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 Hip-Hop
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How to find or create age-appropriate music for hip-hop
classes
When readers told us they wanted to learn more about
appropriate music choices for hip-hop dance, we went straight
to the source—their peers.
Dance Studio Life readers—teachers and school owners—share
their ideas on where they find music and how they edit it, as
well as some thoughts on the importance of keeping it clean.
The opinions and recommendations expressed in this article are
those of the writers and not of anyone affiliated with
Dance Studio Life.
Dawn Goode, Philadelphia, PA:
Hip-hop classes do not always have to use rap music. I teach
hip-hop to children (at a dance studio) and adults (at a
fitness club), and must use clean music for both. Since
hip-hop music does not only include rap, I use a mixture of
pop, R&B, and rap to provide the proper music for class.
Just like any other dance technique, the choreography is what
determines the type of dance. I have done and seen hip-hop
performed to everything from Michael Jackson to gospel,
African drums, soundtracks, Usher—you name it. The key is to
find different versions of the songs you wish to use. It also
helps to mix together portions of different songs; that way
you don’t have the monotony that usually comes with hip-hop
music and you can use the appropriate parts. It also helps to
have a theme for the choreography; that way the students
understand why you chose a particular song.
Don’t forget old-school music. Hip-hop used to have a message,
so there is some really good music that goes unused in today’s
hip-hop classes. The problem is that many studios use young
people to teach those classes, and they don’t have knowledge
of old-school hip-hop. And since many of today’s artists have
remade similar songs, or sampled old-school music, they could
be mixed together to create some pretty good performance
music.
Several “fitness-music” companies sell music for hip-hop
classes. Although many of them don’t use the original artists,
some sound pretty good and they are almost always clean. I use
those every now and then as class music.
If you are sold on using rap music, remember that almost every
artist puts out clean versions of their CDs. (Wal-Mart sells
only edited CDs.) The most important thing, however, is that
you listen to your music all the way through before playing it
in class.
I teach in an urban area where the kids are pretty up on
what’s new and hot in hip-hop. They often request songs for
class, but I have to be the adult and determine what is
appropriate. I even take the time to explain why certain music
is not appropriate for young people (mostly girls). I often
find they haven’t really listened to the lyrics or don’t
understand what they mean. I use dance classes to teach all
sorts of life lessons to my girls. It doesn’t stop because
we’re in hip-hop class.
Jennifer Dunn, Fabulous Feet Dance Studio, Ft. Gratiot, MI:
I monitor all music (recital and practice) very closely. The
teachers or their assistants print out the lyrics of their
music choices and are trained in how to cut music if needed.
As an owner, it is important to me not only because I don’t
want complaints from parents, but because we are role models
for all of our students. We use no questionable lyrics
in any class, regardless of age. We as studio owners
need to realize that not only do the students sing their class
music, they also attend the recital where they are exposed to
all the classes’ music. Recital is a family function. We use
clean music as much as possible; when we can’t, we cut the
songs or use instrumental versions of them. There are so many
free or low-price, easy-to-use music- cutting programs
available that there is no reason not to do so. I also make
sure the parents are told not to purchase certain original
versions of music for their children. We make it very clear
that our music is cut.
Jennifer Garrow, owner, Miss Jackie’s Studio of Dance,
Rutland, VT:
I have great difficulty finding good hip-hop music. For the
younger groups I use music from The Crazy Frog, Kids Rap’n
the Hits, and Hampton the Hamster. For the older kids, it
is harder to find the right music. This year for the teens we
are using a mix of the songs “London Bridge” by Fergie,
“Breathe In, Breathe Out” by 116 Clique, and “Lose My Breath”
by Destiny’s Child, and we always download the edited
versions. It is also hard because most of the hip-hop kids are
really not technically trained and we have difficulty finding
the right beats per minute for the choreography, so it also
becomes a music lesson for them.
Coby Richardson, Vista Grove Dance Centre, Decatur, GA:
At my studio we like to use music that is popular, but I find
it very frustrating when a rapper or singer uses profanity. We
have different methods of editing music, depending on the
song. A lot of songs have an edited radio version, but that
still does not mean that bad words are edited out. If an
offensive word is in a song, we flip it on a music-editing
program we have so that it becomes a sound, not a recognizable
word. My first choice is to totally edit a chorus or verse.
Michaele Replogle, Sharon’s School of Dance, Middletown, PA:
I edit all of our music, hip-hop and everything else, for
language and content for both class and performances. I use
the program Auda city,
which is free and available online (audacity.source forge.net).
I take out all swear words and references to drugs and most
references to alcohol, (depending on age and context), along
with any lines or verses that I feel are inappropriate. Some
examples: Missy Elliott’s song “Hurt Sumthin” has a line about
“talking kink” that I took out for a 14-year-old dancer’s
[routine], as well as the phrase “mother sucker.” And in
Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman,” I replaced the parts about
“cherry pop” and “panties drop” with instrumental beats for a
16-year-old tapper.
Some guidelines we use are: Ages 13 and up can use music that
may be questionable as long as I fix it. For younger dancers
we really like the Disney movie soundtracks. I edit the music
for myself, at 31, just as much as for the other dancers. The
only exception is that I allow more adult themes—as long as
it’s not something the kids shouldn’t be hearing!
Sometimes I use the reverse feature in Audacity or put in
sound effects, but most often I replace the offensive word
with instrumental sections, sometimes just one or two beats,
for a seamless flow. I find that the reverse or sound-effect
option can sometimes draw attention to the edit. Frankly,
people know what used to be there. The best thing is when my
students hear an unedited version and tell me they had
actually forgotten that it went like that!
My efforts are largely overlooked by the students and
families—until we get to a competition and they hear unedited
or badly edited music. Then I get so many thank-yous that it
makes it worth it!
Suzanne Perdue, Dancers Edge, Marlborough, MA:
When I hear a song I like, I go online to www.lets singit.com
or www.lyrics.com to read the lyrics. If I can tell from
listening to the song that there are lots of edited words (the
song seems to jump ahead) or that it’s outright inappropriate,
then I know I have to be creative. I don’t want to create that
same “jump effect,” which, to me, sounds unprofessional. The
song has to be clean in word and intention. Radio stations
don’t care; however, dance teachers have to. I try to keep the
integrity of the song intact (rhythm, octave changes, the
passion in the voice of the singer, and what the composer is
trying to say), and if I have to do too many edits I won’t use
it. Editing is not easy—sometimes you can miss a word because
you can’t understand what’s being said—but that’s why it’s
important to read the lyrics.
I also take into consideration the subject of the song. Some
are downright disgusting, either blatantly or through
innuendo. I am very picky about my music. It has to be age
appropriate, fit what I want the dancers to do, and contain no
swear words, double entendres, or references to violence or
sex. There are certain “artists” (for lack of a better word to
describe them!) that I avoid.
I hate it when I like a song and can’t use it (like “Candyman”
by Christina Aguilera). There’s no way you can edit out some
of the lines. I find that the kids just don’t get it; they
like the beat, and when they’re dancing to it they’re
clueless, as was the choreographer/teacher who gave them that
dance. I know kids badger teachers to use certain songs, but
in the end, it’s the studio’s and the teacher’s reputation.
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