When you and your squad hear that hot cheer mix, you all start to move whether you want to or not. It’s almost unconscious, moving to the beat and feeling the music. The same is true with the performance itself. Musicality, or the ability to make your moves match up with the music, is a critical element to consider when developing your cheerleading routine.
Dance
Cheerleading music most obviously affects your movement in dance and your score. When you dance to the beat, how well your movements match the tempo and the energy of the music is critical. In fact, for many judges, this is the most important consideration in determining your score: have you effectively managed to capture the energy of the music with your amazing dance moves? Different types of music expect different styles of dance – making sure that the cheer music your squad is using reflects the style of dance they are performing is critical to maximizing your score.
Tumbling
Tumbling is another important area where you must consider how you are using your music. You and your teammates have worked hard to develop your tumbling skills. Showing off those advanced skills during the routine is an important part of your overall score. What you and your teammates may not realize is the relationship between tumbling tempo and music. The tumbling section of a routine is often a little bit faster than the other sections of your cheerleading routine. This is because when you are going full out on tumbling, you are frequently moving more quickly than you would during a dance, during a transition, or during a stunt. To get the best score, your music should reflect that change in intensity.
Stunts and Pyramids
Stunts and pyramids are perhaps the most overlooked areas when we talk about cheerleading music and how it affects your overall score. Using an 8 count track to practice will really help your team synchronize those moves. But that can be done with almost any cheerleading 8-count music. The real difference is finding musicality: finding music which accurately reflects the movements which you and your team are doing during your pyramids and stunt sequences. In the last few years you’ve probably seen several teams be extremely successful not because they necessarily had the most innovative pyramids or the most amazing stunts, but instead because they effectively choreographed their skills to perfectly reflect the energy and timing of the music. You want that professional cheer music sound to highlight the skills in your own routine.
Overall Impression
When the judges are watching your routine, they come away with a certain sense of tone and style for you and your squad. This makes sense: your team has worked on your amazing skills all year. Your music choices impact that tone and overall style as well. You need an epic cheerleading mix to bring those skills to the next level. The overall impression from the judges is frequently as much about how the music and movement together make them feel as it is about just technical skill and difficulty.
If you and your squad can think about the sort of music you like and find a style which matches your individual brand, that will make you feel like you have more invested in your performance. Your teammates have worked too hard to have just average music. Think about visiting a custom cheerleading music site like CheerleadingMix.com or New Level Music to find music which reflects your team’s individual style. Additionally, as your team is putting together your routine, think about how you can reflect the movements of your stunts, tumbling, pyramids, and most of all, your dance, to coordinate what is going on in the music at the same time. By embracing the team’s natural musicality you can make this the best performance ever!