ballet class music

Guest Review: Dancing Keys 2

July 4, 2012 by Ashley David

by Laura Donnelly

I recently received a copy of Gill Civil’s Dancing Keys 2 CD and highly recommend it to dance teachers looking for good recorded music for dance class. While the music is written primarily for the ballet class, I feel a number of the selections would also work well for modern dance classes.

The CD contains 37 tracks of original music composed for ballet class. The melodies are beautiful. I found them inspiring and could easily think up several good combinations for each track. The music is clear so that subdivisions in the beat are easy to hear. This gives me more flexibility in how to use the music for different combinations and class levels.

There is good variation from track to track. The pieces sound different from each other in both melody and texture. Civil uses a variety of different tempi which I find very helpful when planning classes.

In the album notes Civil lists a suggested dance exercise, the title of the piece, number of bars, tempo, and length of the track. For me, when working with CDs tempo, number of bars, and length of piece are crucial. I like to select longer tracks for continuous across the floor combinations or adagios and I like to choreograph my exercises so that they fit the musical phrasing of the selected track. This information provided allows me to do this easily.

I am delighted with Civil’s Dancing Keys 2 and will use it often in my classes. She has a good feel for the type and variety of music that makes an interesting and inspiring dance class. I’ll purchase her original Dancing Keys CD and eagerly await the release of Dancing Keys 3. For more information about Gill Civil and to purchase her CDs visit http://www.pianomusicforballet.com

Laura Donnelly, MFA, BA is a choreographer, teacher, and dancer who also writes and creates community based public art projects involving visual and word art. Beginning August 2012, Laura will be Assistant Professor of Dance at Kansas State University. Her research interests include pedagogy, oral tradition in dance, collaborative process, music for dance, and the Alexander Technique. Her research has been presented at the Congress on Research in Dance, the International Association of Dance Science and Medicine, the National Dance Education Association, the Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities, the 5th Annual International Conference on Civic Education, and the 2011 University of New Mexico Mentoring Conference. Laura’s essay Meditation in the Dance Studio is published in Teaching with Joy: Educational Practices for the Twenty-First Century, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Review: Original Compositions For Ballet Class

June 27, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

Original Compositions for Ballet Class, Volume 10 was composed and played by Anthony J. Patterson (pianist/conductor/composer) and directed by Cherie Noble (choreographer/ballet master/teacher).

The barre music on this CD offers 12 repeated tracks, and this includes plies, tendus (3), degages (2) rond de jambe, frappes, fondu, rond de jambe (en l’air), and adagio and grands battements. Tracks are long enough for exercises to be repeated and the music is pretty and clear.

The centre music has 21 tracks that range from 32 bars for grand adagio and tours en l’air to 64 bars for exercises such as tendus, petit allegro and pirouettes, to 128 bars for grand allegro and pique turns. The style here varies and you will hear everything from a tango with accordion to a jig with dulcimer. Nothing is too “out there” though, and the variety keeps things interesting and adds a little extra energy.

This CD is ideal for teachers who are really looking to freshen up their classroom music with something different. Overall there are 70+ minutes here to use, and all of it is well-played.

Learn more about this CD, listen, or purchase

Review: Music For Ballet Classes, Volume I

June 13, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

Music for Ballet Classes Volume 1 is a lovely CD that will work for most classes. Filled with well-played and often familiar tunes, Charles Matthews plays expertly and there is plenty of music to choose from.

The barre portion of the CD has repeated tracks, convenient for the instructor. There is also music for a warmup and stretching included here. Music for the center exercises includes an adagio, tendus, pirouttes,and a reverance as well as selections for small jumps (assemble, petite changement, sissones), grand allegro, tour en l’air and sur les pointes.

Some of the choices here are simply marvelous for motivating dancers. “Nocturne in G” by Chopin was practically made for rond de jambe and Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” works wonderfully for battement frappe. Other great selections include “Dance of the Knights” from Romeo and Juliet, “Coda from Don Quixote” and Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen.

The pacing of the music here is good, making it the perfect choice for beginner and intermediate ballet classes. Matthews does a nice job of choosing tunes that are well-suited to dance, and they are fun without being silly or overworked–and this is easier said than done, as any ballet teacher who has looked for classroom music can certainly tell you.

The albums are also available to download in MP3 format.

Learn more or listen to samples

Purchase Music for Ballet Classes Volume 1

Review: Artistry In Motion by Lisa Harris

December 14, 2011 by 4dancers

It really is a joy to be able to listen to ballet class music that is arranged by someone who has been doing it for such a long time. It’s something I think of every time I hear one of this lady’s CDs.

Lisa Harris is known for her musical work in the ballet classroom, both as a pianist and as an artist who releases CDs for ballet class (as well as digital music). “Artistry in Motion” is an excellent example of why she is so well-regarded in the field.

Selections here include favorites such as an adagio from Swan Lake, slow tendu music from Bach and a minuet from Mozart. Harris has a knack for selecting composers that mesh well with a particular exercise, and her command of the piano insures that they are played flawlessly. This makes for a CD that is wonderful for both the teacher and the students in the classroom.

This album has 26 (repeated) tracks for the barre and 16 for the centre. Other composers that are included in the mix here include: Schubert, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel, Verdi and Adam.

Interested in this album, or in seeing more of what Lisa Harris has to offer for the ballet classroom? Visit her site. For those who are making the switch to digital music–she has options for you as well.

Review: Dancing Keys 2 by Gill Civil

December 2, 2011 by 4dancers

I recently reviewed Gill Civil’s “Dancing Keys” CD for this site, and I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to the next album she compiled–“Dancing Keys 2”.

Civil’s work is truly unique in that the tracks don’t sound familiar–they sound fresh. Some ballet class music can have a “typical” feel to it that just doesn’t add anything to the barre or centre exercises. This is not in that category.

The music here taps into emotion and feeling–something I think the good ballet music composers understand as necessary for it to be something dancers will want to move to. Teachers too find this type of music inspiring, and it can add a measure of creativity to the class environment overall to have such beautiful music.

The CD has a simple barre (10 tracks) and centre music (port de bras, adage, pirouettes, allegro, etc.) and a number of bonus tracks as well. You can listen to samples on her website.

As always, I appreciate the amount of effort that goes into creating original music for ballet class. Civil does it well, and this CD is a great one to own if you teach ballet.

If you’d like to own it, or listen to her other CD, visit her website.

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