At this point in your career as a DJ would you DJ a kids party where they want the DJ to be interactive, and facilitate games with the kids? Coke/Pepsi, Limbo, Hula Hoop Toss style games as an example.
Would you DJ a kids party and Facilitate games?
- Thread starter DJ Ricky B
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It's all about the money.
Baby setting is no longer a fun event for me.
Baby setting is no longer a fun event for me.
I voted that I would still do it but it would be actually one of my daughters that would do it I would book the event for the right amount of money though pay them to play and hang out and eat hotdogs and cake 
I had two calls that I have not responded to yet. One came in Friday afternoon, and one came in yesterday.
One is for a Barmitzvah next April for 3 hours. Wants a DJ to play games with the kids. Wants a price quote. She was referred by someone to me, and I did not recognize the name she said in the voice mail. Maybe a previous client. Maybe someone who saw me at an event years ago. It is at a nice restaurant known for having a lot of bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings take place there. I could book this for what I would charge for a wedding, but it's more work.
Another one came in for 10th birthday party taking place in January. Wants games with the kids. Also a referral. ...For this, I doubt they will spend over $600, and I don't have any interest in booking anything games related for below what I can get on a wedding.
10+ years ago I would have tried to book both of these.
Today, I'm Debating if I want to even bother calling them back, lol
One is for a Barmitzvah next April for 3 hours. Wants a DJ to play games with the kids. Wants a price quote. She was referred by someone to me, and I did not recognize the name she said in the voice mail. Maybe a previous client. Maybe someone who saw me at an event years ago. It is at a nice restaurant known for having a lot of bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings take place there. I could book this for what I would charge for a wedding, but it's more work.
Another one came in for 10th birthday party taking place in January. Wants games with the kids. Also a referral. ...For this, I doubt they will spend over $600, and I don't have any interest in booking anything games related for below what I can get on a wedding.
10+ years ago I would have tried to book both of these.
Today, I'm Debating if I want to even bother calling them back, lol
Would you DJ a car show and not play car songs? If you're booking kids events, why would you not play with them?
Sounds like a simple solution - if you don't want to entertain the younger generation(s), don't accept it.
Sounds like a simple solution - if you don't want to entertain the younger generation(s), don't accept it.
I use to do them all the time in my 20s. Still did them in my early 30s, but as time went on I booked less and less of them each year. I think the last Bat Mitzvah I did was in 2018, and my son and I did a friend's 5 year old birthday party in 2019. Perhaps this is something that just comes with age. Once you get older, you reach a point to where you look at all of the negativity surrounding new music as 99% of it is garbage, so then you have to stick to the old stuff which over the years has become increasingly harder as kids want the new crap mostly. Then kids have the shortest attention spans EVER now thanks to their faces being glued to hand held screens all day. It was certainly easier to keep them entertained 10+ years ago.
My older brother stopped doing them 2-3 years ago. My older sister might still be willing to do them. I have to talk with her and see, or she might have decided she is done with them too.
I haven't marketed to them in YEARS. I know that I can certainly still do them. I just don't have a desire to work them any more. That desire was exiting the front door in 2018/2019. Now it has completely left the building...no where to be found lol
While I don't disagree, it still comes back to if you don't want to entertain the younger ones, then you don't accept the job.
While most of the kids know the words to today's songs, you might be surprised how many of them actually know what they're singing - or believe in what they're singing. Think back to your younger days, did you really understand all the stuff you were hearing or singing along with. To keep things in check, your parents thought most of your generations music was crap, as did their parents, etc, etc. To a kid from today, music from the 90's is old .. like music from the 60's for those born in the 90's. It's all about perspective.
Some of the reason kids have no attention span is because no one wants their attention - you just posted about not wanting to interact with them.
While most of the kids know the words to today's songs, you might be surprised how many of them actually know what they're singing - or believe in what they're singing. Think back to your younger days, did you really understand all the stuff you were hearing or singing along with. To keep things in check, your parents thought most of your generations music was crap, as did their parents, etc, etc. To a kid from today, music from the 90's is old .. like music from the 60's for those born in the 90's. It's all about perspective.
Some of the reason kids have no attention span is because no one wants their attention - you just posted about not wanting to interact with them.
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My Ex worked at an elementary school for years. About 3 times a year, I would come in during lunch hour and play games with the kids. Easiest gig ever. Parked right on the playground set up right next to the car. Kids had a blast. I did several backyard birthday parties for my daughter's classmates over the years too. Again, pretty easy stuff. Then again, not as lucrative as weddings.
I did one mitzvah and that pretty much was the end of my kid stuff. I am at the reception hall pretty much by myself when carloads of kids start showing up early. No food is ready. Catering is still setting up. I am not supposed to start playing yet. A kid comes up to me and says, "I hope you don't suck like the DJ at last week's bar mitzvah!" I think I told him , "No, I was going to suck differently." Anyhow, 2 dozen 12 and 13 years running around without parental supervision pretty much cooked me on kids events. I went through Coke/Pepsi and all the other typical games popular at the time. I had lots of swag for the kids too. What I didn't have was a crew of party motivators and that would have really helped to keep them out of my hair.
I did one mitzvah and that pretty much was the end of my kid stuff. I am at the reception hall pretty much by myself when carloads of kids start showing up early. No food is ready. Catering is still setting up. I am not supposed to start playing yet. A kid comes up to me and says, "I hope you don't suck like the DJ at last week's bar mitzvah!" I think I told him , "No, I was going to suck differently." Anyhow, 2 dozen 12 and 13 years running around without parental supervision pretty much cooked me on kids events. I went through Coke/Pepsi and all the other typical games popular at the time. I had lots of swag for the kids too. What I didn't have was a crew of party motivators and that would have really helped to keep them out of my hair.
