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Enrich – Extend – Engage – Encourage
Why Start to DJ?
Are you looking for a fresh way to engage your students? Start to DJ can deliver! It’s musical, it’s technical, it’s a job skill, it’s project based, it’s creative, and it’s fun! Start to DJ is a mixed-media course that includes professionally led, expertly paced technique videos and workbooks that lead students through the beginning steps of being a DJ. The design of the course by DJ Hapa is interactive, with students immediately practicing what they’ve learned on the DJ controller, free software, and workbooks. Lessons are facilitated by a teacher, called a “coach” in the program, who keeps students on track and engaged as they learn the basics of music and DJing.
Why offer DJ lessons at my school?
The DJ experience can help extend your program to reach kids differently or simply reach different kids! Students build confidence as they make musical decisions and incorporate music of diverse genres and cultures into the mixes they create. The sequential design of Start to DJ bridges gaps between trained musicians and music enthusiasts as it breaks down concepts from the music classroom in ways that any attentive listener can relate to. It’s a great way to bring students together in ways they haven’t experienced before. Further, students who really get into DJing can use their skills to support school events, making great PR for your program.
What does a coach need to do?
Coaches set the stage for success as they guide students through a thoughtfully designed sequence of learning. Content-wise, the coach need only stay a step or two ahead of the students in the lessons. Coaches are certified at each level through a ten-hour self-paced online training course with ongoing support from a Campus Coach Community. In the first year, coach training also unlocks a one-year subscription to the multimedia lesson content for your students. After year one, subscription to the multimedia lessons is cheaper because you don’t have to be trained again.
What is taught in the Start to DJ program?
There are two levels in Start to DJ, each comprising eight one-hour lessons. The lessons can be broken into sixteen 25–30 minute sessions if that works better for your schedule. Levels 1 and 2 cover music and DJ basics and are appropriate for students as young as middle school through high school. Some schools have also been successful with the program with upper elementary-level students.
Can’t fit it into the school schedule? Consider after-school hours and student clubs.
The beauty of Start to DJ is that it works in any setting where adult leaders want to engage kids in hands-on learning. Any adult leader of youth activities can lead a DJ class. All that is needed is a love of music and a desire to help kids find their own creative voices through music.
What do I need to get started?
As a coach, you are the chief facilitator of your program. Picture this: Your students just entered the room to find you have a video ready to go on the big screen with some chairs set up in front. Some DJ equipment on tables around the room catches their eye and they think: “Now this is going to be different!”
For the DJ stations, we recommend a 4:1 setup or better. The ideal is a 1:1 station setup with one DJ station per student. However, if your setting or budget dictates something different, you can also be successful using team DJ stations. As you’d expect, team stations require more time for students to practice and complete mixes on the equipment.
Here’s what’s in a typical DJ station:
- A DJ Controller placed on a table with a power supply
- Headphones and headphone splitters
- Free DJ software on a device at each station
Start to DJ is available in courses for students using the free Djay app for mobile devices and tablets and for students using Windows or Mac laptops or desktop computers using the free Serato Lite software.
You’ll also want a class reference book on DJ techniques. We recommend The First 50 DJ Techniques.
What do your students need?
There are some must-haves as well as some nice-to-have items you can add on later if you wish. The must-haves are:
One Start to DJ Workbook for each student. The culminating project is for students to successfully create a six-song mix using provided tracks and completing the peer reviews.
Nice-to-haves:
You may need speakers, tables, lighting, and more, but maybe you already have those. Here is a list of items to add extra color to the experience once your students get the basics down. Get ready to scratch and spin!
