I am a 12 year old kid from birmingham ( My Webpage )
Email me at " Junior Member" - Address Removed By Admin

I am a bit shy and get very when i try my best to start the disco up and people laugh. I have done only one gig for my cousin which started bad as i had to do the whole gig with one deck, my aunt was very impressed and so was everyone else but i never got asked for a card or anything like that, is ot my age that puts people off, i just want small bookings so i can build my skills and confidence up please help me, ps is anyone selling any stands cheap as i need a mixer and lighting stand.
Also i say

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women should be allowed to dj as it is for both sexes and it gives us men and kids more to look at, at the parties.

Hiya,

I've trained a lot of younger D.J's over the years and most of them have had the same problem when they first started. Yes, you are still very young, but there other D.J's on this board aged 13 - 15 so i'm sure that they will offer you some useful advice

I started D.J'ing when I was 13 (now 30) - training first with another local D.J and learning the trade from him. I was also very shy - I still am sometimes , but I found that D.J'ing was a great way to overcome that shyness - but it does take time.

Don't worry about people laughing at you when you D.J - after all it is you up there on stage, and I bet that they wouldn't even dare to go on stage!! to do a disco!.

The more you practice at being a D.J, the better you will become and your confidence will increase as you get older and with each disco that you do. It is perfectly okay to feel nervous before a disco - I still get nervous before going out to a big disco even now!.

At 12, you will have to work very hard to get people to take you seriously, but if you are interested in doing disco's then keep working at it and eventually you'll get there.

What I would do, is to keep practicing at family disco's first, and when your 13 / 14 maybe you could ask your parents if you could find a local D.J who would be willing to train you. This is exactly what I did at your age - I just went out to one disco a week with a local D.J and I manage to build up my confidence from helping and watching him.

Oh and just because people don't ask you for a card doesn't mean that they haven't enjoyed themselves. You could be the best D.J around - and give out no cards at some disco's.

Don't let the fact that you got laughed at one disco put you off working towards doing another

Chris

Hi

Im 13, and I too am interested n discos, The best way to out there and get is to rodie for someone professional. As regards to kit either buy off Chris or try ebay. Gr8 for cheap kit.

You're site is not working

If I ever get booking in that area I will pass them on to you because I no how hard it is to get started.

3DG

What with DJ Spike......... hiya Spike and 3G I am now feeling v-e-r-y- old!!!! Keep up the good work guys and if you ever need any advice shout for one of us oldies cos our hearing ain't what it used to be!!

I feel sick after reading 3g's moving signature, my eyes have gone all funny!!!!

QUOTE (paula @ Apr 27 2003, 12:37 AM)

I feel sick after reading 3g's moving signature, my eyes have gone all funny!!!!

Yes it does make you feel a bit sea sick doesn't it

Paula have you read Spikes Quote at the bottom of his post?

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women should be allowed to dj as it is for both sexes and it gives us men and kids more to look at, at the parties.

Who said kids aren't growing up faster these days a Young Mikeee here I think

See....Proff that Mikee is a bad influence on people

Ok I put my hands up i edited his sig as he was not now the youngest DJ on the forum but I broke it

Well least it don't move now................. sorry 3G

Spin what HAVE you done??!!!!. the spin Philosophy :- why use a screwdriver when a hammer will do!

I only edited the text so I can't see what I've done i left all the tags..............

3G I do apologise but please tell me what i did wrong cos its really bugging me now!

I dont know what you did either i just presed update my signatuer and ideleted the crappy bits.

And it works. Do you think spins signature fits me better.

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Do you think spins signature fits me better

Well its a lot easier to read!. Not sure about the "cutest" bit , all we need now is for some 13 Year Old Female D.J's to come onto the board for you

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3G I do apologise but please tell me what i did wrong cos its really bugging me now

And Spin, stop hiding behind false guilt, we all now now that your the type of guy who walks along the beach treading on all the kids' sandcastles!

Phew off the hook then!

QUOTE (Chris_Pointon @ Apr 27 2003, 10:14 AM)

all we need now is for some 13 Year Old Female D.J's to come onto the board for you  :wub:

I find one and get her on here.

