Private passions: Hands on decks

Mr Rory Kilgour spins the disks with Dmytro Shumakher.

Words: HELENA POZNIAK Photography: JOE McGORTY

WHEN AIGLON PUPILS FOUND out that their geography teacher used to be a full-time DJ, afterschool music became a whole lot more interesting. But not your standard music; this is a chance to share a love of the decks and creating unique sounds. Twenty years after MrRory Kilgour started DJing as a university student – before going on to have his own radio shows and perform live as a professional – his lessons have never been more in demand.

Once Mr Kilgour had put his DJing on ice to qualify as a teacher, he spent time teaching in London and Rome before joining Aiglon. It was there that he first taught students how to spin discs – “it fits easily with the school’s guiding principles, CAS and with all aspects of challenge, respect, responsibility, diversity and service” – and since then the numbers of pupils taking lessons and attending his “Battle of the DJ” sessions have soared. One pupil stood out for his willingness to try things out and make mistakes – 16-year-old Dmytro Shumakher (Delaware, Year 11), who was first transfixed by DJing after attending a concert back home in Ukraine. “Dmytro reminds me of myself when I started out – he’s hooked, he wants to be the best, he practises whenever he has time, he’s experimental and he’s making his own music,” says Mr Kilgour. “He gets the same adrenaline rush I used to get from the music.” According to him, student entertainment has improved considerably since Dmytro took to the decks.

When he teaches Dmytro, the barriers come down. As Dmytro explains: “I think it’s easier to learn when you don’t feel the distance between the teacher and the student. When we’re mixing, it works better if we’re more collaborative.” Performing alongside a critical companion is more engaging, he says. “You feel they are a sort of audience, it’s easier to learn.” Before he arrived at Aiglon, Dmytro had never touched a DJ deck, though he’d experimented making music online. Now he’s played at a number of school events – supported by Mr Kilgour. “DJing is a big part of my life at Aiglon,” says Dmytro. “It’s very much about the communication between you and your audience – it’s an incredible feeling when you get that feedback.”

Mr Kilgour adds a word of caution. Whatever the appeal – the promise of becoming famous, influential, desirable and rich – none of these are good enough reasons to become a DJ. Instead, it should be “purely for the love of wanting to share a musical experience with others”. At Aiglon, he says, it’s helped students bond and made music accessible to many more in the school.

As for Dmytro, he’s interested in a career in business, though he won’t quit DJing. “It makes me really happy. If you don’t make people scream and jump, you won’t be a successful DJ.”