Posts tagged homecoming
Back to back Homecomings Dances in San Jose (Bay Area Dj serving San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale)

  We did back to back homecoming dances in San Jose. We do like doing high school dances. We do like them since we have an advantage compared to most other Djs. We compile the hottest songs that we get from all the high school dances that we do and mix it with the songs that the school requested. There are a lot of good songs out there to keep students dancing but the secret sauce is to play songs to build up energy and then mix into the next one quickly. It is crazy what the power of the quick mix can do with the energy of the crowd.

   We got to do Overfelt’s Home coming a few weeks ago and we had it indoors.  They gave us a good playlist and it was a good time. The following week we did James Licks homecoming dance.  The music was outside and the party was inside and outside. Loved the energy of the students. They were loving the edam music and loved the Latin music. There was a lot of Latin music played and danced to. As a dj, you have to be able to play and mix different genres.

  Both Overfelt and James Lick are awesome. They were very easy to work with.  Both sent over a dynamite Spotify list. Then the schools sent over maps of their school so we knew where to set up. It was just a really nice process and efficient.  Love it when schools are on top of it!

Real Life Events: Two Homecomings in Two weeks (Bay Area Dj serving San Jose, Campbell, Morgan Hill and Palo Alto)

 We love us some Homecoming dances. Last week we were at Westmont High School and we did homecoming dance at their gym. Their playlist was very solid. It was all older music that truly hits.  We love playing for Westmont since we played at their proms the past two years.

 The following week we were at Independence High School and they had their function outside. They had a cool low-rider van that was a  photo booth. Their list was a long list that had a lot of hard hitting hits and some current ones too. It was a very strong high school dance list. Love the fact we can use the strong old school hits of Westmont and the very current list with the hits from Independence and use that will the next homecomings that we have planned for October. We have two more homecomings happening in October that we are excited for. We love the fact that high schools call us back to do their homecomings and proms. Doing high school homecoming dances are different from doing other   events.  Most events you play background music then you go for dance music. High school homecoming events is straight energy from the start to the end.   There is no break in the action.

 Most homecoming dances are held the day after the big game. There was one school we did events for that would have the dance right after the game so it was a late night!

High School Dance Dj taking over the  San Jose Area (San Jose dj serving Sunnyvale, San Jose, Milpitas, Los Gatos and Santa Clara)

 

This has to be the best homecoming season for us this year. We did proms for schools and they invited us back to do their homecoming.  We love really love doing high school dances. They give us songs that fuel the dance floor and what we do is we build off each list so the playlist is full of energy. We have 6 high school lists to work off when we step into prom season. Each school is different. Typically, someone from the school body will send us a playlist via Spotify or google doc. Then we add their songs to our playlist and we make sure we have clean versions.

 

Los Gatos told us not to worry about the lights. We just showed up with our sound and their light show was amazing. Our dj said it felt like he was doing a festival. Los Gatos did bring their energy.

Evergreen had an outside event and it was very festive. A lot of kids showed up and it was a huge party. Evergreen always comes to play hard!

The Kings Academy had their homecoming after their football game and we rocked it in the gym.

Independence had their homecoming in the middle of the school outside and they provided a playlist that bumped and the students loved the vibe.

Yerba Buena is happening  next  week and we always have a blast with them.

James Lick is having their homecoming this Saturday and the Saturday before Halloween is always a good time.

 

Thank you high schools for helping us providing the soundtrack of your memorable events!

Two Home Comings back to back Nights in November (Bay Area dj serving San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy)

Black and White Affair were in Sunnyvale and San Jose the first week of November to celebrate Homecoming with two different high schools. Both playlists were way different but both parties were way fun!

 The Kings Academy has always been a fun place to dj at.  The coordinator shared their approved playlist and we followed it to a t. We did their homecoming last year and their prom and this year we are up again for their homecoming. This is our latest homecoming as timewise. It started around 9 15 and it went till 11:45 pm. They actually play the game Friday then straight after the game its party time. We find the students to be very respectful and overall well mannered folks. It was again a fun night in Sunnyvale.

  The next day we were at down town and played at a local high school. We had a list we worked off but we had more to work with and had their list as the baseline and we incorporated other songs that fit the vibe we were feeling.  Everyone was dressed nice and they were ready to party. We have a little more flexibility with the playlist so we read the crowd and gave them what they wanted. From the vibes, students wanted latin music so we gave them latin music. We also played the current hip hop but it was a good night downtown.

What to Look for in a High School Dance or Prom DJ (Bay Area dj now serving the Los Angeles area such as Burbank, Glendale, Sherman Oaks, and Santa Clarita

What to Look for in a High School Dance or Prom DJ

School dances offer high school kids a much-needed break from the humdrum and responsibility of school life. It's the perfect time to socialize and de-stress. It's also one of the few events the school organizes that most teens can get excited about. To live up to these expectations, a school dance needs the right DJ. The right DJ is someone who can keep a group of high-energy teens engaged, excited, and enjoying themselves during the event.

