Electronic dance music is a universal language that connects the globe, often without words, in a shared culture. It should come as no surprise that scenes from all over the world have contributed to the sea of styles that have thrived over the past four decades.
Watch: New York’s DJ School for babies is a real, head-spinning thing
Babies and DJs have more in common than one might think. Both have irregular sleeping schedules. Both expect to receive bottles regularly. Both really dislike air travel, and aren’t shy about it. Babies play with rattles; DJs play Rattle. You get the idea.
Brooklyn musician Natalie Elizabeth Weiss, clearly seeing these similarities, had an idea: Why not teach babies how to become DJs? And that’s just what she does in her Baby DJ School, which held its first eight-week session in September 2012. Children from three months to three years of age, under Weiss’s tutelage, are “introduced to playing and handling records, mixing and matching beats and creating fun and funky samples using modern DJ equipment.”
In the video, nursery rhymes are replaced by mini-raps through which Weiss teaches basic DJ skills. One favourite: “I always, always pre-cue / Before I play in front of you!” She also creates full-length songs: titles include SP404 Lullaby, Building A Song Is Fun and That’s Why Daddy Loves Disco, with the eventual hope of winning a Grammy for Best Children’s Recording.
While it’s hard to say if Weiss is actually creating the next generation of DJs, one parent did note that her son seems “more connected to music,” and that “he dances and follows rhythm way more.” Take a look at Baby DJ School and decide for yourself.
