DJ Lab

Interested in music, technology, and creative expression?

Learn the roots of sampling, study jazz and rhythm, practice core DJ skills, and build toward a student showcase.

Lunch, DJ consoles, and headphones provided.

Limited to 12 students.

THE PROGRAM

The project is The ColaJazz DJ Lab: Spinning History, a two-day summer arts education workshop for approximately 12 students in grades 6–12 from Richland and Lexington counties. It is designed for students interested in music, technology, beat-making, and production, especially youth who may not connect with traditional band or orchestra pathways. 

The program has two main instructional modules:

“The Source”

Students learn jazz history, song form, rhythmic structure, and sample genealogy. They analyze jazz recordings, identify forms like AABA and 12-bar blues, and trace how jazz appears in hip-hop and pop through sampling.

“The Mix”

Students get hands-on instruction using DJ controllers. They learn beat-matching, cueing, EQ, gain staging, scratching, and live transitions. The workshop ends with a student “Mix-Off” showcase, where participants present a short live set. 

Instruction is led by ColaJazz leadership and teaching artists, with guest DJs and technical support from Jam Room Recording Studios. The application frames the project as both arts instruction and career-readiness/media arts training, with built-in evaluation through performance rubrics, exit surveys, and recorded student work. 

THE INSTRUCTORS
Preach Jacobs, MIDIMarc, Dr. Mitch Butler

Funded by a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission.