There is no right or wrong answer about whether to play music in a Pilates class. If you take classes from different instructors, you may know that some use music and some do not. There are different theories behind whether to play music or not during classes.

Reasons for Not Playing Music:

  • It can be a distraction from everything you need to focus on during Pilates
  • The beat can make it difficult to follow the Pilates breath
  • When people recognize a song, they are brought somewhere else in the same way a smell can take you back to a particular memory

Reasons to Play Music:

  • The right music can help keep people’s energy up or relax them, depending on the desire
  • It can be a good distraction
  • Some clients don’t feel comfortable in a quiet room while working out

Different instructors work different ways. I like to play music because I think it’s energizing, but I try to get around the issue of distraction by playing music people might not be familiar with, usually using music in another language. I also try to keep the volume low.