Music Suggestions?

[Candleonwater]

I would love it if you all could throw some ideas my way... my daughter (she's 6) is currently skating to Mary Poppins, and I'd like to get her away from the Disney (or at least mainstream Disney), but I'm not sure I want her into straight classical either... HELP!

[sk8guy]

Let your child's coach make the music decisions. A parent's role is to support the skater, not choose their music. Parents do not need to like the music chosen for the skater, the skater does. Mary Poppins is an appropriate choice for a 6 year old.

[arena_gal]

Hee hee hee

To answer your question, for young kids unless they're quite musical, classical doesn't work unless it's well known classical. Other than movie scores, what's been popular are old TV themes that are upbeat pop-ish music. Que sera sera was one I heard this year that was quite cute.

To digress,

I know a skater that changed coaches this year because the bill-payer (ie mom and dad) didn't like the music chosen for the skater. The skater didn't care, music was music. The whole coaching change was about music.

However, to disagree with you sk8guy, at the recreational club level, not all coaches are good at picking music, and tapes get borrowed and used from year to year. Or music is cut badly with big clunks and gaps. Or all the skaters seem to have programs from Aladdin or Lion King or Star Wars. Or Mary Poppins. I always wonder what the judges think about some of the awful music.

If you have a coach that says here is your music and I'll show you the program, we're going to do this move here and lift your arms this way because that's what we hear in the music, then if they've chosen Mary Poppins at least it was with some thought and you should respect the coach.

One of my guy skaters is very non-musical and we have a hard time with music. In that case, the coach gives us some pre-selected CD's, the skater listens to all of them and picks "something that doesn't suck". The coach cuts the music from there and then it's not so painful having to listen to something for the next 8 months.

[Candleonwater]

For us it works like this: My daughters coach asks for suggestions on what my daughter would like to skate to... and WE put together a list. The coach chooses from that. Mary Poppins would be great if there weren't SO many Tots skating to it! My daughter HATED hearing someone else skate to the same song, not long before she took to the ice!

We've been lucky so far in that my daughters taste and that of her coach pretty much meshes.

I don't think we'd get to the point where we part ways over music as the coach and I have pretty open lines of communication. If that weren't the case, as the person footing the bills... if I didn't like the music, I WOULD speak up.

[skaternum]

Originally posted by sk8guy
Let your child's coach make the music decisions. A parent's role is to support the skater, not choose their music.

I couldn't disagree more! The coach's job is to teach the child to skate, not control every aspect of the skating. Parents should respect the coach's professional opinions, but the parents should have responsibility for what the kid wears and skates to. Coaches should have input and offer professional guidance, but ultimately it's the parent who gets to call the shots. The coach and parents (and skater) need to work together on it. The coach may know what's "skateable" and what's not, but the parent knows what's best for their child's personality and the family's values. (I've seen coaches make some pretty inappropriate choices for pre-teens!) As mentioned already, some coaches suck at picking music or just run out of ideas by the time they get to skater number 20 for this year's program. The parents know best what the kid likes!

FWIW, I do things backwards from they way arena_gal describes. I take several selections to the coach and let her pick from among them. :)

[LoopLoop]

For most kids upbeat, familiar music usually works best. What about something like Boston Pops versions of the Beatles?

[morganm]

Disney is used ALOT but the reason it is used is because it works so well for young skaters. They like the music! Yes, it gets repititous after seeing Mulan about 40 times, but a judge friend said he doesn't really mind because at least the kids understand it. He hates when young skaters are given mature music. He likes them to look like they are enjoying themselves. Nothing worse than a 10year old Carmen he says!

You can get a bit more creative with Disney if you avoid the most commonly used tracks. Most soundtracks have more than one suitable nonvocal track that can be worked into 1:30 minutes. Also, the original albums from some popular kids plays (Peter Pan, CInderella) have music that is appropriate but not too familiar.

As my daughter got older, we started listening more and more and giving suggestions to her coach. When starting out I think it helps to listen the music other skaters of that coach have. Do you like the cuts, does it seem appropriate to the skater? Some coaches are great at selecting and mixing music, others aren't.

For young skaters who want to get away from Disneyesque music, I'd suggest picking up some CD's like "Classical Music from TV" Warner Brothers used quite a bit of classical music for their cartoons, you might find something classical but not too mature there.

[FrozenMom]

Try movie music. Land before Time, ET, Princess Diaries, even some Japanese animation has some great music (too short in time for older skaters, but great for beginners) Your right about Disney, everyone skates to it. Looking for music can be fun. As long as the skater likes it and the coach doesn't think it is too mature there are lots of movies out there to choose from. :)

[BABYSKATES]

What is your child's favorite movie? Is there a piece of music she likes from that? We spend a lot of time looking for music for our child. Here are some of the songs she likes: Dance of the Hours (it's classical but appropriate for kids - in fact it is on a CD - I don't remember the name - of classics for Kids). The overture from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Golden Ticket); The overture from The Wizard of Oz; There is a whole CD of songs from Disneyland that my child likes.

