hi folks

ive been a member for a while now on the forum i normally just enjoy reading thru the posts and picking up some tips.
im in a bit of a dilema here i have been booked to do a kids party this saturday at my local football club for around 100 screaming kids and was wondering does anyone have any suggestions on what music to play. the reason i am asking for help is because this takes me out of my comfort zone which is usually local bars weddings and birthdays. but for kids especially an xmas party i havent a clue so if anyone could suggest a playlist for 2 hours i would be eternally grateful. also any suggestion for games which can be easily managed would be great

High School Muscial - Especially the new one, did one last week and the various tracks from the new album were constantly requested.

Camp Rock - Soundtrack

Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus.

Most Top 10 tracks

The Ketchup Song

S Club 7

Spice Girls

Girls Aloud

Take That - Shine & Rule the world

Barbie Girl

CHa Cha Slide & Macarena (A must!!)

McFly

Flo Rida - Low

Rockstar

Don't stop me now - queen/mcfly

.....

If they are younger than 5 then Traditional tracks like hokey Cokey, Superman (Black lace) etc

Hope that helps!

I'd watch out for HSM - the early teens are not that keen.. I've done a bunch of 13ths, and when I suggested HSM- I saw a look of terror on the birthday boy/girls face! lol


My 9yr old son (and 11yr old daughter) both love HSM, and it goes down well on the younger parties- so its worth bringing along, but if the children are older- it may not go down that well.

Most chart stuff normally goes down well - so the last few Now CD's will come in handy.
I threw in "Skater Boi" in with some Pink "so what" the other week - it took a few seconds for the kids to remember it (its about 5yrs old...), but they were singing along and loved it.

Madcon etc, pretty much anything they can sing along to.

Try to take someone along to help take requests... you may be inundated with kids, and I personally find it hard to take requests, watch the kids and work.

I hope you enjoy it!

Jason

Good advice, especially from Vokf.
I take my teenage daughter along to parties like this mainly so she can discuss songs with the endless stream of kids. And once they find out what your name is, it gets even better! (Maybe introduce yourself to them!)

As for High School Musical, the music is actually pretty poor and uninspiring, and most tracks sound the same, and I'm very pleased to announce I don't own anything from the films, and yet I do a lot of kids' parties - how do I manage?? I simply don't play it - no-one really seems to mind, and as mentioned, older kids do find it a bit naff anyhow.

So - take along help, female if possible, play mainly modern stuff but be sure to take your oldies along too, and enjoy it!

I'm doing a lot of 13th birthdays recently. Word has got round that I have a strobe setting on my lights which seems good for a few bookings.

Usually I play a good mix of chart / rnb / dance which would include Basshunter, Cascada, Rihanna, Scouting For G's, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Chris Brown, Guru Josh, Pink - So What etc etc.

Plus mix in the party stuff
... as above, plus Crazy Frog - Axel F (i know!!!), Witch Doctor, Cotton Eye Joe, MC Hammer, 5,6,7,8, Fast Food Rockers, Amarillo, Hey Baby, Follow the Leader, S club - Reach

I have a list of about 20ish party songs somewhere which seem to work for the kids. I work about 10-15 of those mixed up and the rest is chart / rnb / dance. My lot always ask for Mr Brightside bizarrely.

Sometimes they will conga to Hot Hot Hot, get em going backwards, one leg etc for a bit of fun.

Oh... and mine generally finish at 10, which means we have time for a quick pint on the way home.

I had crazy frog requested and played it out to some 5-6 year olds and they all went crazy for it. Also jump by girls aloud worked quite well.

I think the xmas party I did today (Tuesday at 9.30am!) for the 3-4 (and some 5) year olds was quite challenging to keep them going.. It didn't help my laptop packed up half way through so was hard to search the cd database, and play the online-purchased music (like HSM for example).

Mamma Mia went down well though... !

David

Maybe I read this post quickly, but you need to know roughly the age of the kids. What are they expecting from you?

Certainly for under 10's they will expect some basic games, and a few sweets as prizes.

If you have a party of 100 kids and the age range is vast say between 4 - 14 then that's not so easy.

An absolute must to get a copy of the Black Lace party album as all kids will do the Music man, Okey Cokey.

Don't bother taking alot of CD's with you. I would only take the last 8 NOW albums, a couple of my party albums and Black Lace. That's all you need for 2 hours.

Good luck

With the greatest respect.. what a Ridiculous comment to make! I think 80% of kids music is pretty poor and uninspiring but i still have to carry it around to gigs.. and as for adult music, the same.

Maybe the HSM thing is a regional thing but i have done 42 kids Discos this year and for the age ranges between 5 - 11 they are def the most requested songs before the parties and during.

[size=3]My Son is also doing a kids Under 13 football presentation night, the have requested HipHop, R & B and Rap..... The gig is in North London and all the boys attend street dance classes.
on the other hand my 10 year old daughter is in High School Musical and Dance music..

Blimey, I am so glad you said that, HSM is a must as is Camp Rock. Who are we to dictate to kids what they should listen to anyway. A lot of music is poor and uninspiring but as a DJ you have to rise above personal preferences and play what they want. Main thing with kids parties though (and it has been said loads of time) is games, games and more games. You will always have a few kids that feel awkward and not dance so a few games will ensure the party is a success. Bored kids cause trouble so keep them occupied.
Don't judge there music tastes, learn from it and interact with them.

If you let us knwo the ages we can help with the games side...
I do games for 4-8 and 8-11.
Also Mika is a most for any kids party, esp Lollipop!

hi most of the kids are between 7 and 14 so any suggestion of games would be appreciated. also thanks very much for the suggestionss so far guys they have been very helpful

I do a lot of kids parties ranging from age 3 - 16 years.

With that many kids games could be difficult but you could try :-

Corners
Dance Competitions

basically keep it simple.

music wise - for that age range

Current chart/RnB (girls aloud, sugababes, pussycat dolls, take that etc etc)
Party dances (cha cha slide, macarena, saturday night, supeman, music man, fast food song etc etc)
Throw in tracks like Amarillo, Hokey Cokey, S Club - Reach, Cotton Eye Joe etc
Don't forget some Christmas tunes too!

Music from:

Mamma Mia
HSM
Camp Rock

Unfortunately, like anything, you can't please everyone all the time, but if you play a good mix they should all be happy enough. Tell them to come and ask you for requests, then you'll get an idea of what they like.

Interaction - if you have fun, they will too!