How to Be a Good DJ at a Dance

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Amount of Music : Before you can even begin to play music at a school dance it is important to have a large selection of music prepared ahead of time.

   If you are not taking requests the general rule of thumb is to have at bare minimum enough music to play the event, plus an additional hour or two so if certain music is not working well you have enough additional music to fall back on. (NOTE:
   One Hour = Approx. 12-20 songs).
   
   If you will be taking requests it is important to have enough music to make the odds of you having the requested songs pretty good.
   
   One way of doing this is taking the Billboard Annual Top 100 charts for the last 3-5 years and trying to obtain all of the songs listed plus at least one other single from each of the artists.
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   Step 2: Type of Music : When you accept the gig be sure to ask the event coordinator what type of music has been played at these events in the past as you want to ensure you have appropriate music for the venue and the crowd.

   For example:
   If you know the dance is a Ho-Down themed event it is important to be well stocked on Country music, if the event is a Valentine's Day dance extra slow songs may be in order, etc.
   
   Make sure to bring a variety of musical styles however just in case the crowd becomes tired of a certain genre or you start getting requests for something different. , Many schools will allow a small amount of inappropriate language, others will allow for none.
   
   Search out songs that have (Radio Edit), (Radio Mix), or (Clean) in the song title this will tell you that the inappropriate content has been censored or removed.
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   Step 3: Radio Edits : Always ask the event coordinator how much tolerance there will be for objectionable language.

Detailed Guide

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