Charles Janz, Director of Music at Emanuel School, on how a DJing outreach programme in local primaries is transforming music access
‘Nearly 80% of our pupils are on free school meals, and many rarely leave the estate where they live. Without the few initiatives the school provides, most would have no access to music at all.’ Hearing those words from a headteacher, on the day I visited to discuss a possible music outreach partnership, brought home how fragile access to music can be for children. It also highlighted a broader truth. In some communities, barriers such as cost, access, language and confidence make it incredibly difficult for pupils to engage with the arts. Music is often the first thing to fall away.
Every Monday, I visit state primary schools across south London to teach a DJ course that introduces pupils to the fundamentals of electronic music performance. Using Pioneer DDJ-200 controllers and Rekordbox software, they learn how to beat match, loop, use EQ and filters, set hot cues, identify track structure, build playlists and understand the basics of digital sound. At the end of the course, they take those skills to XOYO, one of London’s most iconic nightclubs, where they perform their first live DJ set to an invited audience of parents, peers and teachers.
Teaching DJ skills in these schools feels very different from working in traditional classroom or instrumental settings. Normally, we build on foundations already in place – notation, aural training or experience with rhythm and melody. Here, pupils are often encountering these concepts for the first time, which challenges us as teachers to adapt quickly.
Concepts that might be familiar to trained young musicians – keeping time, recognising patterns, listening critically – sometimes need to be introduced from scratch. That means stripping back technical language, modelling skills, and giving pupils time to practise and refine through repetition and peer learning. The process is slower but also more responsive – it reminds us that music education is as much about opening doors as it is about developing expertise.
“DJing gives pupils a way into music through a cultural language they already connect with – it builds transferable skills”
And it all comes to life on stage. There is always a moment, during the final soundcheck at XOYO, when you see a pupil go from tentative learner to confident performer. They have curated their own set, learned the skills to deliver it live and now find themselves standing behind the decks facing an audience there to listen. That shift in self-perception, and in how others perceive them, is where the real power of this project lies.
Their journey doesn’t end in XOYO’s DJ booth. After the performance, I return to the school to support each pupil in recording their individual mix, which is then submitted for the new ABRSM DJ exam. These children are among the first in the world to gain this DJ qualification, and the pride they feel in doing so is immense.
This is, of course, a music project, but it is also about identity, aspiration and access. DJing gives pupils a way into music through a cultural language they already connect with. It builds transferable skills. Most importantly, it creates a bridge between school and the professional world, helping pupils see themselves not only as musicians but as confident young people with something to say. At a time when the arts are being squeezed in so many schools, projects like this show what is possible when we give children creative spaces to explore who they are and what they might become.
Emanuel School emanuel.org.uk
Further reading: Wells Cathedral School on why sharing music matters
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