How To Dj A Prom

[JX2 Productions]

I am not sure if this is where this is supposed to go but I figured its the best place for it...

We just got hired to dj a prom for MacDuffie (a private high school in Mass). We were wondering wut things we shoudl do there etc. ? We really need the help on this one since we've never done one before. We are eager to learn! :-D

[Glen Millar]

Take a high school dance. Mix in the formal feel of a wedding. And you basically have a prom.

Ask them what their theme song is (They always have one) It is a formal event, so your setup should reflect that as well. As should your appearance. A Tux is practically mandatory for me when I did proms.

It is a Prom. So a lot of the people will be socializing even more. And that can mean more than dancing. The students are monitored. But. Many times I have seen them given more latitude at a prom both for behavior and music than a regular school dance. A Prom is like a rite of passage. Going from being a teen to young men and women.

Some students save the REAL party energy for the party after so you may find there is not as much dancing as per normal for a school. (many proms here will book a DJ for the "official dance" and then another DJ for the After-dance which is usually on a secluded acreage or rural location).

Proms can be a emotional event. Play lots of slow songs. As always...play for the girls first. Guys second. It is the girls who make the dance. Not the guys. Guys just want to look cool. Girls want to party with their friends.

I'd put more but is REAL late (3:52AM et) but I am sure other members will give even better advice than my generic babble

[JX2 Productions]

Thankyou, this will help me out a lot. Also, How do you think we should introduce the king and queen etc. of the night ?

[Jim Casey]

Erik,
I will say one thing that in schools, there seems to be a major trend toward the heavier Alternative Rock like Godsmack, Seven Dust, and similar.

Hard to predict types of music that will work.

As for King & Queen, I would talk to the Prom Committee and set up an itinerary in advance so that it all flows smoothly. Make sure who will announce King & Queen, etc

[Thomas Hamkens]

Glen hit the good stuff pretty well so there's no need to rehash that. As far as the king/queen announcement, 99% of the time, the have someone that will do it. Make sure you right down thier names though so you can use them later.

Yes, make sure you have thier prom theme song(s) and make sure it's the right version. A couple of years ago, I did a prom and one of their theme songs was "More Than Words Can Say" but didn't give me an artist. I'm thinking, cool they want a song from Extreme and come to find out they wanted the BBMak version. Doh!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img] Luckily I had it but to be honest, they wouldn't have been able to tell the difference because I played them both. I've also had schools that have had 3 or 4 theme songs. I DJ'ed a prom where there were only 17 couples and they had 4 songs for their introductions. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif[/img]

[KJDJ]

The only other items I would add is: Run lots of lights and 5oowatts per 18" subwoofer per 75 kids.

[JX2 Productions]

Thank y'all so much. This is definately going to help a lot. I am going to be calling the person in charge this week to find everything out about it. Let's see wut happens...

[DJMC]

Originally posted by KJDJ@Dec 15 2003, 05:57 PM
The only other items I would add is: Run lots of lights and 5oowatts per 18" subwoofer per 75 kids.

silly me---I've done a prom with 750 students with 2 single 18's using 300 watts each.

And it was plenty loud and bassy. (I cheat by using heavy-duty 15" JBL mains crossed over at 90 hz)

[djdonny]

Just an idea, but here's what I like to do. I talk with the leaders of the prom committee of the school and ask them if they would like to hand out prom song request ballots to all the students in that prom grade about a month before the prom. I make up the ballots as cards with anywhere from 1 to 5 blank lines for title and artist, depending on the size of the school. I then compile the votes and use them as a guide to what to play at the prom. This works great for a number of reasons:

1. The school realizes that I care about what they want to hear.
2. I get a good sense of what to play before arriving.
3. I don't have to deal with "on-the-spot" requests notorious at proms.
4. I learn about some of the newest hot songs that I might not otherwise.
5. I have a chance to purchase any needed music beforehand.

This was how I handled my first DJ job about 10 years ago, and I've continued to do so very successfully since then.

Note: Be sure that every student who may attend the prom has a chance to vote. If the prom committee says they'll make up their own list, respectfully decline the offer. The prom committee's taste is usually very different from the typical students'. I learned that from experience also. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif[/img]

[JX2 Productions]

Thankyou very very very very much. I never really thought of doing individual cards, I was going to do at least a song request sheet like we do for weddings. Thankyou, this is going to help me out a lot! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]


Erik