The studio where I take lessons has a dance/practice session on Friday evenings. I have attended several of them and they are alot of fun. The problem is that they only have 2 CDs of music and it is getting really boring listening to the same old stuff. I have many CDs of music and would be happy to make a disc for Friday nights. How should I approach the owner regarding this? The Friday night sessions are free and I really enjoy attending, but the music is becoming old.


Thanks, Billman

Trying to look at things from the perspective of the owner, there are probably several reaons for a limited range of musical selections. These probably include, but aren't necessarily limited to:

music students may already be familiar with from class

music with a clear, identifiable beat

strict tempo may be desired

music may be chosen to reflect what paying students have worked on that week

the music may need to be acceptable to a wide range of audience age/background

etc.

You don't say how advanced you are as a dancer, or whether you are a "known quantity" to the owner, on a personnal level. You also don't say if other people share your reaction.

If other people share your feeling, I might approach him by saying something like "Say, I've been talking with the other folks, and several are feeling some of the music is getting a little worn. I thought you'd like to know about it, and also wondered if some of us bringing in some additional music -- and, if that was okay, would guidelines you might want to set?"

You appeal to his self-interest in keeping people coming, and give him (or her) a lot of latitude in response, ranging from supplying more music him/herself, to letting people bring in their own stuff, screening them, whatever. The owner might want only ballroom CDs to be played, or might want to maintain a mix of "familiar stuff" with any new selections. I wouldn't be surprised if the owner wanted to screen any new selections before playing them.

I don't how the owner would react to CDs burned by another party -- for instance, a DJ told me his license forbade him from playing any home-burned disks of commercial music. There could be a host of reasons why the owner might not be able or be willing to accept music from students – be still might be motivated to personally supply more variety.

Of course, if you're the only one unhappy with the music,....

Our sharing of music came by sheer accident.

When we have the studio pretty much to ourselves, we also have free rein of the stereo system. We bring our own CDs, and CDs that I have burned through various yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle-of-rum methods of procurement. This includes several "non-traditional" cha-chas (Love Shack- B52s, Yeah- Usher/Lil' John, etc.), and so forth. Well, one night I left my CDs there- forgot them. The next week, we arrived early at the studio so we could stretch and stuff before our private lesson, and what do I hear but "YAYAH!"... "OOO-KAAAY"... "HEEY"... There are two of the instructors having the time of their lives, grinning like idjits, dancing a cha-cha routine they just slapped together for the Usher song. That Friday, at the party, a too-familiar song started playing... "If you thee a faded thighn at the thide of the road, that thayth fifteen mileth to the.... LOOOOOOOOOOVE SHAAAAAAAAACK!"

... we looked at each other, and then, naturally, the other couple who sometimes sneaks into the studio with us to practice (with teacher consent) looked accusingly at us- we shrugged, and then went and did cha-cha, while everyone else was sitting there with this ... "Wha??" expression. It was hilarious.

The key to getting "your music" played at the studio is have it actually match what's done there. Songs that are too fast, too slow, "undanceable" to your typical studio dances, etc... they won't be played. Check and make sure the music you use is of a close enough tempo and style (I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd was a good Rumba, but the connotation might be questionable to the senior population of our studio, for example), and if it has appeal. A friend of ours loves a particular artist of standards. The problem is that the artist doesn't keep tempo- he's one of those like Bing Crosby- he might sing a song, but it's "all over the place" with no measured, strict meter/tempo/etc. and he doesn't understand why this doesn't work. So, of you don't have an "ear" for it, be careful- like the one guy at our studio who thinks that EVERY dance is a samba. I'm sorry- I've never once heard Dinah Washington sing a samba....