Thats what you need 3G - a nice girlfriend to keep you away from the computer

Oh no not lovesick threads............ p-l-e-e-e-e-e-e-a-s-e !!!!

LOL Teen angst Spin.

LOL but we old uns have heard it all "and can you play a slow record cos my mate really fancies you" !!!

LOL, funny.....i guess that means there are 3 of us "young uns" (spike 12, 3G 13, me 14) i guess puala doesn't wanna see my signature (bottom one, it bounces ) and 3G, if u want the bouncing thing back ask, i have the code on my signature.

And on spike's point, what's with older people thinking that us (teens) are a whole bunch of people who are here just to cause trouble and can't get work done? o well, they were once teens as well........

Yes but what you forget is with us it was so long ago we can't remember it!!!!!

Speak for your self, I never forget a good event

I never judge by appearances, the most irritating of youngsters can be quite sweet sometimes................... can't they 3G ! (runs for the door giggling manically)

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the most irritating of youngsters can be quite sweet sometimes

3G?....Sweet?...Damn I must have missed that thread

How can you classs a teenager as "sweet", with all that door slamming, temper tantrums and shouting "It's not fairrrrrrrrrr"

*Also runs for the door and slams it*

QUOTE (djspike @ Apr 26 2003, 07:49 PM)

i just want small bookings so i can build my skills and confidence up please help me, ps is anyone selling any stands cheap as i need a mixer and  lighting stand.

I work (part time) at a local youth club that's been in the town for donkeys years.. We used to hold disco's every friday night for the yoof of the town, but due to trouble (drink etc blah) we stopped. We've recently just started them up again and muggins here has been put in charge (mister I can't mix to save my life)..

What I've done with some of the "young adults" (aka kids) is get them invovled. They run the disco with me, I set it all up during the day and then they take turns during the evening being Master (or Miss) DJ..

I cottoned onto this idea from a friend of mine (who's in the trade) who used to help out (as a teenager) at the disco's they held (back in the early 80's - should see the pictures - frightening).. He gained confidence and experience and went on to where he is today..

So I think what I'm trying to say is, try a local youth club. They always get grants for music related projects and if the youth service up north is like it is down here, is always running DJ-ing Courses (ie how to mix etc) during half term or the summer hols..

If you're interested and can't find anything in your area, drop me a PM and I'll see if I can find out if anything is running up your neck of the woods..

(Damn, I put alot of things in ()!)

Cheers!

Yep I started in my local youth club. They had a 'proper' disco every Fri night but I used to do one on Wed mainly with home made gear - but everyone has to start somewhere.
To get flashing lights we put some micro switches around an old deck with a few blobs stuck on the edge of the turntable. As the deck spun it switched on & off the lights (it even had 78rpm on it for the fast stuff). The only problem was the clicking thru the speakers. Anyone else 'invented their own effect when starting out? & no I don't use it anymore!!!

Paul S

LOL Now you're taking me back!! I had an old deck (Garrard SP25) which I cased after glueing half a mirror ball to the platter, couple of pinspots on it and even at 78rpm it was groovy.

(Should this come under alternative use for backup equipment) Never actually had to unglue the mirrorball for an emergency though!

Hey im 16

ive been into DJ'ing since i was around 11, but then i was limited to helping with Kids Parties.

This being my dad a DJ, so i cud help him out and gain experience.

However now 16, i help anywhere.

He has never trained me, left it up to me to watch and learn in a sense.

The weirdest thing i find is talking on the Mic, ive done some of it recently, but i get all nervous.

Why i find this weird is because i act, do drama, ive performed in front of 1000s of people and never nervous, but me and mic in front of 5-100 ppl and im sweating,lol.

Need to improve my technique, when i can, i can go out alone, i feel im ready. Maybe just kids parties though till im 18.

DJ'ing is not the career i wish to follow if honest(please dont hurt me) but it something i enjoy doing, and it helps with every aspect, i do in fact wanna be an Actor and DJ'ing is another string to my bow.

