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Throughout theNetflix docuseriesCheer, we learn so much about the sport and the athletes dedicating their lives to it.
Enter, Patrick Avard, a.k.a.CheerMusicPro.
From the introductory Its a dog-eat-dog world!
So my job is to inspire them to perform.
People who havent been exposed to cheerleading, they dont really understand it, Avard laughs.
So, hearing this cheer mix, theyre like,Man, what is this?
Ive never heard anything like this.
For us, its normal.
What was your introduction into cheerleading music?It happened by accident.
I needed someone to make music and I didnt know anyone who could do it.
This was back in 2000.
How has cheerleading music changed since then?Its changed enormously in every single way, honestly.
Back then, people were just cutting and pasting pieces of songs together.
Now, were doing full, all-original production.
We write and produce and arrange and compose virtually every piece of music in every mix.
Its all customized and soundtracked to the performance.
The other thing thats changed is, weve built a fan base for it, if you will.
We have music releases and lyric videos and people follow the music of the teams that they love.
Then, they have standing tumbling and running tumbling, which is exactly what the name says.
You have your dance component, and then you have your pyramid, and then you have jumps.
Those are the main components.
Typically, for me, tumbling needs to be fast-paced and really amped up and energetic.
The stunt sections are typically a little bit more open, a little bit more melodic.
Sometimes people like to put a big emotional ballad in a pyramid.
It makes it feel more dramatic and heartfelt.
Then, the dance is just whatever the team feels like they can get down to.
Navarro, theyve created a dynasty.
Theyre a 14-time national champion.
So we always see to it that we write about their history.
We talk about how many grand champions theyve won.
We talk about the titles in some clever and creative way.
They always have a hip-hop dance, so we always verify that their dance is a hip-hop style.
Maybe a bird reference.
This year, we said, Tastes like chicken, which I thought was pretty clever.
How much say doesCoach Monicahave over what goes in the music?
So, I put [the video] in the session and I start marking it and making notes.
And then I close it out and I let it sit.
To actually do the entire mix takes pretty much a whole day.
Its somewhere between 8 to 12 hours depending on how fast it comes together and how detailed things are.
Wow, so all at once.
I actually would prefer that the music have more melodic components.
So, hearing this cheer mix that theyre like, Man, what is this?
Ive never heard anything like this.
For us, its normal.
Its to inspire them to perform.
So, really and truly for me, my job is to inspire them to perform.
And the second function of it is, its made to a constant beats per minute.
So the tempo is the exact same throughout the entire mix.
And they contacted me and they said, Hey, were a part of this Netflix series this year.
Do you think that we can work it out to be able to use our music in the series?
And I said, Yes, sure.
Is that your music too?
And I actually did [the mix for] Texas Tech University as well.
I want them all to do so well.
I dont even know how I would choose one favorite.
Each year Im always trying to sort of raise the bar and set the bar.
Can I give you a handful of favorites?
I really likeStingray Orangethis year.
You know, theyve always had the Siri voice in their routines.
We sort of got away from their style, I think, a little bit the last few years.
So this year, I really focused on trying to go back to their original style.
And I really likeWorld Cup Shooting Stars.
They went through all the way to the ball dropping at New Years and then a trip down Broadway.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
