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CD Review: “Les Petits” Ballet Class Music for Very Young Children

March 12, 2014 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

What does it take to conduct a successful pre-ballet or creative movement class?

Teaching little ones is a joy, but it can be a challenge to keep their attention. Les Petitsnp5002-3, a collaborative effort between pianist Nolwenn Collet and ballet teacher Nicola Farças, offers music for everything from the usual skips and foot exercises to storybook and role-playing games to dances for different kinds of weather. Forty-five tracks range in length from 1-2 minute across-the-floor selections to eight-bar pieces evoking different emotions and moods from shy to proud.

Les Petits contains music for warming up, creative dances incorporating basic technique, music for allegro and locomotor movement, exercises for music appreciation, music for mime and expression, rhythm games, and a cool-down and reverénce. The CD sleeve includes exercises and choreography suggestions by Farças for most of Collet’s music. Many of these ideas could be used with other ballet CDs, but are charming and perfectly matched to the moods and tempos here.

Les Petits would make a valuable addition to any pre-ballet teacher’s music library. Both new and experienced teachers will find something fresh and helpful on this CD to keep the classroom exciting.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: ballet music, cd review, dance class music, les petits

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

Filed Under: 4teachers, Music Reviews Tagged With: ballet class music, charles matthews, dance class music, music for ballet classes, music for ballet classes volume 1

10 Questions With…Robert Long

September 12, 2011 by 4dancers

Robert Long

Today on 10 Questions With… we have Robert Long, a musician who plays for dancers…

1. Can you tell readers a bit about how you got into music?

I started in music the way most kids probably do. There was a lady in the village who gave piano lessons, so off I went. I was 7 or 8.

2. How did you wind up playing for dancers?

I had finished university (Mus. Bach, M.A., University of Toronto), and couldn’t find any employment.Through friends I received some contacts for ballet schools, so I decided to give it a try, even though I had no idea what to play.

3. What are the special considerations you must address when arranging music for dance class?

For me, the considerations to be addressed involve the instructor I’m working with. Some like quicker tempos, some slower; some like lengthy exercises, some shorter, and so on. Beyond that, an instructor could have personal preferences: ragtime, tangos, habaneras, adages in 4/4 instead of 3/4, continuous exercises at the barre with 4 counts to turn the middle; things like that.

4.  What do you enjoy most about working on this type of music? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With..., 4teachers, Studios Tagged With: ballet class, ballet etudes, barre exercises, dance accompanist, dance class music, richard long, royal academy of dance

Review: Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 3

September 7, 2011 by 4dancers

Yet another ballet class music CD by Christopher Hobson, and it does not disappoint. Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 3 has more of the excellent quality music that I have come to expect from his albums. Again, this CD is filled with unique arrangements of familiar music, such as “The Way We Were”, “Rehab”, “Misty” and more.

There are 17 tracks for the barre and 36 for the centre. Frankly, I think that owning all three of these CDs would be a great idea for any ballet teacher or studio owner. They add a bit of spice and verve to the class environment without being silly. It’s nice to change things up a bit here and there.

If you can’t have a live pianist, it pays to invest in good music that you will be able to use again and again. This CD of ballet class music qualifies–and it is available in the UK (as well as other places…see link below) – something that I get requests for all the time.

It’s obvious that Hobson plays for dancers. Not every pianist can arrange music so that it is paced correctly without taking the life out of it. He is able to maintain passion and energy while keeping proper time for the exercises. Well done indeed.

Keep an eye on what’s up with Christopher Hobson and his music by joining him on Facebook

or

If you like, purchase Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 3 here.

Filed Under: 4teachers, FOR SALE, Reviews, Studios Tagged With: ballet class music, ballet music, christopher hobson, dance class music, modern ballet studio melodies, piano music for ballet

Review: Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 2

August 24, 2011 by 4dancers

I reviewed Volume 1 of Modern Ballet Studio Melodies recently on the site and gave it a big “thumbs up”. This CD, Modern Ballet Studio Melodies 2 is another good choice if you are hoping for ballet class music that is different from the typical fare.

Again breaking out of the traditional box, Christopher Hobson puts out renditions of familiar songs such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'”, “The Swan, from Carnival of the Animals”, “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin”” and even the “Mexican Hat Dance”! Treat yourself to lovely arrangements of these favorites and spice up your ballet class a bit without taking things over the top.

Hobson is obviously a top-tier player, and he also has experience arranging and playing classical piano music for the ballet class. This is an important factor, and the tunes here work well for both barre and centre exercises. The barre has 18 tracks to choose from, including staples such as plie, tendu, round de jambe and grand battement, and the centre offers a lovely adage, as well as pirouettes, jumps and several allegros to choose from.

All in all this is really a successful CD, and it is available in the UK, which, from what I’ve heard has a dearth of good ballet class music out on the market. I really enjoyed both this CD and the previous one. There’s one more coming up–so stay tuned (argh!) to hear what that one has to offer in the coming weeks.

If you like, you can buy Modern Ballet Studio Melodies Volume 2 here.

 

Filed Under: 4teachers, FOR SALE, Reviews, Studios Tagged With: ballet class cd, ballet class music, christopher hobson, dance class music, modern ballet studio melodies

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