All i can say to the Young generation is learn from other people. IF u wanna set up on ur own, then do it when ur 18 and available for anything, cos at a young age ur limited to places u can go, like pubs and clubs.

Peace

Sounds like wise head on young shoulders here LOL You can only make a sucess if it is something you really enjoy. The day I stop enjoying what I do is the day I'm out of here.

Hi Smooth Criminal,
If you find it hard talking on the mike but find acting easy why not develop a character that is a DJ and use 'him' for your act.

At the end of the day all DJs perform a role. I don't speak/act the same with friends as I do on stage (if I did I think the bookings would dwindle - your can't call your guests a**eholes). Hope this helps

Paul S

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but i get all nervous. Why i find this weird is because i act, do drama, ive performed in front of 1000s of people and never nervous, but me and mic in front of 5-100 ppl and im sweating,lol.

This is exactly the same situation that I've had with one of my ex-trainees. He's only 15, but he's been running his own roadshow since he was 13 (Under the watchful eyes of Dad). In fact what you've said is almost word for word, to the conversation that i've had just had minutes ago with his Dad.

This lad, is very nervous of using the Mic, yet he also takes part in Drama lessons at School. Once he's on the Mic, he's okay and he is a very good D.J (He had a good teacher, LOL) , in fact far better than some of the Adult D.J's around this area! - and he has a strong outgoing personality, and loves to be on stage which is a plus in this business - Yet getting him to use the mic in the first place is the hard work!.

It does take time to get used to mic work, and when you first start using one, its easy to become self conscious, and it's very strange to hear yourself over the P.A for the first time. Also being young and entertaining older people can make you feel a little overwhelmed sometimes.

Like you, this kid started doing Schools and Youth Clubs and his now moving on to do Weddings and family functions, and yes, he is good enough to do them!, he just needs to work on the Mic a little bit more. He has got more confidence, as he's got older but it still takes time. He's even shy, I think, of signing up to this forum, LOL

I found that, in his case, he was more nervous of using the Mic when Me/ his Dad was around and more confident when he was gigging for an audience of strangers - perhaps you may find it easier to use a Mic when your Dad isn't listening and looking over your shoulder?.

But for what it's worth, I still get nervous before I start off a Gig - once I've started I'm fine, but for hours beforehand I'm really bad and a right nervous wreck pacing the stage like a caged Tiger! . But with me its always been the same for years, and I find that the anticipation is all part of enjoying the work.

ive come to to a re-drawn conclusion

Im not "scared" of the mic, ive used it before, like i say, being an Amateur actor im not scared, i will talk quite confidently in front of people.

Its the Technique, its this thing my dad does, u wudnt know unless u see it, if ya know what i mean, if i ignored what he was doing, and do it my way, id be fine.

Im definitely not scared of entertaining, thats for sure, i do it with my Dancing. LOL!

What my son is trying to describe is pulling the slider down when I'm talking.There's nothing more annoying when a DJ is trying to shout over the music. So I pull the slider down a tad whilst speaking, some DJ's use autofade but I'm just used to doing it that way. My philosiphy is if you are going to say something then make sure people can understand what you want to say, speak clearly and slowly. You don't have to speak for the sake of it, I usually speak when moving from one era to another or a different tempo etc.... I also try to mention the year or something instead of that was.....this is............ that was.................Like mentioned earlier everyone has their own style of talking just as long as you can understand it.

Ah Loz the old ways are the best................ I know what you mean and I always use the fader wether I'm using a mixer with autofade or not.

Back in the good old days it was the only way!

Wow I finally got an idea for my 13 yr old son to help me ......yes!!! he can learn to DJ with mom. Thanks I never thought of young kids doing it but why not, they know the rap.How does Kid Khola sound?

When i was at school i used to act in all the school plays and i never got scared but when i first started djing i hated speaking on the mic I really don't know why but it just took time and practice and a lot of forcing myself to do bars where i had to use it alot not i don't even think about it.

Yeah, you need to give the younger generation more credit....of course the interest has to be there and there is always the risk that the novelty will wear off as they get older and discover cars, beer etc . But I know of a young lad I've mentioned before who has been D.J'ing since he was 11, he's now 15 and doing very well locally, having now got the confidence and experience to move on from doing school Discos and now does weddings etc and as I've said previously, he is a very good D.J, and credit to him.

