Music Factsheet 14: Music Resources

Introduction
Is talking about music like dancing about architecture,  as the famous quip goes? We don't think so: talking about music is a good idea, if it means that you can add some context to what you're doing, find new music, or get the details that you need to send off a licensing application or write a programme note. For this reason, we are trying constantly to improve the music information on our products, whether in printed music or inlay booklets for CDs.  This factsheet gives an overview of what’s available and how to use it, and introduces some RAD music products that can complement syllabus work. 

Music in focus guidebooks
Music In Focus is a series of two 32-page booklets that accompany the recordings of  the Alternative Music for Grades 1-5. Inside, there are short articles about ballet music traditions in Italy, France & Denmark (Grades 1-3), and England and Russia (Grades 4-5), and detailed information about every track on the CDs – who wrote the music, what it’s called, which ballet it’s been used for.   Type any of the names in here into your favourite search engine or online music store, and start an exciting musical journey!  And now, even if you don’t have the Alternative Music CDs, you can now download the  Guidebooks from the RAD Enterprises site. And if you’re starting out as a teacher, or working with an accompanist for the first time, you’ll be glad to know that at the back of the Music in Focus books (see above) there is a section on music and dance rhythms for dance teaching.
- Download Music in Focus Grades 1-3 (free)
- Download Music in Focus Grades 4-5 (free)

Studio Series Volumes 1-6
There are now six volumes of  Studio Series Intuition, each with over an hour of music for ballet classes. No tracks are repeated (you can use the repeat button on your CD player for that), so these are excellent value for money. The music ranges from popular classics, chansons, folk music and show tunes, all carefully documented on pages 2-3 of each inlay booklet. The variety of styles, periods, rhythms and tempi provide a range of templates and ideas for creating new exercises, or even short dances. We've named Studio Series 6 'Excursions', since there are a few excursions from the norm to enjoy - adage on a cello, a port de bras on the harp, a solo on a violin - in addition to a selection of piano music you'll enjoy. 

• Studio Series at RAD Enterprises

A Dance Class Anthology
Do you want to help a musician learn to play for ballet classes? Or are you a musician wanting to learn? A Dance Class Anthology is a book of 54 fail-safe pieces for classical ballet classes, taken from the ballet and light-classical repertoire. Arranged in the order of a typical ballet class, each piece is annotated with a few short sentences about why the music chosen works for the type of exercise. All the music is available on Studio Series Intuition Volume 3, so together these form a very special educational resource for both teachers and pianists. A 20-page introduction discusses theoretical, professional and practical issues related to dance accompaniment.

• A Dance Class Anthology 
• Studio Series 3

Alternative Music for Grades 1-5

Do you want to give your pupils a tour through some of the most famous ballet music ever written from five countries? Or give your pianist some inspiration for finding more music? Alternative Music for Grades 1-5 helps to familiarise a new generation with classics from the ballet repertoire such as Coppélia, The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Les Patineurs and Vespri Siciliani.  177 pieces from the concert, ballet and folk-dance repertoire can be used alongside or instead of the original music for Grades 1-5.  For pianists it is a quickfire introduction to the world of ballet music, and gives a secure grounding in the rhythms and dance forms associated with classical ballet. See also Music in Focus above.

Online inlay booklets
When we came to reprint the CDs for Grades 6, 7 and 8, we decided to include much more detailed information about the music in the inlay booklets.  If you have earlier editions of the CDs, you can still download inlay booklets with the music information in them. You can use these for locating recordings of orchestral versions of the music, or for providing students with interesting context to the music they are dancing to, and the ballets and musical works that it came from. 

• Download Grade 6 inlay booklet 
• Download Grade 7 inlay booklet
• Download Grade 8 inlay booklet

Dance Class Tunebook
Published alongside the new Pre-Primary in Dance syllabus music in 2009, Dance Class Tunebook is a collection of music that can be used for imaginative music sequences for young children. Each page is a keyboard version of the music that teachers use on CD2 of the Pre-Primary syllabus pack, and like A Dance Class Anthology, is annotated with handy tips about why the music was chosen. Expert improviser Mark Brown passes on useful advice on improvising for children, and there are suggestions throughout for using electronic keyboards, live music and music technology to enhance your creative ideas. Includes a CD of all the music in the book, and backing tracks for folk tunes from the Pre-Primary syllabus music, and toplines for solo instruments for those tracks (also available as a free download).

• Dance Class Tunebook
• Toplines for folk tunes from the Pre-Primary Syllabus

Rhythm Flashcards
We recently re-released on DVD Relating Music to Movement through Free Movement and Character. The original video included optional ‘Flash cards’ for introducing basic rhythm notation concepts in classes. These are now available as a free download in either pdf or Powerpoint format from the RAD Enterprises website. 

• Relating Music to Movement DVD 
• Free flashcards: Powerpoint  |  PDF

After Class volumes 1 and 2
After Class started out with the idea that there are some great tunes on Studio Series, but they're a bit short if you really like the music and want to hear how it goes next. So we took some of the pieces from the Studio Series and Alternative Music for Grades 1-5 that were just begging to be recorded in their full & original versions, and made a CD. Then we completed the album with pieces of music from the classical repertoire that had a dance theme. The result is two albums of musical inspirations for sitting back and listening to – or getting up and choreographing to!  

• After Class 1
• After Class 2