Playlist of the Month: Beth Anne Kennedy of Novo Fitness Studio

November’s BarreAmped Playlist of the Month on Spotify comes from Beth Anne Kennedy, co-owner of Novo Fitness Studio in Columbus, GA.

Novo Fitness Studio has offered BarreAmped classes from the day they opened their doors. Beth Anne and her sister, Ellen Cobb, bring the shake to each BarreAmped class they teach! For these sisters, music plays a huge role in the culture of the community they’ve built together.

We asked Beth Anne what she loves most about BarreAmped and how music motivates her classes:

“The main thing I love about BarreAmped (other than the neutral spine, of course!) is how the method almost gets harder the more you do it! I tell this to clients and they panic a bit, but then I explain that because the more seasoned participant is familiar with the exercises, knows proper form, etc., she can get into the exercises a lot quicker, therefore she is in them (in the fullest “expression” of the exercise) longer, so it is so much more difficult! But on the positive side, as clients stick with the method, they get much stronger, and that makes a huge difference in how they are able to participate in the class. Because of this, clients are able to feel their progress, but the method never gets to a point that it is no longer effective.

For me, the playlist drives the entire “energy” of the class. I make a new playlist a minimum of twice a month for BarreAmped, because it motivates me and I think it is a nice change for the clients (no one wants to hear the same thing over and over again!). I find that the music inspires me to be more creative with what I teach – it helps me make up different “combos” within the exercise. I try to incorporate a variety of genres, and pay close attention to the BPM so the pace of the class is appropriate for the exercise we are doing at that point (example – we slow it down for seat work, slow it down for under barre, pick it back up with superman, etc.). If I feel the energy is lacking in a class, the first thing I check is the volume of the music! At Novo, we press play, crank it up, and match the intensity of the class to our music!”

Thanks for sharing with us, Beth Anne! Click here to listen to her BarreAmped class playlist.