Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 10: Show off your DJ Song Set

Program Description:

Theme: Courage

Weekly goal & lesson: In the last week of the program, we will hold the last Cypher where everyone will show off their finished set. Being a DJ takes a lot of courage, and we will build that up for the youth by giving them a safe space to share their work.   

DJ Activity: We will wrap up the entire course by sharing our music and any knowledge we might’ve learned over the past 10 weeks. This will be a fun day where everyone gets to share their work and talk about their experience of learning how to be a DJ and beat-making. 

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 9: Prepare and Practice DJ Set

Program Description:

Theme: Practice makes perfect  

Weekly goal & lesson: As the youth prepares to show off their work, they will be encouraged to practice until they are happy with what they have done. This will put them into a positive mindset that shows them they can accomplish anything by being patient and working to obtain the desired outcome. 

DJ Activity: This week we will continue practicing and preparing for the DJ song set. Our goal for this week will be to fix any mistakes that were analyzed the previous week during the recording activity. This will be the last opportunity to make any changes to the set such as song choice, effects and samples.  

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 8: Recording Your Set

Program Description:

Theme: Analyzing your work 

Weekly goal & lesson: This week, the youth will learn the importance of reviewing and analyzing their work to be able to find any mistakes, as well as where these mistakes come from so they are able to fix them. This will teach them to have positive habits that help them find the root cause of their problems.  

DJ Activity: We will learn how to record the DJ set session directly from Serato DJ. We will record and analyze the sessions to find any mistakes that need to be corrected. This will allow us to have the necessary information to prepare the work for next week’s session.  

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 7: Prepare and Practice DJ Set

Program Description:

Theme: Patience  

Weekly goal & lesson: This week we will start by asking youth to share their progress with the rest. To accomplish the best results. In the DJ world, practice and patience are fundamental, this is why for this lesson, the youth will be preparing and practicing for their first live DJ set. At the end of this lesson, they should feel prepared to attend our last cypher where we will all share our finalized DJ set.     

DJ Activity: Learn, Create, Practice, Repeat. For this week, the youth will use the resources they previously found to create their initial mix. They will also prepare and add the final touches to their mixes, they will do this by adding any new content to their set before they are ready to review it the following week.  

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 6: Live Remix

Program Description:

Theme: Uniqueness 

Weekly goal & lesson: This week the youth will be able to share their uniqueness with others and use this opportunity to discuss how to respect other people’s points of view and opinions. As their work alongside others, they should be ready to receive criticism and be able to defend their creative choices.  

DJ Activity: We will use the acquired knowledge about finding resources to find the necessary elements to put together a live remix. This will allow them to experiment with different beats to make the remix their own, this gives the youth complete creative freedom with their remix.  

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 5: Using FXs and Samples

Program Description:

Theme: Newfound skills  

Weekly goal & lesson: This week’s lesson will teach the youth to look within their abilities and skills to find out what they enjoy doing. This allows them to get to know themselves better as they discover their taste, skills, and what generally makes them happy as they encourage others to do the same.  

DJ Activity: This week we will learn the use and importance of FX and samples during the transition as a mixing technique. We will discuss in depth the different uses of the pads and knobs dedicated to controlling these functions in the software. This will allow them to discover new skills by applying the first steps of scratching techniques. 

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 4: Music Mixing Techniques

Program Description:

Theme: Determination

Weekly goal & lesson: We will start to create our mix with the songs the youth has brought. The mix will come together slowly, the youth will be encouraged to keep going even if it is not turning out the way they expect. We will do this by helping them fix any mistakes and giving them suggestions to maximize their contentment with their results.

DJ Activity: We will go over previous lessons and re-learn skills that will help with this week’s goal. We will learn how to "beat-match" songs and apply basic transitions and effects. They will use their previous knowledge of Serato features in order to find the right songs to create a smooth DJ set.    

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 3: Music Selection & Organizing

Program Description:

Theme: Empathy  

Weekly goal & lesson: Being a DJ involves using not only musical but interpersonal skills. It's important to know how to bond with people that you are djing for and most of the time this means putting our personal music taste aside to create the right environment to fit the context and requirements of the event you are working at. A successful DJ should be able to read the crowd and connect with people's emotions through music. We will discuss why empathy is important and how it can be applied to our daily life.   

DJ Activity: We will learn how to select and sort songs. Using these songs as well as the knowledge from the previous week, we will create custom music crates, learn song cue points and identify the song's bpm. Youth will be asked to prepare at least 5 songs they would like to create a mix with next week.  