Some book stores that carry CDs have listening bays where you can scan in anything they carry and you and your child can listen to lots of choices.

Good luck! They are so cute at this age. I remember it well - it passes fast!

Oh, yeah, I just read in another post - ET is great! The "Flying" song is a great one for little kids that I haven't heard much!

[WeBeEducated]

I would never ever say that the skater, and the parents of the skater should be left out of the choices for music. They are a valued component of a team. Their opinions should matter to a coach, if not, I would choose a different coach.
Skating and music are intertwined and the earlier a skater becomes sensitive to music, the better her/his presentation will become. I beleive all young skaters should be encouraged to listen to different styles of music from the earliest age. I think skaters and parents should discuss the music and choose together. Why should it be up to the almighty, all knowing coach????? Those days are over!:lol:

Selections for a 6 year old girl...
1. I Feel Pretty from WEST SIDE STORY
2. Can Can
3. Music from Monsters INC. is adorable, and kind of jazzy
4. On the Good Ship Lollipop
5. A bouncy and lively Russian folkdance tune
The majority of 6 year olds are not very impressive regarding their skating skills...so keep it light if you do choose classical. they have a lifetime of opportunity to do classical though, and only a short time to do the Disney classics. Six years old on the ice is the time to be cute, sweet, and energetic. there is plenty of time for drama later.

[Clarice]

I like Disney for young skaters, too, but think light classics are also fine. Try Boston Pops recordings for possibilities. Favorites of mine for the little ones are anything by Leroy Anderson (especially "Belle of the Ball"), Offenbach's "Gaite Parisienne", and some Shostakovich ("Music Box Waltz" comes to mind).
As far as choosing music goes, for us that's my job, not the coach's. I'm a professional musician, so I expect input on this decision. (I'm also an adult skater, so I have some sense of what is skatable, and what suits skaters of different levels.) Usually, I choose possibilities with my daughter, and then run them by her coach for final approval. Her old coach had a wonderful musical sense and did his choreography while he cut the music, so I let him do it. Now, especially since I've learned how to do it on my computer, I'll probably cut her music myself.

[arena_gal]

Originally posted by skaternum
FWIW, I do things backwards from they way arena_gal describes. I take several selections to the coach and let her pick from among them. :)

Oh I would too, but I'm don't have the time to go to the library or and there's no extra money to spend money for CD's that "might" work. So the coach gives us a stack of about 20 to go through. We don't get charged for that, yet :P We like our coach, a lot, and this works for us.

[Francis71]

I have two favourites that I can remember for very young children - both were used by girls at our club several years ago.

1. Theme song from Bewitched
2. Collection of songs from Andrew Lloyd Webbers Starlight Express

I agree that kids like to have orginal music - I can remember my kid saying "so and so has my music" and being very disappointed.

Whenever possible I think kids should be involved in selecting their music.

Other pet peeves of mine related to music and custome choices - little girls that are given sleezy music and dressed like "tarts"
Young pairs skating to music with suggestive moves
I always wonder where the parents are in these cases. The coach might like the music etc. but parents are still responsible for guiding moral and ethical behaviour.

[nycbumpkin]

my daughter started skating too late for us to really enjoy the "cutesy" stage...i mean she wasn't that age when she started, not really...but I think the classical piece Carnival of the Animals (Saint Saens) has some wonderful music that could be used by young children, also Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev?)...i also think music education is important and the exposure skating provides to this is invaluable...having a hand in choosing the selections is important for the skater, even from a young age, i would think, even if it was only choosing between two pieces presented to her/him....i know parents who have learned a lot more music appreciation through this process!!

...on another note, what do people think about "sexy" or sensual or suggestive music/choreography? ...is there an age where this looks inappropriate...an age where you would accept it? i am really oldfashioned and i don't even like to see the teenagers shaking their butts or their chests..even some facial expressions, to certain music, seem kind of "over their age levels" sometimes...and some people don't like this stuff in teens but accept it in pre-teens or even little tykes because then it's "cute"??? what do you think?

[*dani-skates*]

I don't like sensual choreography for little kids, there is a gilr i used to coach who is now 8 years old and she is skating to music from either Moulin Rouge or Chicago and the piece is not really appropriate for an 8 year old. If it was little sister- well i wouldn't let my little sister skate to music like that.
As for music suggestions, well just think about the childs personnality, I've been skating since I was 2 and I have never skated to Disney but I still skated to fun music when I was little- I agree that Saint Saens is good. Talk to your coach and get suggestions but music should always ultimately be the childs choice with guidance from the parents.

[Mrs Redboots]

Here, the judges have got to know the music from Cats, and they seem to like it, so it gets marked highly. Everybody else, however, is sick of it!

A non-Disney cartoon with great (if beginning to be overused) music that works well is Anastasia. Otherwise, go to your local music shop and hunt in the children's section, especially classics and easy listening.

