There appears to be two schools of thought on the topic of whether or not transcripts and arrangements of classical literature offer the best choice of musical material to be used in ballet classes.
The Discussions
People who favor it point out that ballet music is precisely what the ballet students will ultimately be dancing to, so it's an obvious choice of music for use in training them. People who disagree say that the requirements of learning ballet have little to do with the discipline of performance, and therefore the music should be written for and tailored to each individual ballet exercise.
I Changed My Mind
I was clearly on the side of using transcriptions until I used the First Class Albums which were composed following the rules of the Motosonus Method. The theory behind this method is quite straightforward, however, it is also enormously powerful.
The Details
The Motosonus Method outlines an approach to composing ballet class music that concentrates on enhancing the lessons being learned in class. This is realized by consistently feeding the dancers with aural clues that essentially communicate directly with their muscles. The music creates states of rhythmic and phrased consonance and dissonance that correspond to the tension and relaxation that occurs in the dancers' muscles when the exercise is being performed properly. This is a simplified summary, nonetheless it will serve for this article.
In addition, the music pushes the dancers further by using tempo, rubato and beat placement. For example, the endings of phrases can be stretched to maximize a stretch or to inspire the dancer to hold a position just a little longer. These techniques, which perhaps seem tiny in themselves add up over a period of time to a raised level of learning and an increased level of accomplishment in less time.
How Much Does It Matter?
If you ever wondered if the music employed in ballet class truly makes a difference in the effectiveness of the teaching and the progress of the students, you need to try out music written following the Motosonus Method.
The Discussions
People who favor it point out that ballet music is precisely what the ballet students will ultimately be dancing to, so it's an obvious choice of music for use in training them. People who disagree say that the requirements of learning ballet have little to do with the discipline of performance, and therefore the music should be written for and tailored to each individual ballet exercise.
I Changed My Mind
I was clearly on the side of using transcriptions until I used the First Class Albums which were composed following the rules of the Motosonus Method. The theory behind this method is quite straightforward, however, it is also enormously powerful.
The Details
The Motosonus Method outlines an approach to composing ballet class music that concentrates on enhancing the lessons being learned in class. This is realized by consistently feeding the dancers with aural clues that essentially communicate directly with their muscles. The music creates states of rhythmic and phrased consonance and dissonance that correspond to the tension and relaxation that occurs in the dancers' muscles when the exercise is being performed properly. This is a simplified summary, nonetheless it will serve for this article.
In addition, the music pushes the dancers further by using tempo, rubato and beat placement. For example, the endings of phrases can be stretched to maximize a stretch or to inspire the dancer to hold a position just a little longer. These techniques, which perhaps seem tiny in themselves add up over a period of time to a raised level of learning and an increased level of accomplishment in less time.
How Much Does It Matter?
If you ever wondered if the music employed in ballet class truly makes a difference in the effectiveness of the teaching and the progress of the students, you need to try out music written following the Motosonus Method.
About the Author:
This is brought to you by Gaylord Pannitron. For more details about how to play the piano for ballet class, there are examples at this link: ballet class music, which is an internet site for ballet class teachers and pianists. The First Class Albums, mentioned in this post can be found in Amazon's ballet class music listings.