With regard to the Mic fear, I think that applies to everybody when they first start up, abeit in various degrees of fear..some are more confident, others have to be coaxed into doing their first link. Using a mic is a must, there are far to many newbies who don't even own a Mic, and think that they can simply mix their way through a Wedding Reception.

Hi. Im 16 and ive started out too mate. Im from birmingham too but i started out differently. I applyed for a local radio station that is mainly volunteer work. I had a few slots and at the start i was very nervous but as time went by i got the hang of it. At christmas i got asked to do a school disco as my mom is a teacher at a primary school. Anyway i started that and about half an hour into it i sort of got the hang of it. I made a few mistakes but the littles diddnt even notice. So i reckon u should just practise and when your ready start with local schools and then once your confidence builds up then you can move on to bigger and better things. As for equipment i invested in a 700w amp and 2 250w speakers that cost me around the £400 mark. I made my money back on three gigs. I hope this helps mate

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With regard to the Mic fear, I think that applies to everybody when they first start up,

I dont think this applies to me now, does it guys?
I think the mic was more afraid of me

Happy 400th Post Paula!.

P.S:- Do you need a Mic??

400, how'd I do that?

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Do you need a Mic??

Just thought of a rather good idea for the presentation of that radio mic,
Bit like that game where you pass the apple! But my way,

I'll leave you all to think about that one

I use my mic over-ride button... easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I was the same, when I started, I could'nt use the mic either (least I had 1-LOL),but now i'm fine with links and announcements etc.. only cos I practiced, another dj told me to look down when speaking so you don't see the audience, but for me that made it worst, now I get on the dance floor and join in the crowd and speak so now it doesn't bother me.

As they say "Don't look down" (reminds me of a VERY rude joke) look the audience in the eyes and whatever you do smile!

All i can say really is stick at it all of you young DJ's. Im 18 and have been doing parties since i was about 13. Started off doing kids stuff as well as helpping an older DJ friend of mine with weddings etc that he used to do. Anyway, by the time i was 16 i was doing school discos and teenage parties, as soon as i hit 17 i found an agent who seemed not to care that i was underage (i looked quite old for a 17yr old) and i worked roughly every fortnight for him in pubs./functionsuites around london.
Im now 18 and live down in surrey - now i do most of my gigs for myself throuht word of mouth bookings - but have two new agents so basically i can do pretty much as many gigs as i like. Now charging around the £180 mark for most events. So, Basically stick at it - you are bound to get some laughs/ abuse from people about your age - just make sure you only accept gigs where your gonna feel comfotable ie kiddies stuff.
Kids parties are also great for improving your mike technique - your gonna feel alot more comfortable telling some kids how to play party games than you will telling 200 adults that the buffet is now open - hopefully by the time you get going on the bigger gigs (weddings etc) you wil be so comfortable on teh mike that you'll hardly even notice your doing it!
I used to be reluctant to say the first thing on the mic but once i had made a few announcements etc i was fine - now i dont even think twice about doing it.......although i dont really like alot of mike work from dj's myself.

hope that helped =- if not sorry for rambling. Best of luck to all you younger ones!
Steve

Hi folks young and old, and all the others too.

I started DJing when I was 16, had no trouble talking on the mic and thought I was Mr Cooool. Thinking back to some of the things I remember saying, I was bloody awful!

I gave DJing a rest when I left school to do some singing and base playign in a band for a couple of years, that gave me the chance to work on my audience interaction, and god did it make a difference or what.

I didn't pick up DJing again until 1997 after I'd done some hospital radio. never looked back, the playing in a band and radio work refined my patter, but it's an on-going job, you're never done improving yourself.

I'm 34 now and still learning.

I still get nervous before gigs, spend more time in a bogs than anything else until I'm set up and get everything charged up.

Nerves won't necessarily pass, but you will get used to having them, they'll become part of you like an old set of trainers.

Good luck and keep at it.

Darren