The magic of music

5 min article | Focus: how to build the ultimate playlist.

Imagine this.

You’re 38 minutes into a class and 5 layers deep into a lunge series that you wish would end.

Your leg is shaking uncontrollably and the sting of your glute is talking so loudly that you can’t think of anything else. You are fully convinced your glute might fall off. Right at this moment you start to tune into your breath, and as you do, your senses become heightened. All you can hear is your heavy breathing and a little voice inside you saying:

“Why is this so damn hard? I want to give up”.

All of a sudden you hear the slow build up of the last goodbye by ODESZA (If you don’t know it, look it up, and you’re welcome).

Your mindset changes. The beat starts to vibrate through your veins, your mind starts to say “I can” and somewhere between the 1.06 minute mark and the beat drop, you get strength to keep going, knowing you are so capable of being here in this moment doing this movement.

The endorphins rush in, leaving you with a sense of achievement, like anything is possible and its all because of YOU.

Before you have finished the class, you are already clearing your schedule to make room for the next class.

Anyone else or is it just me?

If you have experienced this, you know the feeling that I’m talking about, and just how transformative it is. Now, imagine facilitating this experience for your members. The magic behind music is so powerful that it can be used to let your members go inwards - on a spiritual journey through movement.

As you might be able to tell, I’m a little obsessed with matching music to movement and allowing people to get lost in the moment, helping them to break through barriers and unlock new strengths - not just physically or mentally, but also energetically.

Now to the juicy part - curating playlists to set the scene for your movement classes!

I may not be a DJ (well, maybe in a past life haha) but I do feel compelled to share with you all my tips and tricks, as I believe an intentional playlist can take your classes from good to unforgettable.

Set your intention for the class

Think about how you want your class to feel or what you want your members to feel?

For example, if you have the intention to make people feel happy and brighten up their day, you might start by collecting songs that have a faster, upbeat tempo or even popular songs that are associated with being happy.

On the other hand, if your intention is for people to get out of their heads and into their bodies, you might try to find songs that have a steady beat or that have powerful lyrics to encourage your members to be present and focus on their internal space (this can be literal; using songs that say breath/breathe etc).

If you’re reading this and thinking, I cant read music or this sounds all too much for a 45 minute class, try not to over complicate it.

Once you have your intention for class, start listening to music that you think will match the intended energy/vibe. It takes practice, however over time you will start to be able to group songs into feelings/vibes and go from there.

I like to do this when cleaning at home or driving; I might have one song in mind that I know will match the intention then I’ll use the ‘go to radio’ option on Spotify. Stay in the moment and feel how the music changes you.

Break your class into sections

Music can be a great way to bookmark sections of the class, allowing your members to bring the energy that is required for the certain phase of the class.

E.g. When you enter a movement class, you start by warming up the body and slowly increasing energy, therefore you might choose a song that starts slow and slowly starts to build a steady beat.

Think of your class as a bell curve; warm up, building series, peak series, cool down series, stretch/closing series.

You can call the sections whatever you like and you might even have more than one peak series but you get the idea.

Sectioning your class helps gain a deeper understanding of what energy is required based on the types of movements performed in the section.

Music is just energy in sound form; map out the energy and length of time for the section and match songs.

To save time, I have created playlists for each section of a class and when I hear a song I like, I add them to the correct playlist. Then when making a new playlist, I already have songs I can choose from.

Know your audience

Music is an art form and can be so subjective.

Although it would be impossible for every song of your playlist to resonate with every member, you can definitely tailor your playlist to your audience.

If you have regular members you might start to get an idea of what music motivates them - maybe even ask them for recommendations haha.

If you are going in blind and have no idea who will walk through the doors for your class, it can be a process of trial and error.

I like the bulk of the songs to have strong beats with minimal lyrics and then throw in a few well known songs that are crowd pleasers.

E.g, Untouched by the Veronicas is a great peak series song to get everyone moving n groovin.

I also like to find old classic songs that have been remixed, that way you’re catering to a range of different age groups.

This is the fun part, play around and watch how peoples bodies respond to the music you’ve chosen. You will be able to tell if majority of the room is vibing with your song choice.

Also remember you cannot please everyone and not every playlist will have the same impact on people.

My biggest advice is to let the music you choose be an extension of you. Find music you resonate with because chances are, your community are coming to your classes because they resonate with YOU so be you and lean into your unique personality and teaching style.

These tips are a starting point for making intentional playlists. It does require effort and practice so if the magic of music with movement is something you’re looking to deep dive into, be curious, have fun and seek feedback. I hope this inspired you or maybe even just got you thinking about music in a different way.