In between college applications, AP classes and meetings with their little buddies, some seniors have picked up DJing as a way to loosen up and let off steam during a challenging and stressful time.
Some, like senior Rocco Renda, have even gone so far as to perform sets in front of friends at events or, more often, in the senior lounge, where students assemble to learn different techniques from one another and enjoy the creative freedom.
Before DJing, Renda had never played an instrument, but for the past three months, he’s practiced daily to improve his skills. Rather than trying to create the most intricate mixes, Renda tries to focus on challenges he can tackle with his current skills.
“This was totally new to me,” Renda said. “I’m really into house music, and I’ve always listened, but I was never in the band or (orchestra); I never did any of that. I mostly learned by watching clips of other people.”
Renda traces his first spark of interest in DJing to the beginning of the school year.
“It was in the senior lounge,” Renda said. “I was watching this group called The Chainsmokers DJing at a fraternity party, and it seemed really, really cool. I just started researching how they got into it, and that’s how I started the whole DJ thing.”
After practicing online and with his friends’ boards, the control decks DJs manage while mixing, Renda eventually bought his own board and began to experiment with developing his own style, going beyond the simple YouTube tutorials he watched and initially copied.
“My main piece of equipment is my board, the DDJ Rev 1,” Renda said. “Then there’s software, Serado Pro, that comes behind it, which is almost more important than the board when it comes to mixing.
After close to two months of consistent practice, Renda decided to take his talents outside of the senior lounge for the first time, DJing for a set in his friend’s house
“I was nervous, and I obviously messed up and made mistakes, but the whole point, especially since it was the first time, was to hide them from the audience,” Renda said. “I just tried to map out what songs I wanted to play, what order to play them in and what transitions I wanted to use. Of course, you’ll hear something and know you messed up, but most of the time, you’re the only one who knows that, so I just kept on going.”
After three months and a couple of proper performances, Renda has seen a drastic change in the way he now sees music and approaches broader subjects as a whole.
“It’s changed how I listen to music,” Renda said. “I can understand what’s going on. I was never really into the creativity side of things, but now I’m more open to less math-based (areas) because there’s no real answer in DJing. It’s all how you think and how you want it to sound. The creativity there has definitely opened my eyes.”
Renda sees DJing as one of many skills he has picked up over his years at school.
He’s not afraid to pursue novel activities that attract him, and he encourages anyone with even a slight interest to give it a go, even if it might seem strange at first.
“Picking up a new hobby is always great,” Renda said. “I’ve had a couple of past hobbies. I was really interested in Rubik’s Cubes and chess, and I think this is the next big thing. Do what makes you happy. If you think DJing is your thing, then why not try it? Borrow your friend’s board. Try it out.”
Three months ago, Renda had no experience at all with DJing. Words like loops, stems and boards were foreign to him, and his lack of formal musical training didn’t particularly give him an upper hand. Today, he’s a confident DJ who hopes to continue this new hobby years into the future.
“I’m for sure going to bring my board to college, and I want to keep getting better and better,” Renda said. “If that ends up at a point where I can actually perform decently for money, then that would be really cool.”
Renda supports the up-and-coming DJing scene here at the school, and he hopes that boys can work together to form a unique community of student-DJs.
“I think it’s awesome,” Renda said. “If everyone can figure it out, that’d be really cool because everyone would have their own style. And if you can listen to people who are proficient in mixing in their own way, you can pick up stuff from them.”