Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Are you the leader of a cheerleader or dance group and you wonder where other teams get great music from? Of course! Do you want your own selection of music but don't want to pay for it? Try to create it yourself on your home computer!

You will need to practice a little, but you will very quickly learn how to mix all kinds of music. Once you've mastered this simple skill, you can create simple selections of music or complex, creative mixes for your programs. We will tell you how to do this.

Steps

1. 1 Get the program. Download a program for editing music files. You can find a huge number of good programs on the Internet.
   • Audacity runs on Mac, PC, and Linux systems and other operating systems - and it's free!
2. 2 Find some songs that sound good together. Ask your teammates to help you with the selection.
   • Choose songs that have a similar rhythm or sound similar, or find songs that fit the rhythm of your movements.
3. 3 Open the songs in the program. Create a new, empty sound file at the same time.
   • Find the parts in each song that you want to use.
   • Cut each piece in order and place it in a blank file.
     
     
4. 4 Add sound effects! You can buy or download thousands of sound effects that will add originality to your movements. Cut multiple effects and apply them to different parts of your music.
5. 5 The main thing is to calculate the time correctly! Make sure the resulting music mix suits you. Listen to it with your teammates and see what they think of it. After doing a few of these mixes, you will fully master this skill!
6. 6 Burn your music to disc. Congratulations, you've just created a great mix, now it's time to use it. Make copies for your friends, hand them out and start practicing your dance routine!

Tips

• Add parts of songs at different tempos. Don't make the whole mix fast; slow it down and then speed it up again.
• Listen to the music other bands are dancing to. Do not use songs that are used too often by other bands or that are always played on the radio.
• Make sure your movement "falls" on the sound effects. When you create your mix, create a melody, then come up with movements, and only then insert sound effects in the places where your group performs a certain movement.
• With the music editing software, you can easily cut, paste, sample and overlay different songs. You can speed up or slow down the tempo of the songs. This way you can use songs that are too fast and just slow them down with the program.
• Choose a theme for your music program. For example, if your theme is sports, use songs about sports and amplify that effect by making costumes that fit that theme.
• Make sure you have a blank CD. Or even a few!
• Be original. Try independent artists for a new and fresh sound.

Warnings

• Be careful when downloading music from the internet. It can be illegal and lead to computer viruses.
• Be sure to make multiple copies of your music mixes. You may want to use them in the future.
• Do not try to create a mix yourself the first time before an important competition. Practice first!

What do you need

• Computer
• Internet
• Music (on computer or CDs)
• Music editing software (some are free to download)
• CDs for recording the finished mix
• Sound effects (optional)