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 2: DJ Software & Resources

Program Description:

Theme: Researching 

Weekly goal & lesson: Researching can be a big part of the responsibilities the youth has to deal with in their day-to-day life. In this activity, they will acquire the skills of research that will be helpful with the school as well as their development. 

DJ Activity: This week, newfound Dj technology and resources will be applied when using Serato DJ software. We will review the features of this software and the different tools that allow creativity to be developed on a deeper level. The youth will learn about the available resources to find and share/publish music.   

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Monday Hip-Hop Club

Week 1: DJ Gear Set Up

Program Description:

Theme: Preparing for new endeavors     
Weekly goal & lesson: Being in charge of the DJ set up at an event is a big responsibility and may be challenging sometimes. We will discuss how to handle difficult situations and how to manage frustration and encourage them to think out of the box for problem-solving.  This will encourage them to be self-confident and discuss the ways to create good habits in order to carry out different steps to the completion of a goal.     

DJ Activity: There will be a tutorial on how to Set up Speakers, Turntables, Dj mixers or controllers, and microphones. After that, the youth will get the opportunity to try it out themselves and might gain the skill of setting up DJ gear for Friday’s dance program. This will allow us to move on to next week’s topic which will be music selection and DJ software introduction. 

Beat Making Workshop at Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 1: DJ Gear Set Up

Program Description:

Theme: Preparing for new endeavors     
Weekly goal & lesson: Being in charge of the DJ set up at an event is a big responsibility and may be challenging sometimes. We will discuss how to handle difficult situations and how to manage frustration and encourage them to think out of the box for problem-solving.  This will encourage them to be self-confident and discuss the ways to create good habits in order to carry out different steps to the completion of a goal.     

DJ Activity: There will be a tutorial on how to Set up Speakers, Turntables, Dj mixers or controllers, and microphones. After that, the youth will get the opportunity to try it out themselves and might gain the skill of setting up DJ gear for Friday’s dance program. This will allow us to move on to next week’s topic which will be music selection and DJ software introduction. 

Program Description:

DJ Activity: We will wrap up the entire course by sharing our music and any knowledge we might’ve learned throughout the past 10 weeks. This will be a fun day where everyone gets to share their work and talk about their experience of learning how to be a DJ and beat-making!

Weekly Goal & Lesson: In the last week of the program, we will hold the last cypher where everyone will show off their finished set. Being a DJ takes a lot of courage, and we will build that up for the youth by giving them a safe space where they can share their work.    

Program Description:

DJ Activity: Learn, Create, Practice, Repeat. For this week, the youth will be preparing and adding the final touches to their mixes. We will record and analyze the sessions to find any mistakes that need to be corrected. Other than that, this week will consist of practicing and preparing.   

Weekly Goal & Lesson: This week we will start by asking youth to share their progress with the group to accomplish the best results. In the DJ world, practice and patience are fundamental. This is why for this lesson, the youth will be preparing and practicing for their first live DJ set! At the end of this lesson, they should feel prepared to attend our last cypher where we will all share our finalized DJ set.    

Program Description:

DJ Activity: We will go over previous lessons and re-learn skills that will help with this week’s goal. We will learn how to "beat-match" songs, and apply basic transitions and effects. The youth will use their previous knowledge of Serato features in order to find the right songs to create a smooth DJ set.   

Weekly Goal & Lesson: We will start to create our mix with the songs the youth have brought. The mix will come together slowly, and the youth will be encouraged to keep going even if it is not turning out the way they expect. We will do this by helping them fix any mistakes and giving them suggestions to maximize their contentment with their results.  

Program Description:

DJ Activity: This week we will learn how to select and sort songs. DJ technology and resources will be applied when using Serato DJ PRO. Through this, we will create custom music crates, learn song cue points and identify the song's bpm. This will prepare the youth with knowledge of the software to be able to start their first mix. Youth will be asked to prepare at least 5 songs they would like to create a mix with next week.   

Weekly Goal & Lesson: Being a DJ involves using not only musical, but interpersonal skills. It's important to know how to bond with people that you are djing for and most of the time this means putting our personal music taste aside to create the right environment to fit the context and requirements of the event you are working at. A successful DJ should be able to read the crowd and connect with people's emotions through music. We will discuss why empathy is important and how it can be applied to our daily interactions.     

