Just as a well-executed stunt starts with a solid foundation, a flawless competition routine needs to have all of the essential elements that appear on the score sheet. These elements are the fundamentals taken from gymnastics, dance, acro-sports, and more, similar to the way an elementary school program must include the basics of math, reading, science, history, art, and physical education.

In cheerleading, the sections of a routine consist of the following:

In order to flawlessly pair music with your cheer routine, you’ll need to employ the simple, but powerful, 8-count sheet. An 8-count sheet is a textual representation of your choreography that can be used by a music producer to place sound effects and music at just the right moments throughout your routine. It’s not difficult to fill out an 8-count sheet, but the clearer you are at conveying your desires, the more likely it is that you’ll end up with a high-impact performance.

In a perfect world, every cheer team would have the luxury of working directly with an experienced music producer to compose the perfect mix to suit every competition routine. But in reality, that service is outside the budget of many cheer squads. Luckily, with enough creativity, any cheer team can achieve equally great results using premixed music.

The most important elements of a great cheerleading team are probably hard work, passion, and creativity—but a solid soundtrack never hurts. When you’re choosing music for your next cheer routine, there are several small missteps that could be holding your team back from giving the performance of a lifetime. Check out these common musical blunders to see if you might need to get your team back on the right beat:

A cheer or dance performance without music is like a fish without water. Music sets the mood of the show, keeps the audience engaged, and ensures the entire squad is coordinated and on point. Selecting the music for a big performance can be tricky, but the process can help you sharpen the vision for your routine. A good music song for a cheer or dance performance has a few important qualities: