Why You Should Never Use Your Phone to Play Your Mix at Competition

The first day of cheer season starts, it all seems to just fly by. The importance of having everything on hand is quite important. However, it cannot be stressed enough that using your cell phone to play music at a competition can cause serious consequences to your team’s routine and reputation.
As convenient as it may be to have everything in one place, using your cell phone can be detrimental to your team’s success at a competition. There are so many small things that can make a routine take a turn for the worse. Text messages, phone calls and any other notification systems that you may have installed on your cell can cause a major setback in the routine.

Notifications will cause the music to pause momentarily, playing the notification sound in the middle of the music. Text messages may cause either a sound or a dramatic drop in the music, or both. If someone accidently moves your phone, the music may be shuffled to another track, a common feature on many devices. Phone calls will stop the music entirely, leaving your call ringing in the middle of an open arena in front of thousands of people. Battery life

is another issue. If your phone has low battery, there may be an indication sound that will interrupt the music. The phone itself may even run out of battery completely, in which case the music would stop suddenly and no longer continue playing.
Don’t get stuck being the team that gets noticed for a beeping frog noise in the middle of the music instead of the hard work your team has put in all season long. Although you may be allowed the opportunity to come back and perform at a later time, the chances of the routine running smoothly are highly unlikely. Your team will have to pick up and begin again from the exact moment that the glitch in the music occurred. This can cause major confusion for the team. The judges may also not remember the earlier part you’ve performed previously. Not only that, but by the time your team is scheduled to perform again, the chances of them being watched with as many fans is not nearly as likely. You want your team to come to competition ready and prepared to perform a fierce routine, and be remembered for it. Below are some alternate ways you can store your music and avoid any complications:

CDs:
Although a seemingly outdated concept, CDs provide the venue with a hard copy of your music. Make multiple copies to ensure that you have the music on hand when ready. Store them in a safe place with a reliable person such as a coach or parent as well as yourself. Check to make sure each copy is in working order before storing them away. Play them again before competition as well. It is a cost-effective and efficient way to be sure that your music will play with no interruption.

Flash Drives (USB Keys):
You can store a large amount of data on these devices. Almost all newer sound systems are hooked up to a computer which will support USB drives (or USB Keys). Make sure your music is in MP3 format, which is much more compatible than some free formats like “ogg” or “aiff”. Simply transfer the music to the drive. Store the drive in a safe location. Store the device in something you know for sure you will have on you at competition, like your keychain, lanyard or backpack. Having two flash drives amongst two separate people is ideal as well in case one is forgotten.

MP3 Players:
Although there can be complications with MP3 players as well, there are certainly less issues that can occur than with a cell phone. Make sure the MP3 player plays the music properly before competition. Ensure that the device is fully charged, and that any shuffle settings are switched to off, in case the device gets moved or dropped during play time.

Take precaution when planning to pack your music. It is one of the most important elements of a routine. Your team worked hard to be there and earn their place at competition. Be remembered for all the right reasons. Make sure everyone notices your team’s hard work. Show the judges why you’re here today. Don’t use your cell phone to play your music! There are more important things to worry about. Go through competition having one less thing that can go wrong. Back it up, pack it and make sure it plays right. Take every precaution possible to ensure success at competition!!