About Cheerleading Music

Cheerleading music needs to be upbeat and rhythmic. It has to help get the crowd's adrenaline pumping and motivate the fans to get up on their feet and shout for their team. It is important for the cheerleaders to keep the crowd excited enough to carry the players all the way through the game to get the win when they are ahead on the scoreboard, and it is absolutely crucial for them to keep the fans from losing interest and giving up when the team is behind. If the crowd is not behind the players, rooting them on, then it is unlikely they will find the inspiration to play harder and press on towards a win. The right music will have a crowd roaring in no time.

Function

Cheerleading music is most often used to perform dance and fight song routines. Songs with a deeper meaning or moral and profound lyrics are typically not a good choice. Instead, the music needs a hard-hitting beat that can be used with sharp, quick movements and stunts that will entertain and excite spectators. Cheerleading is all about the "wow" factor. Song choice is extremely important because it ties the whole dance routine together into one complete package.

Types

Generally, cheerleading music is a purposeful mix of bits and pieces of many songs spliced together by a professional deejay or recording studio so that it streams together seamlessly as if it were in fact a single song. However, there are also several software applications available which help squads and teams mix tracks themselves without needing to hire a professional and pay their high rates which are often incredibly taxing on the team's limited budget. Sometimes, live music played by the school band is best, especially for fight song cheers.

Features

When selecting songs to create a mix for a dance routine, it is best to avoid the over-played radio hits that are currently topping the charts. The best cheerleading music is a mix of originality and unexpected elements. The songs need to flow together without any choppy or ackward interruptions to the movements. The dance routine and music need to complement and enhance each other, not compete for attention with different styles. Ideally, the choreography should be created for the song mix, as opposed to the music being chosen for the choregraphy.

Warning

It is not uncommon for a squad to choose an undiscovered or relatively unknown musician's songs as a base for developing cheerleading music for competitions. This gives the team an immediate upper hand because it makes their routine more memorable. As a result, they will automatically stand out from the pack with the judges. It helps to clearly define the squad's individual style. However, it is illegal for a team to use a mix which is in violation of any of the established copyright laws. Even if the musician is not mainstream yet, the squad will still have to purchase the songs they intend to use or get written permission from the artist to include them in the mix.

Considerations

Deciding whether to hire a professional or create the competition mix on their own is a big decision for a lot of cheerleading squads. After all, the choregraphy alone is likely to cost thousands of dollars, and this does not include any of the mandatory competition fees, travel expenses, or uniforms necessary to compete. If the majority of the members on the team are very musically inclined (read music and count beats without a hitch) as well as technically apt, then mixing the music without professional assistance may not turn out to be such a bad idea. It will enable the squad to have more creative control over the routine. On the other hand, there is a real possibility the track will not be up to par with the professional quality mixes many of the other squads will be using in their routines. Ultimately, this could cast a negative light over the squad with the judges because it could make the routine seem amateur and choppy.