DJing as a GCSE

When it comes to the arts, music stands out as being the most powerful due to theprofound effect it has on us all. Music is as much a part of our story of humanevolution as the development of language. In fact Music andlanguage probably evolved hand in hand. music may had even been used to communicate way before speech? We know that theorigins of music are as old as our early ancestors so it's not surprising thatit has become such an inseparable part of our daily lives, affecting our emotions,memories, learning, attention and neuroplasticity.

Nomatter who you are music plays a huge part in all our lives. Every one of ushave our own personal relationship with music that is individual and unique to each of our personalities. This can be seen mostevidently in young people as they use music for not only personal entertainment but as a way to culturally identifythemselves individually as a form of personal creative self-expression. Children as young as 10 are now becoming successful DJs, Take DJ switch for example, she is only 10 years old but she is already becoming an internationally known DJ on a personal mission to not only entertain audiences with her talent but also use her success and fame to make a stand for female equality.

However, despite success stories such as DJ Switches and the obviously huge numbers of young people passionate about their love of music; these number are not reflexed in the amount ofstudents opting for music as an elective for their GCSEs. It seemsthat when it comes to music, the national curriculum was not offering school students the types of music lessons that engage their interests. It also seems that many teachers that become responsible for teaching a music classes don’t have thepractical skills, knowledge or resources to deliver the kind of music lessonsthat are able to inspire and attract students. 

Up until very recently the only way for school kids could learn to master the art of DJing would be to find private tutors offering 1 to 1 DJ lessons with DJ schools like London Sound Academy, (voted London's Number DJ school). But all this is changing, nowschools have given students and teachers alternative options for a music GCSE, Mastering the DJ decks has been recognised as a musical skill just like learning to play an instrument and it is now possible to choose DJing as a GCSE, now it has been legally made part ofthe national curriculum. More money for schools is also being set aside for investing intomusic technology facilities. Music teachers are now able to offer exciting newalternatives in their music lessons by offering students thechance to make music that relates more to their social identities and interests, where they can be confident that their ideaswill be valued and respected.

Learningto DJ can have a profound and transformative effect on students and in some cases it canopen up a whole new career path or direction in life. Learning to mix can provide focus for a student who mayotherwise be disengaged from older, traditional styles of education. When teachers find themselves in unknown subjects areas they can now hire in experts to deliver what they can not. Such as DJ tutors, under the guidance of the teacher they can deliver a unique programed of study that is fully part of the national curriculum in accordance with the new AQA, OCR and Eduqas GCSE musicspecifications.

Thehard-to-reach youngsters who can often slip through the education net are farmore likely to re-engaged with the class again and show improvements in theirlearning when they have been enrolled in a course of music based activities thatthey have chosen for themselves. DJing as a GCSE could open up a whole world of opportunities for students who are struggling with school or simply want to master the turntables before leaving school. Not to mention the countless opportunities available for DJ tutors to find work either teaching a class or private one to ones. There are alot of schools in the UK and therefore a great many opportunities for DJ's who think they have what it takes to teach! If you think you could become a DJ tutor get in contact with us here at LSA. This could be the start of a new career you feel truly passionate about!

No matter your age, young or not so young, you to can learn how to DJ or produce music with London Sound Academy. If you already have some experience behind the decks, why not build upon and refine your existing DJ skills. Perhaps you looking for a unique gift experience for a music obsessed friend? Take a look at our range of intermediate and advanced DJ courses. We offer 1 to 1 tuition for all experience levels and music genres? Our students learn faster, gain more success and regularly secure gigs at Ministry of Sound, Egg and Electric Brixton and our Music Production students have been signed to Spinnin, Universal and Island Records! This is probably why London Sound Academy has been rated the best DJ and Music Production school in London since 2010.