to routine length, a completely original remix, or all the songs for your studio’s season to be created in one place, Squirrel Trench Audio is your answer.

Samples of my work are here, here, and here. And if you are a studio owner, I would be happy to talk to you about how your studio could actually make a small profit on your music editing, give each student their very own practice CD, AND your studio winds up with professional quality music for every routine! What could be better?

Since it does take time to edit music well, the sooner you get me your songs, the better! First come, first served. If you have any questions, contact me: 413-535-0621 or Morriss@SquirrelTrenchAudio.com

And if you are stuck for song ideas, let me know what song the dancer or group used last year, and I’ll see if I can offer you some music suggestions!

Break a leg for the 2011-12 dance season!