DJ Lessons

I have been teaching at Tainan Girls High School for a while now and I did a class with them about Hip Hop and rapping. In the class I tried to get the girls to write bragadocious lyrics and try to be boastful and to deliver their "raps" with verve. It was a relative success, some girls really went for it while others mumbled into their necks. The upshot of it was that the kids were keen to find out more about Hip Hop. Since I had told them I am a DJ they wanted to see how scratching worked.

A few weeks later I took my decks into the classroom and gave the girls a talk about how much I love my turntables and if anyone breaks them I would kill them and their families.

"Don't press down on the records too hard. Keep your hand away from the needle at ALL times!"

After I had gathered the courage, I let the girls come up in pairs and try some scratching on their own. All that is logical in my brain told me not to risk my precious little babies on these girls. Most of the students in my class had never seen a turntable before, those that had, saw one in their grandparents houses, big up the grandparents.

The results were quite amazing. Not from all the girls for sure. Some had little musical sense and sounded like cats being strangled. Others were too meek to really try and make any audible sound that their classmates might hear. However, some, just some, were like ducks to water. A few of the girls surprised me so much I was stunned to silence (those who know me will testify to the rarity of this event). After the class was over the girls asked me to show them some tricks. Never one to let an opportunity to show off pass me by, I did a bit of wheeling doubles. I had some ultimate breaks and beats doubles with me so I showed them how to make a loop with the same part of two identical records, the essence of Hip Hop as I told them. Three of the girls were transfixed and begged me to let them try! By this point I was so impressed with their keenness I let them have a go.......

Remember this is the first time these girls have touched a turntable and a mixer.