Here, children that young tend to do artistic programmes, rather than plain freestyle, which is left until they are older. So we have hordes of little tots with umbrellas "Singing in the rain", and more hordes of Orphans from Annie..... And, of course, Cats in every shape and variety.....

[NickiT]

Just to share with you my own experience of this. My daughter was in need of a new programme and therefore new music as she never seemed able to "get into" her last programme. She's a very self-conscious 8 year-old, so my (also her) coach suggested I cut her music of her choice to see if it helps to improve her skating. Anyway she chose music from Mulan. I cut it and my coach was happy with it so for the past couple of weeks they've been putting the new programme together. What a huge difference in my daughter tonight. She actually wanted to skate her new programme over and over when normally she shies away from doing so, and not only did she try really hard but she was evidentally enjoying skating to it too. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is definitely important that the child skater actually likes the choice of music and wants to skate to it.

[LynRose]

This has been my experience...
yr 1 - daughter was given a choice of 3 pieces of music already cut
yr 2 - music was picked by her coach (no input from her) - she hated it, by the way!
yr 3 - music was picked by choreographer - she loved this piece
yr 4 and on - she has picked her own music after bouncing ideas off everyone around at the time (friends, parents, grandparents, etc). Her choreographer gives her a bunch of cds to listen to and get ideas from. Last year she went and purchased a cd that had the music she wanted on it. Other years she has sat in a music studio for hours listening to cd after cd until she heard the piece of music she wanted.

Her main thing with her music is she has to LOVE it, because this music will be with her for almost a year and it cannot be something that is overused and may be competing against someone with the same music. A few overused ones that come to my mind are Sound of Music, Mulan, and anything tango-like. I have nothing against this music, but I find a lot of skaters have it.

Also, words of advice...don't pick Harry Potter...if you are a fan, you won't be after...believe me! :D

[arena_gal]

We pick the music, on the CD's that we listen to, we identify cuts that are appealing, usually 1 to 2 minute bits of selections, but at this point, when we're into longer programs, we leave it up to the coach to cut the music for the choreo. There's things like breathing room, doing the wow part of the music in front of the judges, what suits the footwork sequence at the 2 minute point, and making sure the music is fast enough that sort of thing.

There's only one reason what we get so involved in picking the music, it is because the skater has to listen to it for the next 8 months, and even with the best music, by the end of the season you never want to hear it again.

There's a skater at our club with absolutely horrible music, and because I'm too polite to leave or plug my ears I gritted my teeth when it was played.

[Raine]

The soundtrack from the movie "Madeline" by Michel LeGrand contains some beautiful music, suitable for a young girl. It contains many styles and moods--whimsical, suspenseful, Spanish, wistful, etc. It'd probably be easy to cut, and I'm assuming it's been rarely if ever used.

Happy Skating,
Raine

[lord farquad ;)]

I don't see anything that's wrong with disney music! I'm 13 and I had music from the soundtrack of MULAN I loved it! I've had disney music for a long time! :)

If your daughter enjoys the music I think you should let her keep the disney stuff!

Or why don't you give your daughter a few samples of disney music and other sorts of music that you like and if she likes one of them let her use that and ask her coach for some input too since her coach sort of knows her skating style and what she goes well with!

[singerskates]

As a skater, I bring about 3 or 4 choices I have in mind and then I have my coach listen to the music and then we discus which would be the best fitting music for me. Then it comes down to two pieces usually. I cut both pieces and remaster them. I then try them out on the ice and see what my coach's feed back is. We usually pick the piece to which I feel most comfortable. It's the same with my interpretive music as well. I do the music hunting, the editing and remastering along with the CD burning.

I have the cleanest music in Windsor FSC and Riverside SC. Ok, it better be because it's my way of advertising to the other skaters and their parents my editing and remastering skills. If only my skating was as good as those.

As a figure skating editor, I have the coach and skater pick the piece. Then they bring it to me on CD and then I work with it, to get the basic story, feel, fast parts, slow parts, dramatic parts and so on. I then edited and remaster it for timing. Before burning the final CD, I have the coach and skater lesson to the track to see if they are pleased with my work. If they are, I cut the CD. I may have to use up to 7 songs to come up with a piece and sometimes just one. I make the piece sound as if it were written the way I cut it.

Brigitte, you know where to find me if you need music.

[Sparkey]

Try this piece: "Simple Song" by Suzanne Ciani. Virtually unknown in the skating world, but when my daughter skated to it (Juvenile, I think) we got SO MANY comments about the music!Let me know what you think.

[Blayse_01]

My Daughter who is 13, enjoys listening to music, and picking out her own, and now she is even into choreographing her own solos ti her music before the coach gets the chance. The coach then looks at what she has done, decideds if she likes it or not, and changes what she doesnt like. She has many ideas for her Junior Silver/ Pre Novice test program, but she would like to hear some different selections before she choses what she likes best. She has won the Most Artistic award from our region twice in 3 years, a feat that had not beem accomplished at the time, and I was wondering if anyone had any music suggestions for someone who skates in this nature.
Thanks!

;)