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There's this moment in every tap class where everything clicks. Your heels hit the floor, your arms find their position, and suddenly you're not thinking anymore—you're just feeling the music. For me, that moment came way too often to the same ten songs. Turns out, my teacher had a playlist she never officially shared, but somehow those tracks were always playing when we walked in.
She called it her "secret weapon." Years later, I understand why.
"Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman
This is where it all starts. Every beginner needs a song that makes them feel unstoppable, and this one hits differently—those brass section swells, that driving percussion underneath. The first time I nailed a clean time step to this song, I understood what my teacher meant when she said "let the music do the thinking for you." The tempo is relentless in the best way. You can't overthink your shuffles when the song won't let you catch your breath.
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by The Andrews Sisters
There's a reason this song has survived almost a century. It'spure, distilled joy in three minutes. Tap classes can get serious—technique, alignment, weight distribution—and then this comes on and suddenly everyone's smiling. The Andrews Sisters deliver it with such playfulness that your feet follow suit. I've used this song to teach beginners confidence. The rhythm is forgiving, the melody is memorable, and even when your footwork falls apart, you're having too much fun to care.
"The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin
Don't let the simplicity fool you. "The Entertainer" is technically demanding in ways that reveal every weakness in your timing. Those syncopated piano runs expose sloppy technique instantly. I learned to respect this song the hard way—performed it at a recital and thought I nailed it until I watched the video back. My teacher was kind in her feedback: "You played the notes. Where's the groove?" Now it's the song I return to when I need to check if my foundational technique is solid.
"Take Five" by Dave Brubeck
Here's where we level up. The 5/4 time signature sounds disorienting at first—like the music keeps stumbling. But once your ears adjust, it becomes hypnotic. Dancing to "Take Five" taught me how to find the pocket in unconventional rhythms. There's a specific moment in the saxophone solo—right around the two-minute mark—where the phrasing loosens and then snaps back. That's where the magic happens. I've watched advanced dancers find creative movements in that gap that they'd never discover in 4/4.
The Modern Mix
"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
Yes, it's contemporary. Yes, it sounds nothing like what you'd expect in a tap class. That's exactly why it works. The groove in this song is so deep it becomes almost physical—your taps don't compete with the rhythm, they join it. I incorporate modern songs like this to show students that tap isn't stuck in the past. The metronome and the beat box aren't enemies; they're collaborators. "Uptown Funk" is also my go-to for crowd-performance energy. People can't help but bob along.
"Happy" by Pharrell Williams
Before every recital, my teacher would play this. Not for technique—for energy. There's something about the open-groove feel that loosens everything up. You stop performing for the judges and start moving because the music genuinely makes you feel good. I've adopted this ritual with my own students now. Before we tackle anything difficult, we "get happy" first. The Psychology is real: happy feet don't tense up.
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake
Similar energy to "Happy," but with more complexity in the arrangement. What makes this valuable for tap is how the different elements—the Synthesizers, the backing vocals, that unexpected violin drop—create shifting rhythmic landscapes. Learning to adapt your footwork when the music changes texture is an advanced skill, and this song is the perfect training ground.
The Old School Essentials
"The Charleston" by Ray Noble & His Orchestra
You can't claim to teach tap without acknowledging where it came from. The Charleston isn't just a dance-it's a relationship with rhythm. This song demands sharpness. Your heels need to be precise, your weight needs to shift instantly. I've had students struggle with "advanced" patterns only to excel when we stripped it back to basic Charleston fundamentals with this track. Sometimes simplicity is the real challenge.
"Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin
This is the sophisticated song. The casualness is deceptive-Bobby Darin makes it sound effortless, but the swing feel requires control. "Mack the Knife" is where I teach students about dynamics in tap. Not every phrase needs to be loud. The song taught me that a whisper can be more powerful than a shout. The moments between the vocal lines—just the band cooking underneath-become spaces for creative expression.
"L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole
We end with elegance. This is the cool-down song, the wind-down song, the "put your heart into it" song. My teacher would dim the lights for this one. We'd move slowly, really absorbing each phrase. "Every tap tells a story," she'd say. "This is the one where you tell it." I've carried that lesson with me for years. The technical stuff-the shuffles, the time steps, the wings-those get students noticed. This is what makes them remembered.
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My teacher passed away five years ago. I found her handwritten playlist in a notebook last spring, and every song was there, underlined twice. She'd been sharing her secret all along.
Create your own playlist. Let these songs be your foundation, then add what moves you. Your tap voice will develop in the spaces between the tracks you choose.
Now stop reading and start tapping.