I'm more into spin the bottle & strip poker
Many of my first paid gigs were this type of work. I was a teenager at the time, and I was figuring it out.
They were typically 2 hour elementary school dances, and I think was making $200-$250 to do them.
My format was that every 10-15 minutes I would try to do an activity. So either a line dance, a scavenger hunt for a silly giveaway (often glowsticks). We'd do hoola hoop contests (I bought like 60 hoola hoops to facilitate this). We did limbo, all sorts of silly stuff. So it would literally be 2-5 songs of kids running around playing on their own, and then we'd do something else.
While I don't aspire to do that kind of work anymore, I had a lot of fun doing it back then. And as a young DJ the experience being on a microphone, commanding a room full of chaos, and figuring out how to program for it was invaluable for me.
With where I am now... I'm not pursuing anything like this. But if I were a full timer, I might do it again under another brand.
Set up a completely separate brand and website directed towards kids and school dance type events. Booking only available Monday - Thursdays. Send flyers to all the local elementary schools (there are 141 elementary schools in the county I live in). If you book 10-15 of those a year at $350 a pop... call it an extra $3-$5K from nights that would otherwise be totally dormant. I think it would be pretty easy to do actually.
They were typically 2 hour elementary school dances, and I think was making $200-$250 to do them.
My format was that every 10-15 minutes I would try to do an activity. So either a line dance, a scavenger hunt for a silly giveaway (often glowsticks). We'd do hoola hoop contests (I bought like 60 hoola hoops to facilitate this). We did limbo, all sorts of silly stuff. So it would literally be 2-5 songs of kids running around playing on their own, and then we'd do something else.
While I don't aspire to do that kind of work anymore, I had a lot of fun doing it back then. And as a young DJ the experience being on a microphone, commanding a room full of chaos, and figuring out how to program for it was invaluable for me.
With where I am now... I'm not pursuing anything like this. But if I were a full timer, I might do it again under another brand.
Set up a completely separate brand and website directed towards kids and school dance type events. Booking only available Monday - Thursdays. Send flyers to all the local elementary schools (there are 141 elementary schools in the county I live in). If you book 10-15 of those a year at $350 a pop... call it an extra $3-$5K from nights that would otherwise be totally dormant. I think it would be pretty easy to do actually.
Noooooo! , I do not have any desire to any kid/teen events, with the exception that my kids school since they found out I am a DJ want me to do their prom next year, I am only considering it because its not a typical public school.
I just did a kids party this year. Not my first choice, but the money was right and was a 2 hour Sunday noon to 2.
Yes we played games
Yes we played games
so if you know how to do it its a good gig, I saw some guy years ago, halfway through a function, did one for the kids about 45 minutes, he was awesome and did a great job.
I've done a few, one in a big hall, I did a kids section, it was hard work, no matter how you plan it in your head, it never goes how you think
And I did my daughters b'day party when she was 6, in the garage, that was ok
You have to think of engaging party games and you MUST KNOW the music for your audience.
Kids actually are the best, as they have no inhibitions, fill em full of sugar, wind em up and watch em go. the problem happens when you have kids screaming and running around at an adult function.
TBH, if you've EVER done mobileing then you know you have kids
The best part of kids party, you can load em full of candy, wind them up till they explode, but the parents end up with them at the end of the night
I'm 50-50 on kids parties !
I've done a few, one in a big hall, I did a kids section, it was hard work, no matter how you plan it in your head, it never goes how you think
And I did my daughters b'day party when she was 6, in the garage, that was ok
You have to think of engaging party games and you MUST KNOW the music for your audience.
Kids actually are the best, as they have no inhibitions, fill em full of sugar, wind em up and watch em go. the problem happens when you have kids screaming and running around at an adult function.
TBH, if you've EVER done mobileing then you know you have kids
The best part of kids party, you can load em full of candy, wind them up till they explode, but the parents end up with them at the end of the night
I'm 50-50 on kids parties !
if you think about it, kids parties tend to be shorter, but you can still charge full rate, more bang for your buck, BUT you can't adult DJ a kids party, 2 hour stint, easy right,... compare it to an 8 till 1am, where everyone wants "there special record" and never dances or thoes that "hey mate I can DJ/SING/KARAOKE/RAP" or the drunks that bump you 1200's or spill beer on your subs
"yeah my dad is a DJ"
school proceeds to give you the lowest low ball offer
because, it is for the school !
Too many of these type of gig's want you to play for nothing. Like some charity gigs I'd do, but, if it's not worth my while, I'd rather just give you a donation and call it quits
Many years ago some one rang me up was doing a big hall, about 200 people, charging tickets, wanted me to do a gig for £50, you heard it right 50 quid, I just laughed and hung up
Why wouldn’t you at least respond politely that you do not do these type of events but if I can be of assistance in the future please reach out and maybe even pass along the names of a couple of DJs who could help them
Kid's parties are about the games, contests, and activities as much or more than the clean music you have to play. I’ve done them, block parties with tons of kids and Bar/bat mitzvahs. You need to be comfortable around the kids. At first, I was tempted to say just hire a clown. I have a friend who is a professional clown, he gets paid really well hr, so likely the client could not afford that.
As far as people calling up asking for big discounts, had one last week. I told her I have clients who spend a ton of money with my company, they don’t ask for discounts or freebies. I have never been hired by you and you were not referred to my company. Although I would like to help out, any discounts if I were to give out, would be given to clients who already use my services.
As far as people calling up asking for big discounts, had one last week. I told her I have clients who spend a ton of money with my company, they don’t ask for discounts or freebies. I have never been hired by you and you were not referred to my company. Although I would like to help out, any discounts if I were to give out, would be given to clients who already use my services.
