1) Make sure your music is age appropriate for the dancers and the audience.
2) Listen for inappropriate language. Look for clean or radio versions.
3) Find the Lyrics, to make sure there are no unacceptable words, and to aid in choreography. Go to: A-Z Lyrics, UniverseLyrics.com, or Smart Lyrics
4) You can have a few music choices and have the dancer/dancers choose. This way they have a say and you are able to make sure all choices are suitable.
5) Have a professional editor create a unique mixed piece.
6) Change the tempo, speed or length of a song you like to make it work for a routine. Download a free editing program: Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder or if you use Apple, GarageBand works great as well.
7) Make sure your cuts are smooth and not choppy.
8) Make several copies to bring to performances and competitions. Bring several CD copies and a thumb-drive of the mp3 file.
So you only know a few words of a song you want. How do find it?
1) Go to Google search
2) In the box for search, type in the lyrics you know.
3) Type “lyrics” after the lyrics you know, especially if they are all common words
4) Click the first link that comes to you. That should have your song.
OR go to one of these sites:
• Lyrics Search Engine
• Browsable AZ Music Lyrics Archive
• Song Lyrics Search Engine