How to Choose Songs for a Pre-Game Mix CD

Energy is an essential element to a team's success in any sport. Sometimes, that extra adrenaline can be created in a team through music. Many teams at all levels play songs during the warm-up period before games. Here's how to make a mix CD of energetic songs for your team to listen to before a game.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Blank CDs
• A computer with a CD burner

1. Check with your coach or the appropriate authority to make sure you can play a specific CD as part of your team's warm-up routine. Assure them the songs will not reference any inappropriate material, and will not have any profanity.

2. Get a feel for the kinds of music your team listens to on a frequent basis. Exciting and energetic songs can be found in all genres of music, and variety on your CD is a good thing.

3. Create a list of all those songs that either you have chosen or your teammates have suggested. Look them up in your CD catalog, or borrow the CD that has that song that's needed.

4. Finalize the list of songs you wish to put on the CD. Pay attention to length of songs, and double-check to make sure there are no inappropriate topics mentioned on the songs and the language is family-appropriate.

5. Burn the songs onto the CD using your computer and CD recording software. Make sure to label each track as you burn it so you can reference it easily when you use it.

6. Play the CD by yourself once, and make sure everything sounds how you feel it should. Pay attention to the time between tracks, and re-edit as you feel necessary.

7. Play it for your team, and get their approval. Upon receiving that, or subsequent re-mixing of the CD, submit it to your coach or the person who runs the sound system during games, instructing them to begin playing it before your next game.

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative with the songs. Inside team jokes are great for team chemistry, and can be used to bond your teammates together.
• Don't feel obligated to use the entirety of each song. Using your recording software, you could put parts of each song in order to keep it fresh and spontaneous.
• Illegally downloaded songs or albums are not recommended. Download songs legally through the music provider of your choice.
• Make sure there is no profanity or other explicit language in any of the songs. Likely, even if those words or phrases are bleeped out, it still won't be appropriate to use.

Resources

• Roxio CD Creation Support
• Apple iTunes Store