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.

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  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

Royal Academy of Dance® is a charity registered in England and Wales No. 312826
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

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