So, I chaperoned a Middle School dance tonight.... a DJ question.

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Papa Deuce

Mac Daddy DJ
Aug 8, 2006
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Valley Forge Area
I was assigned to the dance floor, which meant I got to walk among the 300+ kids..... 11 - 13 year olds. When certain songs came on, the kids sang the unedited lyrics. ( This was at a CYO event, with a large crucifix directly over the dance floor ) There were many instances, of what I would call "questionable" song choices by the DJ, tho the kids did like him after the 1st hour.... ( he was abysmal the 1st hour, but pretty good in the 2nd and 3rd hours ).

So that made me wonder if you would play these songs at a middle school dance. These are just a few of the songs that I would probably not play. Would you? And does it matter if it was a CYO event or not?

1. The Wobble

2. Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

3. Whistle

4. I Want You Back - The Cher Lloyd song

BTW, being in the crowd at a middle school dance, and being a DJ is kind of an eye opener and a head scratcher, especially if you have kids in attendance, like I did.
 
I do a lot of Christian School dances. The middle schoolers listen to the same music as the high schoolers. I play most of the stuff off the Safe School List, however I do drop a few songs off for MS. I would not play Whistle off that list for HS or MS students, as it is on the DNP list on the Safe School List.

It is sad as many of the songs that have awfull lyrics, have the better beats, but it says right on my card (and I live by it) that I will not play songs with bad language or extremely lude lyrics. That is not only for kids dances, but adult functions also. I have not found it hard to keep my Christian ethics and DJ, since I have gone back into the business. I have turned down a couple of weddings as we could not come to an agreement on what lude music was.

Ray J.
 
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The Wobble is a staple everywhere. It has had a long life, it is over 3 years old now going on four. There seems to be no ending.
 
ahoustondj said:
The Wobble is a staple everywhere. It has had a long life, it is over 3 years old now going on four. There seems to be no ending.
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It may be a staple for ADULTS. It shouldn't be at Christian school events with 11 year olds.
 
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Papa,
We're getting old, what you and I may consider inappropriate kids and DJ's that are a lot younger than us don't see it as something they should object. I've been buying and listening to some of the new stuff and I cringe, but society evolves and eventually the F word will not be considered as a negative element. Evolution.,.,. I don't like it at this point ;)
 
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DJ SVO said:
Papa,
We're getting old, what you and I may consider inappropriate kids and DJ's that are a lot younger than us don't see it as something they should object. I've been buying and listening to some of the new stuff and I cringe, but society evolves and eventually the F word will not be considered as a negative element. Evolution.,.,. I don't like it at this point ;)
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Ah, but the parents care, and that is who pays the bills. I do enough kids events to know that.
 
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Remember...there is a difference between lyrics that have bad words,
and lyrics with bad intentions.
BOTH should be avoided at a CYO event.
Unforunately, most parents and teachers are only listening for bad words.
 
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I never quite got the fact that schools ban music that can be readily heard on any top 40 station on the dial
 
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Jeff Romard said:
I never quite got the fact that schools ban music that can be readily heard on any top 40 station on the dial
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Well, most don't where I live.... they ban the ones with the explicit lyrics, but allow radio edits.
 
Papa Deuce said:
Well, most don't where I live.... they ban the ones with the explicit lyrics, but allow radio edits.
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And as you noted earlier...
radio edits don't matter when the kids sing the original lyrics at a dance.

Oh yeah, and as a radio guy....they don't really "ban" the explicit songs...
they just don't play the songs that are so bad there is no "clean" version.
 
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Ausumm said:
And as you noted earlier...
radio edits don't matter when the kids sing the original lyrics at a dance.
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+1

I still use the radio edits...but the kids sing the original lyrics over the music.
 
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The great thing about the Christian School I do a lot of work for is, they are required to meet dress code and conduct standards at all school sanctioned events, so sing some bad words and you get a demerrit, if you are on a sports team and you get a demerrit, you don't play in the next game, state championship or not. The kids take all that serious and tend to act a little better. Plus I see so much more parent involvement when they are paying to send their kids to school, not just using the school as a baby sitter.

I went to public schools, way back in the 60's and 70's, back then they didn't take any crap from kids or parents. We were not angels, but we were scared of adult and if my dad got a call from any school administrator or other parent I was DEAD, he always sided with the other adult.

Ray J.
 
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Ausumm said:
And as you noted earlier...
radio edits don't matter when the kids sing the original lyrics at a dance.

Oh yeah, and as a radio guy....they don't really "ban" the explicit songs...
they just don't play the songs that are so bad there is no "clean" version.
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Right, but at least I have done my part.
 
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Papa Deuce said:
Right, but at least I have done my part.
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I don't have an issue with the radio edits of the songs on your list. I would typically drop a song when it becomes a problem for me and my ability to present with propriety and good taste. Profanity alone isn't enough reason and kids often interject their own even into songs that contain none. Someone mentioned "intention" and that is a better line to draw.

A song like "Scream" (Usher) has no profanity but, is in fact profane and offensive in it's narcissistic objectification of women. There is no edit that can remove it's offensive message - so it is better played in front of a adult audience with a better grasp of the issue.

So, I care more about what I bring to the event; that which is blaring out of my speakers - rather than what the kids came in the door with and yell out on the dance floor.
 
Papa Deuce said:
Right, but at least I have done my part.
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Proformance said:
I care more about what is blaring out of my speakers - rather than what the kids yell out on the dance floor.
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You and Papa are correct.
You did your part and lived up to your part of the bargain.

But when something like this causes a problem...where will the school eventually place the blame?
 
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What I've discovered is that when asking parents as chaperones at school dances about edited songs and the students yelling out the offensive original lyrics, most simply don't care...or don't know about the songs.
 
What dunlopj just said is correct. I did jr. high dances where I talked to the admin first. I was explicit about song lyrics and the kids singing along with the bad words even though I had the clean edit. The admin didn't care if I played those songs... and most of the adults didn't catch the words the kids were singing anyhow. It seems those are the songs they request most often too. My statement of "I don't have that song" only resulted in disappointment by the kids, so I played it and bit the bullet.
 
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