Music Is the Foundation of Ballet
Ballet and music are inseparable. From the earliest Pre-Primary classes to professional company warm-ups, every exercise in a ballet class is performed to music — and the choice of that music is far from random. Understanding what is played, and why, adds a new dimension to your appreciation of your child’s training.
Why Live Piano Accompaniment Is Preferred
Most serious ballet schools use a live pianist rather than recorded music. This is not mere tradition — it has pedagogical value. A live accompanist can:
- Adjust the tempo to suit the class’s progress through an exercise
- Slow down to allow the teacher to correct technique, then resume
- Respond to what the teacher is hearing and seeing in real time
- Vary dynamics and phrasing to teach musicality at a deeper level
In RAD examinations, a live pianist plays the set music for each exercise — one of the distinctive features of the RAD examination format that sets it apart from many other systems.
What Type of Music Is Played in Ballet Class
Early Years Classes (Pre-Primary, Primary)
Music for the youngest students is simple, clear, and often narrative. Childhood songs, nursery rhymes set to classical piano, and simple waltzes and marches help children connect movement to musical pulse. Exercises have very clear rhythmic structures (2/4 or 4/4 time) so young children can feel the beat easily. Fun, image-based pieces — “pretend you are a butterfly,” “walk like an elephant” — are accompanied by music that suggests those images.
Grade 1–3
Music becomes more structured. Specific time signatures are taught in relation to exercises: pliés are often in ¾ time (waltz), tendus in 2/4 or 4/4, jetés in 2/4. Students begin to understand phrasing — the musical sentence — and how their movement should shape itself to the music rather than simply keeping the beat.
Grade 4 and above
Classical repertoire music begins to appear more frequently — passages from Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Delibes, and Minkus are used for barre and center exercises. Students learn to interpret music rather than just follow it: to respond to a ritardando (slowing), an accent, or a change in dynamic, and to express what the music is saying through movement.
Famous Composers Whose Music Appears in Ballet Classes
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker; his music is the foundation of the classical ballet repertoire
- Léo Delibes — Coppélia and Sylvia; beautifully structured for dance
- Ludwig Minkus — Don Quixote and La Bayadère; the preferred composer of the great Russian choreographers
- Frédéric Chopin — nocturnes, mazurkas, and waltzes used for adagio and lyrical exercises
- Johann Strauss II — waltzes used extensively for waltz exercises and free movement
- Sergei Prokofiev — Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella; more complex and dramatic
The RAD and Music
The RAD commissions and publishes specific musical arrangements for each grade’s syllabus. These pieces are composed or arranged to match the precise counts, tempos, and character of each exercise — which is why RAD examination students recognize their music immediately and why a live pianist must be familiar with the RAD’s published scores. The music changes when a new syllabus is introduced, which happens periodically as the RAD updates its grades.
Can Children Practice to Ballet Music at Home?
Absolutely. Playing classical music during home practice — or even during homework or bedtime — builds musical familiarity naturally. Tchaikovsky’s ballets, Chopin’s nocturnes, and Delibes’s Coppélia suite are all available on streaming platforms. Many families play these in the car on the way to class. Musical exposure outside the studio deepens a child’s musical intelligence in ways that benefit their dancing for life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child’s ballet school need a pianist?
Not necessarily. Many excellent ballet schools use recorded music, particularly for younger classes. The quality of teaching matters far more than whether accompaniment is live or recorded. However, if your child reaches a stage where they are preparing for RAD examinations, they should have experience dancing to live piano, since examinations use a live accompanist.
What is the music in the RAD Pre-Primary syllabus?
The RAD commissions specific music for each syllabus. The current Pre-Primary music was composed for the most recent version of the RAD syllabus and is available from RAD Enterprises. Your child’s teacher will have access to the correct recordings.
Why do ballet classes always seem to start with a waltz?
The triple meter of a waltz (1-2-3, 1-2-3) maps naturally onto the rhythm of a plié — the first exercise in virtually every barre. The down-and-up movement of a plié in 3/4 time feels inherently musical. It is also a gentle, flowing starting tempo that warms the body gradually.