Thread: choreography cd for students

in the end of September i'm going to be doing a drills class, which will include a choreography to an edited-for-length version of Bahlem Beek.
i do NOT want to steal music, or encourage my students to, or imply that it's ok for them to.
my initial plan was "bring some kind of evidence that you bought the song and i'll give you a cd with the edited version". but as i'm working on the class i'm thinking i would like to put the original, with vocals, version on the CD so they can hear where they fit in with the phrasing, as well as "once upon a dream" from sleeping beauty (i'm using it to help them connect to the meaning of the song), along with throwing the smaller sections that i'll be making into individual tracks for drilling (which im doing for class anyway, so it's not extra time)
so my question is: if you were asked to buy 3 songs (easily obtainable from iTunes) would you think it's too much hassle? should i just ask for proof of the one song and not include the other two on the cd (i'm going to use them as music while we stretch anyway)? or should i go ahead and put them on and require 3 songs (or CDs if they feel like it) be bought?

I don't think it's too much to ask folks to buy easily accessible songs- I have had folks with limited internet access, in which case I am willing to purchase it for them & hand them the CD- but I do go & make those individual purchases & make sure the students know I've done so!

when what we are working on for a semester is on one CD or is not obtainable on the 'net, I just include the price of the CD in class fees & hand them a CD on the first day of class.

I do the same as Lara L. I try to include the price of the CD with the registration fees. But I don't think that asking students to buy 3 songs is bad either.

the songs are from 3 separate CDs, i figured some people will want to buy the full cds, and some will want to only buy the songs, plus i have to give them burned copies because i need to give them the 2 min. shorter version.
maybe i should just add the price of the songs? or leave it up to them to get them so they can have the option of buying the full CDs? some of them might already have them too...
thank you. i guess im worried of people coming in and having not gone online and gotten the songs from being lazy, but i'll just have to risk it and not give them the cd if that happens.

I wouldn't worry about it overly much. At the risk of sounding jaded... Having the music at home seems to be much less important to the average student than it is to Bhuz-types (who think about dance between classes more than the average student).

I teach a drum solo choreography to an edited track -- I've cut over a minute out of it. I used to stress out over how to make the edited version available while still supporting the artist, as you're doing here.

Then I stopped. I provide a link to the full-length version on my site. I explain to students that we're using an edited version in class, that a minute is cut out, and that if they download the track they can just improvise that part, or choreograph it themselves. I expected complaints, or requests for the edited version -- especially when we've been getting ready to perform that choreo for recitals. But in the 3 years I've done it this way, I've had hundreds of students and not ONE has so much as gently requested an edited copy. Not one.

Either they don't mind working with the extra music on their own, or they really aren't practicing at home ever.

If you trust your students enough to do such a thing, a practice video where you are performing the routine so they can dance along is probably going to get more homework out of them than just giving them the music. For myself, even when I have the music, I am sometimes hesitant to practice choreography at home because I am not sure I remember it correctly. (Choreography notes tend to be somewhat useless to me--I never manage to write down the details of the transitions that made sense in class and don't later at home.) If you have a large class and are not sure you can depend on everyone to know the difference between "a gentleman's agreement between teacher and student" and "stuff that belongs on YouTube," this may not be a good option for you, though.

Regarding the original question, no, I do not think 3x$0.99 for downloads is too much. I don't even think 3x$15 for whole CDs is too much for a term, although the teacher should make that expense known up front. Buy any college textbooks lately? Education costs money. You're supposed to figure supplies into your budget when you undertake a study of something. If your students have money to purchase all the new hip scarves and veils and Sharifwear they fancy, they have money for music, and if they think they don't, then they need to get their priorities straight. You can dance in street clothes, but you can't dance without music.

Either they don't mind working with the extra music on their own, or they really aren't practicing at home ever.

Most of my students are in the last category, I'm afraid. Thanks for posting Lauren, next semester I will not provide them with edited music either.

What I did last semester is ask a student to tape me doing the choreography at the first class of the semester. I put it up on youtube as a private video and send everyone the link. Some students don't look at all, others and it's nice to have students comment on how I do something different in class 8 then in the initial choreography video. I make small adjustments based on the level and speed of the group.

Anyway, those little moments of feedback make me feel it's worth going through the trouble of editing music/videotaping/uploading/emailing.

I was just thinking about video, & Tourbeau beat me to it!
I had an instructor post a video we were working on on a private channel on youtube- only specific invitees were able to see it & she took it down after the class wrapped up- may be easier than making copies of the footage, as long as everyone has access to the internet at home (not always the case here!)

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

. Buy any college textbooks lately?

AHH!! don't remind me! i have another month before i have to worry about those!

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

If your students have money to purchase all the new hip scarves and veils and Sharifwear they fancy, they have money for music,

hehehe, i know the type. but we do all dance in streets, and i have a box of pashmina scarves some of the them use in class. i haven't had the mixed up priorities in class yet. :knock on wood:
thank you, i hadn't thought of video....

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I wouldn't worry about it overly much. At the risk of sounding jaded... Having the music at home seems to be much less important to the average student than it is to Bhuz-types (who think about dance between classes more than the average student).

I teach a drum solo choreography to an edited track -- I've cut over a minute out of it. I used to stress out over how to make the edited version available while still supporting the artist, as you're doing here.

Then I stopped. I provide a link to the full-length version on my site. I explain to students that we're using an edited version in class, that a minute is cut out, and that if they download the track they can just improvise that part, or choreograph it themselves. I expected complaints, or requests for the edited version -- especially when we've been getting ready to perform that choreo for recitals. But in the 3 years I've done it this way, I've had hundreds of students and not ONE has so much as gently requested an edited copy. Not one.

Either they don't mind working with the extra music on their own, or they really aren't practicing at home ever.

Me too - stress about getting students the edited version. I have been thinking of doing what Lauren says above - and now I believe I will indeed!

Use Kiyaana's Belly Dance Downloads site. She will make the playlist for you.
I don't know about the edit issue-I have the same quandry and solve the issue in different ways.

I do agree, if they have money for costume/hip scarf/fancy pants ect... they can pay for music.

I'm spoiled... my troup beats me to the punch! They go out on the internet, buy the track, and have it in their iPods before the next weeks class.

The first time this happened, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

I have new folks coming into that group now. Please let them be as good... please-o-please-o-please!!!!

Amy Renee

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Either they don't mind working with the extra music on their own, or they really aren't practicing at home ever.

..l;, Good call! There's another possibility - I suspect that they may get together outside of class to practise, & one of them has made an edited version to match the class version - what do you think?

Originally Posted by anthea

..l;, Good call! There's another possibility - I suspect that they may get together outside of class to practise, & one of them has made an edited version to match the class version - what do you think?

I find that there is often a small group that does this...the others...see above..l;,

ITunes is a good alternative. That is what I do. Explain that you can download the music from Itunes. Now - I have a few students that do not know how to use Itunes - for real! What I offer is - pay me the $1 for the song and I will download it for you - which I do! Maybe I will ask like $1 more for the cd. So - the artist is not being ripped off and it is all legit.