The Arguments

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 enthusiastically a proponent of using adaptations until I came across the First Class Albums which were created following the foundations of the Motosonus Method. The concept behind this strategy is clear and straighforward, but quite powerful.

The Details

The Motosonus Method outlines an approach to writing and improvising ballet class music that is focused on maximizing the lessons being learned in class. This is done by continually giving the dance students with auditory cues that in a way communicate directly with their muscles. The music creates states of rhythmic and phrased consonance and dissonance that correspond to the tension and relaxation that happens in the dancers' muscles when the exercise is being done correctly. This is a simplified explanation, nevertheless it will serve for this essay.

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.