3 minute read
The Rise of the DJ in the school classroom
EMBRACING ELECTRONIC MUSIC, MCING AND DJING AS PART OF SCHOOL MUSIC LESSONS.
Electronic Dance Music, MCing, and DJ Culture have been around for over 40 years, with every new generation falling in love with their own versions and genre of pulsating rhythms, bass drops, and strobe lighting. Most of those who partake in DJ culture get their first taste for music in childhood. Yet modern music lessons tend to ignore the subject of DJing all together in favour of more traditional applications of music theory. By ignoring this culture and avenue for creation, schools fail to embrace the latest technological advances within music and fail to bring valid modern-day musical instruments to the forefront of learning. This leads to missed opportunities to engage and inspire students.
Matt Laliotis, Pioneer DJ and KRK Ambassador.
‘Musical Futures’, a UK based not-forprofit organisation has been at work on introducing DJing to the education sector for over 18 years. The organisation focuses on delivering DJ training courses to music teachers who are interested in including DJing in their curriculum and want to develop their knowledge to better support students who enjoy using this modern instrument.
As stated by Musical Futures, ‘’DJ’ing can be a great way to engage students in musical learning using technology that is synonymous with many of the styles of music that young people are listening to today.‘’ Many studies show, that playing a musical instrument can not only improve focus, but increase intelligence as well, leading to an improvement in a students’ grades. With technology evolving at an expediential rate, schools need to embrace the modern technologies and digital tools that their students will be excited to pick up in the classroom.
Jands, the leading audio distributor for Australia, has recognised this educational opportunity, working with Pioneer DJ to develop its own ‘Learn to DJ’ course, to encourage young aspiring DJs to pick up the artform. This course is available for free on YouTube, just search for ‘Jands - Learn to DJ’. What is lacking is the presence of traditional learning resources and the lag in technology adoption within traditional educational institutions.
Pioneer DJ are a global market leader of DJ equipment with the world’s best range of DJ controllers and equipment pieces. Pioneer DJ offers some of the best, high quality DJ controllers on the market.‘’The Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 controller is an excellent choice for a beginner DJ that would appeal to younger musicians, who may not be overly interested in traditional instruments, said Mr Matt Laliotis, Pioneer DJ and KRK Ambassador.
The Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 controller is an excellent choice for a beginner DJ that would appeal to younger musicians.
“Lightweight and compact with a pro-style layout, the DDJ 200 is perfect for teaching students how to mix and develop their understanding of music. The DDJ-200’s compatibility with WeDJ app means students can show off their mixes from their phones to their friends.’’
Laliotis continued: ‘’Lightweight and compact with a pro-style layout, it’ll help you learn to mix and, if you want to, develop DJing from a hobby into something more. Put your own twist on the music as you mix for friends at parties. Quickly develop your mixing skills with the help of the Tutorial and Pop-Hint features in WeDJ for iPhone. These functions will teach you about the hardware and help you understand DJ terms.
‘’The Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 controller is best complimented with KRK Monitor Speakers to bring your work to life. the new KRK CLASSIC 5 powered studio monitors incorporate over 30 years of innovation from the world’s leading studio monitor manufacturer.’’ EM
The DDJ 200 is perfect for teaching students how to mix and develop their understanding of music. Learn more: www.jands.com.au or call: (02) 9582 0909.
