October 10th 2014
MIDDLE SCHOOL DJ |THE NUEVA SCHOOL
6565 SKYLINE BOULEVARD | HILLSBOROUGH, CA | 94010
Hello and thanks so much for DJ ing our dance on Friday night. It’s an extra special one for us as we will be hosting our Japanese Exchange students. Our students have really gotten used to the same DJ for the past dances and enjoy his style. In fact, when a very professional DJ came for a first dance, they said they didn’t have as much fun because his style was so different. He played too many remixes and had a hype man. It was a bit too sophisticated as our kids just liked to play the songs all the way through and have “snowball” called out for the slow songs. I asked Graham, our usual DJ to send me his very specific “recipe” so that you have a good sense for what the kids would really enjoy. I hope it is something you are comfortable with. If not, please be in touch.
Students arrive at 7:00. Please come as early as 6:00 to set up. Do you bring any lights? And besides a table and power, is there anything that you will need? Thanks so much for helping to make this a special night. If you need anything, please contact me or Christine Wang, the chaperone who will be in charge on that evening.
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The main gist is that the students want to hear the songs they can sing along to. No remixes, no premature transitions; they want the song in its entirety and they want to sing or dance along to it with their friends. That actually makes it quite easy for the DJ–the only thing it boils down to is making sure they pick the songs the kids like (which is usually top 40 or hip hop). You can see the songs below.
Here’s my formula for the dance:
The start of the dance
-Play “just okay” songs from 7:00-7:45; none of the songs that are REALLY dance-y and keep the kids on the dance floor–those Must Plays (see below) should come later in the evening.
Slow Songs
-I play my first slow song at 7:45. I play my last slow song at 9:55 to close the evening. In between those two hours, I will play 7 or so more slow songs for a total of 9 or so slow songs for the evening. See “Slow Songs” for the most popular songs people like to slow dance to.
Once I start playing slow songs, I’ll usually play one slow song then four fast songs, then one slow song.
-The only grade that usually likes to dance one-on-one for a whole song is the 8th grade; as such, I alternate between snowballs and one-on-one dances. I call “snowball” for students to switch partners in one-minute intervals. Think speed dating for middle schoolers.
I will also increase the frequency at which the slow songs happen as the night winds down.
Requests
-The students will be VERY vocal about their requests, and you have to take it with a grain of salt. Whatever keeps the majority of students on the dance floor is a good song and a good genre to continue with. I leave paper out for songs to be requested, but will say that there just may not be enough time to play their requests, and I want to make sure that most students know the song and will dance to it. This is my polite way of insinuating that I probably won’t play their song, especially if it’s a) not pop or top 40 or b) I don’t know the song. The students do want to be in control of the dance and the music, but I don’t think they quite yet possess the understanding of appealing to a majority. I will entertain some odd requests if I know the artist or song, but for the most part my genres stick to Pop, Hip Hop, Rap, Electronic, and Dubstep.
-Nueva students tend not to like songs that are “old,” which means pre-2000. I have tried everything from Michael Jackson to AC/DC, and no “classic” songs have really stuck. The only song I suggest you try is “Y.M.C.A” by the Village People.
“Chapters”
Between each slow song I like to stick to a particular genre of music. This mean that if I play Slow Song A, I’ll then play three or four hip hop songs, followed by Slow Song B. Or, I’ll play Slow Song A, then play three or four dubstep songs.
Talking/Activities
-The only time the DJ should talk is when they are announcing a slow song. The students do not like pauses during the dance, and they most certainly do not like activities during the dance (I cannot stress that enough). The more music and less talking the DJ can do, the better.
Remixes
I have found that students do not tend to like remixes, but the original songs. Students also tend to want to hear the song in its entirety, which will make it easy for the DJ because all he’ll have to do is play the song then fade it out.
8th Grade Final Dance
This will be the final dance for the 8th graders, and as such they’ll be feeling nostalgic. At the end of the night I usually thank the 8th graders for their time at Nueva and then play “Forever Young” by Alphaville as their sendoff. That’s the only time I’ll play an older song.
Songs
Must Plays (Top 40/Dance):
“Talk Dirty” by Jason Derulo
“Timber” by Ke$ha
“Die Young” by Ke$ha
“Dark Horse” by Katy Perry
“Applause” by Lady Gaga
“Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO
“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO
“What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction
“Feel This Moment” by Pitbull
“Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia
“Dynamite” by Taio Cruz
“Cupid Shuffle” by Cupid
“Cha Cha Slide” by Mr. C
“Bastille” by Pompeii
“Animals” by Martin Garrix (dubstep)
“Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex (dubstep)
“Bonfire” by Knife Party (dubstep)–I usually play these three songs in a row, then never play dubstep again.
“DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher
“Pound the Alarm” by Nicki Minaj
“Starships” by Nicki Minaj
“Forget You” by Cee Lo Green–but only under at discretion, Liza! And never when parents could be outside.
“Counting Stars” by OneRepublic
“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
Must Plays (Hip Hop)
“White Walls” by Macklemore
“Thrift Shop” by Macklemore
“Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore
“Low” by Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
“Teach Me How to Dougie” by Cali Swag District
“Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z
“HeadBand” by B.o.B
Can Plays
“Get Low” by Lil Jon & the Eastside Boys
“You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz
“Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake
“What You Know” by Two Door Cinema Club
“The Way” by Ariana Grande
“Stay the Night” by Zedd
“I knew you were trouble” by Taylor Swift
“Gas Pedal” by Sage the Gemini
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams
“Stay the Night” by Zedd
“What Does The Fox Say?” By Ylvis
Slow Songs
The slow songs I’ve played that work well are:
“Miss America (acoustic)” by James Blunt (one-on-one)
“When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars (one-on-one)
“Stay” by Rihanna (snowball)
“Let Her Go” by Passenger (snowball)
“Say Something” by A Great Big World (one-on-one)
“Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s (one-on-one)
“I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz (snowball)
“The A Team” by Ed Sheeran (snowball)
“Adore You” by Miley Cyrus (snowball)
“Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera (one-on-one)
“She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5 (snowball)
All of the snowballs are around 4 minutes long, while the one-on-ones are shorter.
Do Not Play:
“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke
Nearly anything pre-2000, unless you play “Forever Young” to send off the 8th graders.