Unsupervised practice makes perfect
6 May 2014
Dr Matt Connell, a Lecturer on the DJ Cultures module, on the BA Hons Media and Joint Honours Humanities in Communication and Society courses, has received money from the Alumni Fund to equip two DJ and Music Practice Rooms with sound limiting equipment.
Sound limiting headphones and sound limited amplification will enable students to use the rooms for unsupervised practice. Previously, the rooms could only be used when supervised for health and safety reasons due to the potential for damaging sound pressure levels to be generated by the equipment. This constrained students’ opportunities to practice. The installation of professional quality sound limiting equipment has now opened up these rooms for safe unsupervised practice sessions. This will dramatically increase students’ chances to hone their techniques, radically improving their experience of the DJ module, and also potentially enhancing other music technology related elements of the BA Hons Media course. BA Hons Media and Communications student Darby Walsh said: “I always wanted to get involved in DJ-ing and luckily the course incorporated this module. The new equipment has definitely added to the overall experience.”
Since one of the assessed outcomes of the DJ module is to DJ a gig, the opportunity for increased practice will make a really positive difference to these students’ experience, enabling them to prepare to a more professional level. The gig will be in The Point at Clifton campus on Wednesday 7 May, 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm.
Lecturer “DJ Dr Matt” said: “The techniques needed to operate DJ equipment are craft skills which require proper practice to perfect them, and this generous funding is going to make a real improvement to the module. I’m thrilled to finally see the realisation of my long-held wish to provide practice rooms which students can book to use without my supervision.”