Here is another outstanding contribution from Biray Alsac on a topic of great personal interest to me!  Music plays a very large role in how our classes are received, so I know you will appreciate this great info from Biray!

Music Outside the JukeBox!
By Biray Alsac

It’s no secret – music can make or break any group fitness class. Without good tunes, members may tune out (or listen to their iPod while exercising to their own beat). So, instructors are always looking for new songs (or remix of old songs) that continue to engage and motivate participants.

With websites like iTunes, Napster and Pandora (a site that recommends new music based on songs you already like), there are endless opportunities to discover new material. But sometimes we don’t have time to search for new music or find different resources on the web. Read below to learn new ways to create your perfect soundtrack for class.

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Yesterday, using Cadence Revolution Show 20, my early morning class did a Pyramid Ride.  Usually a pyramid ride means that you start with a basic movement then start adding movements to build a chain that you repeat every time you add a movement.  There are an infinite number of ways that you can do a Pyramid; I opted for the “Member’s Choice”/Rolling Build option today.  The “Member’s Choice” means that I had each rider choose a movement to add to the sequence.  The Rolling Build means that we will only repeat a few of the segments before dropping the one at the beginning of the sequence to add another to the end.  This method allows every person in the room to contribute without running out of time, even when the room is full.

In a 40-minute ride minus 10 minutes for warm-up and cool down, there are 30 1-minute segments.  We divided those segments up for a class of 9 attendees and 1 instructor, telling us to only have three segments in the chain at a time.  For our Rolling Build, the segments get added on in this manner:

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It used to be that the only choice you had for playing music in your fitness classes was to use the cassette player. You could purchase a fitness tape, although selection was limited, or mix your own pretty easily. Even when CD players were the rage and everyone had one, they took a while to grab hold in aerobics rooms. You may not remember when, but there was a time when the idea of burning a CD in the convenience of your home using your latest iMusic purchases was inconceivable! Now that we’ve come so far, you really have to improve your technical skills if you want your room to rock during class without having to spend a mint on produced CDs. Even if you do spend a mint, you rarely get a mix that comes perfect as-is or sounds as compelling as the preview did. This is kick-off post for a new category I’ll be adding to GroupFitPower. Today, we’ll just take a look at current available methods for obtaining music you can play in your classes.

No Effort

1. 1. Buy a CD from a 32-beats-style producer.
2. 2. Insert CD into CD player at gym.
3. 3. Use the CD player’s ability to pitch the music to the correct speed for your class.
4. 4. Smile through the songs you don’t like or try to ignore them altogether.

PROS:

• Super easy!
• Increasing number of choices on the internet for purchases.
• No pauses in the music, keeping energy high throughout class.
• The more varied your library, the more expensive it will be.

CONS:

• Limited to what tracks are on your CD.
• Limited to merchants on the Internet or by catalog or at tradeshows. (Unless you can share a brick and mortart aerobics instructor store somewhere!!)

Minimal Effort

1. 1. Subscribe to a music service.
2. 2. Create a playlist that matches your class plan or profile.
3. 3. Download the playlist to your iPod or mp3 player.
4. 4. Plug in the player and jam away.

PROS:

• Also very simple.
• Relatively low cost, although you do not “keep” permanent copies of the songs you use without purchasing them separately.
• Allows you to play a different playlist as frequently as you want or simply trade songs in a playlist that works.

CONS:

• Costs a regular monthly membership fee to access the service’s full library.
• Must teach at a gym with the ability to plug in your player (I use an old cassette car converter that came with my XM radio).
• Music will pause between songs.

Small Effort

Just like the above, only you obtain mp3s of the songs you want in your playlist and burn them to a CD to play in class.

PROS:

• You can usually opt to burn without the 2-second pause between songs so music will seem more continuous play.
• A new playlist as often as you want to burn one or purchase new music.
• Allows you to “remix” the CDs you purchased in Method #1.

CONS:

• Requires CD burner, blank CDs and mp3s that you purchase online or rip from your CD collection.
• If your burner settings are off, you can burn CDs that won’t play in all CD players.

Most Effort

1. 1. Get some music mixing software. I use Sony Acid Music XMC (costs $60). There are others that I have heard of. There are others that are probably free. However, this is the only one I have ever tried, since it worked so well and was so easy for me to learn.
2. 2. Add your mp3s to your music project.
3. 3. Edit out foul language, extra beats, change the tempo, add sound effects and blend the songs together for continuous play.
4. 4. Burn your project to CD.
5. 5. Receive rave reviews for your amazing work!

PROS:

• You have complete control over the music in your class — you can finally have it all!

CONS:

• Requires learning a new software and putting effort into creating each CD. (It does get easier with practice!)
• If you tend toward OCD or perfectionism (I’m not naming any names here, but…) this may suck up all of your spare time and your family could wonder why you care more about your music than their dinner.

Have fun playing that funky music!

A really hot Spinning class.  The profile was not mine.  The music was not mine.  But the class was on fire!  This is the link to the post on Pedal-On:  http://pedal-on.com/showpost.php?p=58054&postcount=1

 If you haven’t signed up for Pedal-on yet, it is a great resource for Indoor Cyclists.  I don’t think you’ll be able to view this link without registering, but now you have a reason to join.

 The music came from Cadence Revolution.  I used Mix #16.  The combination was an endurance ride that actually surpassed everyone’s expectations and helped my students see that you can accomplish good things in 65%-75% range. 

 Have a great day!

The best compliment you can give me as a group fitness instructor is to ask me the name of a song that I played during class.  Of all the elements of a group fitness class, your music has the biggest impact on your student’s enjoyment of and energy levels during your class.  Music is also one of the most difficult elements to master, because music preference is highly personal.  In today’s post, I want to give you ideas on where to look for more music to add to your collection and how to decide whether or not to play a song in your class.
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Our Profile today isan all-terrain ride, meaning hearts will be  all over the map.  :) This profile should not be used for classes of novice participants. It is designed to challenge folks with an established and well-developed aerobic base. Because it is highly challenging, pay close attention to your students and give them opportunities to rest or bow out if needed. You should also rest or perform only a recovery workout the day after to prevent injuries or overtraining. Having said that, this really is an exciting and energetic ride that will get your class jumping, literally. We are going to focus on developing our technique and strengthening our heart and leg muscles. This is also a great way to spot any inconsistencies or dead spots in your pedalling technique. During this ride, expect to learn a lot about your body, elevate your heart rate to the top of your zone, and to sweat profusely. Ready? Set? Go!

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