Before you hire a DJ for prom, homecoming, or any school dance, conduct a brief assessment of their skill and professionalism. This is what you need to scrutinize.

1. Music Selection

A DJs music selection is the most relevant assessment criteria, especially for teen events. Teenagers can be some of the trickiest group to cater to, especially as music tastes and trends differ almost weekly. This requires a high school dance or prom DJ to have their finger on the pulse of the latest trends in dance music. 

This doesn't mean the DJ must be young because most high school dance DJs often explore the teen culture and music trends to create playlists indicative of the audience. 

Ask to listen to a sample track list of other teen events they've DJed. If you think the mix is original and appropriate, you can always request changes to finetune your dance's playlist. 

2. Organizational Skills 

Organizing a school dance is difficult enough without the added stress of managing unorganized vendors. Trying to assess how organized a DJ is can be challenging. But  warning signs exist that show a DJ isn't organized: 

They don't respond to messages in a reasonable timeframe (1 to 2 business days)

They are unable to meet obligations on time (sending a sample playlist late or failing to provide references)

They are disengaged in the planning (short text or email responses that don't show an understanding of the task)

3. Extras on Offer 

It helps if your DJ offers a few extras — lighting or special effects — as you won't need to hire another vendor to provide these extras. 

4. Reviews or Testimonials

By now, you already know how important reading reviews are to gauge the type of service you're going to receive from your school dance or prom DJ. But more important than Google or Yelp reviews is getting testimonials. If the DJ you're considering is reputable, they should have — at the very least — one or two clients willing to provide a reference. You can use this reference's testimonial to ascertain their level of professionalism. Ideally, the client details they provide will have organized a teen event or high school dance. 

5. Experience Being a School Dance or Prom DJ

Trying to please a group of teenagers — getting them off their phones and engaged in the event — makes being a school dance or prom DJ more challenging than a wedding or corporate DJ. A DJ that doesn't have experience with high school events won't know how to invigorate or manage the crowd. But a DJ with experience hosting teen events will.

 

If you're organizing a high school dance or prom DJ in Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, or Santa Clarita, consider getting in touch. 

As a DJ with experience MCing teen events and high school dances, I've perfected the strategy to make your school dance memorable — for all the right reasons

4 Homecoming Events at 4 Different High Schools (Bay Area dj serving San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Livermore, Fremont, Newark, Burlingame)

After being shut down from any dances for a year and a half, high schoolers have been itching to dance. One of the main questions I had would songs from 2020 and 2021 be popular or would students be leaning toward the old school. Platforms like Tic Tok have brought back old school for the youngsters. Songs that you wouldn’t think students would know are songs students know the lyrics to. Have I seen any a change from pre covid events to current at the High School dance floors?

What hasn’t changed is the students take a while to warm up. Knowing this I have saved the beginning of the dance for the new and old pop songs that everyone knows. It’s not to get anybody dancing yet since I believe in saving the dessert for the packed dancefloor. At this time people are coming to the dance and seeing what is happening. At the events I did most students were either going to the food trucks or taking photos at the photo booth.

 

Some folks think the line dance is way cliché but it always works. The ones that the students really liked were the Cupid Shuffle and going old school with the YMCA. Those songs worked for all the 4 dances. Everyone was loving Miley Cyrus with Party in the USA and Justin Bieber’s Baby. Speaking of songs that students like to sing along to Taylor Swift was like magic with the students. Pitbull had a few hits on the student dancefloor with Tonight with Ne-yo and Fireball. I did notice Calvin Harris hits such as We Found Love and Feels so Close got everyone bouncing up and down. 

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HOMECOMING AT LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL (San Jose High School)

 Homecoming at Lincoln was in the middle of the quad. They had an old school van as a photoboth and food trucks. They shared with me a diverse playlist. I started the night to work on the older tracks first. I have to be aware of not using all the good danceable songs so quickly. 

Students at Lincoln were ready to dance. They were really into Spanish music. It was nice to see everyone get into the Spanish music. 

The Songs that stuck out for Lincoln:

It seems like 2010 music is getting a jolt of life such as songs like Disturbia by Rihanna, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, Feel So Close by Calvin Harris, Give me Tonight by Pitbull and Ne-yo. But the staple of high school music is classic hip hop from the past 7 years. Students were loving Sage the Gemini with Gas Pedal and Red Nose. Saweetie was a hit with MY Type. Travis Scott has a few hits and brought folks to the dance floor with Bring it Back and Ayy Ladies. But one of the songs of the night had to be Crank Thank by Soulja Boy. Some newer hip hop songs that students really liked were Magnolia and Shoota by Playboi Carti. Also a few artists seem to do well with high school. Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, and Miley Cyrus got some oohh and aahhs. 

 

Overall it was a good energy dance. My favorite sighting was students were really loving the Spanish music and no one came storming to the dj booth asking to change the song but made the most of it by dancing.