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Another season of competition is almost upon us, and if you're like me, you're swimming in a sea of choreography.  It feels like we just finished last year's material, doesn't it?  Never the less, it's time to download the latest version of iTunes and start searching.  The never ending search for new and inspiring music to tap dance to continues.  

One of my biggest fears is walking into a rehearsal without a solid musical idea.  You know, when you've searched the whole night before but just can't find anything you love.  Sometimes it seems like the harder you look the more hopeless it gets.  

For Musicality Monday I thought it would be helpful to give you my 3 favorite artists that I can always go to when nothing else is inspiring me.  These 3 artists all have different styles but have multiple albums and tracks that are great for choreography.  


Rodrigo y Gabriela (Rodrigo and Gabriela) are a Mexican acoustic guitar duo whose music is influenced by a number of genres including nuevo flamencorock, and heavy metal. The duo's recordings consist largely of instrumental duets on the classical guitar.  They have released five studio albums, three live albums and one EP.  Their music is a lot of fun to tap dance to.  As a choreographer, they give you very strong and interesting rhythms to work with.

My favorite tracks: Buster Voodoo, Diablo Rojo, Tamacun, Hanuman                                                     


Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the acronym PMJ, is a rotating music collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early 20th century forms such as swing and jazz.  They cover tons of popular songs in a style that is very conducive to tap dancing.  

My Favorites:  Thrift Shop, Lean On, Criminal, Straight Up


Boyce Avenue is an American Rock Band made up of three  brothers.  They mainly do covers of popular songs with an acoustic rock feel.  They arrange and perform the songs in a way that the vocals, acoustic guitar and taps blend really well together.  They've released 15 cover EPs since 2007.

My Favorites: Lovestones, Fast Car, Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall, Glad You Came


These three artists all have dozens of songs that would make great tap pieces.  The covers really work well with the younger generation because they're songs they know but are done in a new and interesting way.  Hopefully these artists will help you choose music this season and keep tap dancing fresh and exciting at your studio and competitions this year!