In the Easter holidays, a small group of pupils in Years 9 & 10 took part in a DJ Workshop with Brave Island. DJ Ed Eldridge, who has impressive experience in the industry including performing abroad, kicked off the day with a “History of the DJ” session. Pupils learnt about the progression of electronic music, and how the cultures of Jamaica, Chicago, Detroit and New York merged over time through various musical influences, from Hip Hop to House, leading to more modern genres such as Drum & Bass and Grime. It was a really interesting talk – did you know the first time the term “disc jockey” was used was as early as 1935?

Pupils were then shown techniques on the mixer, including how to adjust the tempo of a track, cue tracks and experiment with equalisers. They had a fantastic time trying something new and different, and even came up with their own DJ names by the end of the day!

Thank you to Ed and Megan who gave up their time to deliver this unique workshop. Pupils who are interested in learning to mix music, and develop skills in music production are encouraged to sign up to Brave Island (www.braveisland.uk) and sign up to their free weekly DJ sessions at The Ventnor Exchange.