When you think of the word DJ most would think of things like deadmau5, flashing lights, and dancing in a club. People love to enter a club with music blasting and others dancing. When you go you think about what an amazing time you’ll have and how much your feet will hurt after.
However, the DJ club is not the partying kind, but it’s still definitely filled with loud music and a good time. About 15-50 students in the club but only 3-5 active ones play music the most at events. “The club started because I thought it would be cool, I used to DJ when I was younger for fun,” athletic director Jose Gil said. Gil is why this whole club started, he thought it would be a great idea for students since he had a passion for djing at about the same age as us. “I joined the DJ club because I had gotten an opportunity to be able to learn from the local DJ on the radio,” junior Carmelina Esquivias said. “It was an amazing experience and now it has led to playing music at sporting functions and teaching others how to as well.”
The club started last year when they introduced the DJ club during club booth day. The club members were full of energy and trying to get others to sign up. There were two pages of students’ names and numbers who were interested in joining.
After the club booth day, only a little was heard about it, the topic of the club kind of died down until recently. “ We needed laptops for students to practice,” Gil said. “We had speakers, mixers, etc. but no Apple laptops needed to run the DJ program.”
For some students, this might be a path to a possible career in the future. The club started because it might be “cool” to have something so fun and engaging with the school simultaneously. Currently, they’re all learning off of one, which can be difficult especially when there are multiple members. They hope to get a few more to teach new kids and make their club even bigger. “Learning on one computer was tough at first, but now I’m so used to it,” Esquivias said. “If I try to learn on another, it just won’t feel the same.”
When someone joins they should expect to learn how to use new equipment and play at sporting events. You can use your DJ skills at family events, parties, and school dances! The goal is to have a good time and bring the vibe. You get to learn how to be more involved, not just in school but in the community. The club is voluntary, however, there is a possibility that students can gain community service hours from DJing. “The club is voluntary for now but that’s a good question, I’ll look into it,” Gil said.
For now, the DJ club is trying to get students to play at events but in the meantime, they’re playing at home basketball games. “As of right now the DJ club is just trying to get more kids to play music at games, we’re still trying to figure out where else we can play,” Gil said.
For students interested in becoming more a part of the school spirit and getting out of their comfort zone, this club is meant for them. The DJ club is where students can learn to be more involved with the school and learn a new hobby. All you need is a positive attitude, an interest in learning new things, and an open mind. You need no experience whatsoever because you get to learn when joining so there’s no need to worry about being prepared to be in the club. “I am still in the learning process as well so when I do play it doesn’t always sound the best, but being in the DJ club means that I can learn along the way and improve on my DJing skills,” Esquivias said.
The club hopes to look for more students who want to join to boost the school spirit. “DJ club is a place where you can listen and play good music at school events, it isn’t always going to be the best but practice makes perfect so when you do make mistakes we’ll help you learn from them,” Esquivias said. Many students from the club have found DJing to be more than just music. “I love the feeling of being able to be creative and express myself through music,” junior Joshua Sanches-Arreola said.
Members of the club said it’s helped them grow and become more involved. “Being a part of the DJ club was really fun and a great way to get outside of my comfort zone while also having fun with my friends,” senior Jordan Smith said. “One thing I liked about the DJ club was learning how to use all of the equipment because it’s a handy skill to know and fun to brag about,” freshman Xitlali Solis said.