Program Description:

DJ Activity: This week there will be a tutorial on how to set up speakers, turntables, DJ mixers or controllers, and microphones. After that, the youth will get the opportunity to try it out themselves and gain the skill of setting up DJ gear for Antyx’s Friday Hip-Hop Club. This will allow us to move on to next week’s topic which will be music selection and DJ software introduction.   

Weekly Goal & Lesson: Being in charge of the DJ setup at an event is a big responsibility and may be challenging sometimes. We will discuss how to handle difficult situations and how to manage frustration and encourage them to think out of the box for problem-solving.  This will encourage them to be self-confident and discuss the ways to create good habits in order to carry out different steps to the completion of a goal.    

Program Description:

DJ Activity: This week, we will use the DJ decks for the first time during the beats cypher where the youth will have the opportunity to share their work. At the same time, we will be introducing the second half of the program, consisting of the usage of DJ decks for music mixing. 

Weekly Goal & Lesson: We will encourage the youth to participate in the beat cypher. Everyone will have a chance to share their finalized beat and possibly any lyrics they may have written. This will prepare them and give them confidence when they have to share their work with a group of people in the future, music related or not. 

Program Description:

DJ Activity: We will start by listening to everyone’s tracks and sharing constructive criticism before moving on to the final process of our tracks. The youth will learn the basics of mixing and mastering in FL Studio and learn how to export the beat session to prepare for Monday's Recording Club.

Weekly Goal & Lesson: For this week, we will have a feedback and constructive criticism session before starting the activity which consists of adding the final touches to our tracks until we feel satisfied with how well this track represents our personal essence. This will allow the youth to connect with their inner-self and be able to express their feelings on the track. At the end of this session, the youth should have a final track they can take to the recording club.

Program Description:

DJ Activity: We will discuss the topics the youth have brought to class from last week as well as what these topics mean to them and how they relate to their experiences and at-home environment. We will learn how to add a bass line to our track and go through a variety of sound effects using the decks. After this, the track will be ready for next week’s topic: mixing and mastering.

Weekly Goal & Lesson: For this week, the youth will start to finalize their track by adding instruments and sound effects. The goal for this lesson will be to enhance their existing beat and connect with whatever meaning the beat will have to them personally, this will inspire the lyrics they might write in the future. 

Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 2: Using FL Studio

Program Description:

DJ Activity: For our first session, youth will learn the first steps of beat-making in FL Studio, using samples that they have gathered during the music-sharing portion of the class. We will create a simple music pattern and learn how to count bars. This will benefit the youth by allowing them to discover a newfound skill and giving them the confidence to start thinking about making their own music. Youth will be asked to bring a song they would like to sample for the next class.

Weekly Goal & Lesson: Find out and share what artists and genres you like and learn about sampling techniques. We will discuss music taste and what inspires us when creating music and/or any art form. The youth will be encouraged to share their personal music taste and get started with beat creation. 

What is Thursday Hip-Hop Club?

Thursday Hip-Hop Club is a beginner-friendly program for any youth wanting to learn how to DJ! Over the course of 10 weeks, our facilitators will teach youth the basics and fundamentals of DJing so that by the end of the 10 weeks, each youth will have a completed personalized DJ set ready to perform. Youth will learn skills in DJ software like FL Studio and Serato DJ PRO such as sampling music, beat-making, arranging tracks, mixing and mastering, and more!

Antyx Thursday Hip-Hop Club

Week 1: Sampling Music

Program Description:

DJ Activity: For our first session, youth will learn the first steps of beat-making in FL Studio, using samples that they have gathered during the music-sharing portion of the class. We will create a simple music pattern and learn how to count bars. This will benefit the youth by allowing them to discover a newfound skill and giving them the confidence to start thinking about making their own music. Youth will be asked to bring a song they would like to sample for the next class.

Weekly Goal & Lesson: Find out and share what artists and genres you like and learn about sampling techniques. We will discuss music taste and what inspires us when creating music and/or any art form. The youth will be encouraged to share their personal music taste and get started with beat creation. 

What is Thursday Hip-Hop Club?

Thursday Hip-Hop Club is a beginner-friendly program for any youth wanting to learn how to DJ! Over the course of 10 weeks, our facilitators will teach youth the basics and fundamentals of DJing so that by the end of the 10 weeks, each youth will have a completed personalized DJ set ready to perform. Youth will learn skills in DJ software like FL Studio and Serato DJ PRO such as sampling music, beat-making, arranging tracks, mixing and mastering, and more!