I had an interesting discussion with another coach last week about how coaches approach choreography.

I guess because I come from the ISI world of Required Maneuvers, I tend to lay out the elements first and add the gestures and optional moves afterward.

The other coach says that she does the opposite: she listens to the music and lays out gestures, movements and just "places" generic "spin here" "jump there" to be determined later.

Some of it is based on the level of the program - my students are still Basic Skills skaters and she's choreographing for standard- and adult-track skaters.

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I varies a lot from one choreographer to another. One I know sort of just does stuff on ice to the music and sees what sticks with the skater he is working with (apparently David Wilsion does this as well). Others come with every thing pretty much laid out and then tweak a bit for the skater. Different skaters may like one approach over the other and the skaters level would definitely be a factor.

Depends upon what level of skater I am choreographing and the purpose of the program. Since I research, select and edit the music for my skaters, I tend to keep in mind the required elements and abilities of the skaters when I cut the music. Once on the ice, I let the skaters listen to the music for a few days before we get down to work, and I watch how they respond to highlights etc. I want each skater to have ownership of their program.

I find pre-preliminary programs more challenging at times, due their short duration and required elements - than a senior long program! I find the music speaks to me for elements such as footwork, spiral sequences and combination spins, as well as musical cues for jumps and character moves.

Some coaches are very mechanical about putting together programs and editing music. They just don't understand the nuances of movement and music so the programs end up sounding disjointed and looking cookie cutter, while other coaches seem to have the natural ability to meld the movements of the individual skater, with the music.

When a choreographer understands music and movement, the programs are works of art. When they ignore this fundamental rule - programs even at the Olympic level are full of crosscuts, two-foot glides and poorly executed elements with the exception of show-stopping quads or triple jumps. A well-rounded program will score higher on the PCS score than a skater with the quad. Just ask Jeff Buttle or Patrick Chan!