I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “Wedding DJ” before and probably even used it in reference to yourself. But what exactly does that mean? What’s all this jargon about being a DJ? And how do I go about becoming one myself? Let me tell you…

So let’s start with some definitions. The first thing we need to know is what kind of music we’re talking about when we talk about DJs or “DJs”. There are two main types of DJs: Live and Techno. Techno DJs tend to play very fast or electronic music while live DJs usually have an audience that listens along to their set. In addition, there are also DJs who mix the tracks together so they can be played at different times during the night.

Now that we know what type of Wedding DJ we’re dealing with, let’s get into more detail on how to become one!

1) Get out there and experience it for yourself!

If you haven’t already done so, make your plans to see if you can actually perform in front of people. You may not like it, but if you really want to be a DJ then this is where you’ll have to put up with the negative aspects of performing. If your goal is just to meet girls and party all day long, then don’t worry about it! It’s still going to happen no matter what.

2) Start out with small gigs

The next thing you’ll want to do is to start playing at small events. You don’t need to jump right into performing at weddings, your community center’s Christmas parties will do just fine! Don’t worry about the pressure of sounding perfect or whether or not people are going to like your music. Just perform for yourself and have fun with it!

3) Decide on your specialty | Wedding DJ

Are you more of a Wedding DJ or an MC? Or are you maybe even both? You’ll want to decide on what you really want to do because it helps a lot if you can focus all your energy in one direction.

You’ll also need to think about all the other duties that may or may not come with the gigs you’re hoping to get. For example, if you’re hoping to be a wedding DJ then you’ll most likely be in charge of more than just playing music. You’ll need to speak with the bride and groom beforehand to go over their song choices, participate in the introductions, make any announcements as necessary, and then ultimately help the spouses celebrate their love for each other.

You may not think that help in this last one is necessary, but I’ve seen it happen before with other DJs. The couple gets on the floor to begin their first dance as “Mr. and Mrs.” and the DJ just disappears without even saying good luck or wishing them well! Granted this scenario is a little extreme, but you get the idea.

If you’re a. going to be a live-action then you have to be prepared to play for much longer periods of time than a regular Wedding DJ would. You have to be able to play the guitar, bass, and/ or other instruments along with having the stamina to perform for three hours or more at times. You’ll also have a lot more things to carry with you since you have instruments as opposed to just a laptop and some speakers. However, you’re certainly going to be a bigger hit at the party if you do this because there aren’t too many people who can perform as you can.

4) Decide on your image

Once you’ve got a few gigs under your belt, it might be time to start polishing up your image. Now I’m not talking about fashion or style because that’s completely different than what we’re talking about right now. What I’m talking about is stage presence and how you present yourself on stage (not in general, but specifically for the type of musician or DJ that you are).

If you’re still a newbie to performing then it might be a bit awkward at first because, well, it’s your first time doing it. This will generally go away with time and experience though. If you’re already used to being on stage or have done a few gigs prior to this, then you probably don’t have anything to worry about. Just make sure that you act and perform in a way that’s comfortable to you.

5) Don’t be afraid to let loose

Performing can sometimes be a bit nerve-wracking if you worry about whether or not people are actually going to like what you’re doing. It doesn’t even matter if you think what you’re doing is bad, someone is bound to like it anyway. The worst thing you can do is not have fun with the performance because that will be very evident to whoever is watching.

The best thing to do is to just let loose and try to have as much fun as humanly (and in some cases inhumanly) possible. And if you really aren’t feeling it on a particular night, then don’t be afraid to take a night off. There are going to be plenty of opportunities for you to perform in the future so take a break if you need one.

6) Don’t let boo’s throw you off

Now, this may not apply to everyone, but it’s still something I feel needs to be said. As soon as you step on stage there are going to be two types of responses from the crowd, the love, and the hate. The ones that love you are going to be people that are genuinely there to support you and the ones that hate you are going to either be people that honestly dislike what you’re doing or they’re just there to watch the carnage unfold when you tick someone else off while on stage.

Before we get into some things on how NOT to react to each of these, let me give you a couple of tips on how to handle the love. As soon as you step on stage, can you feel that crowd loving you? Well, chances are they’re already cheering before you even do anything. The best thing you can do in this situation is taking the cheer and run with it. That initial reaction is going to be what most of the crowd follows so get them as hyped as possible right off the bat.

Now let’s talk about the ones that hate you…and there are going to be people that hate you. This just comes with the territory of being in the public eye, whether it’s music or acting or whatever. If someone random on the street told you they didn’t like what you’re doing, you probably wouldn’t care too much because it’s not really that serious, right?

MC Tips on How NOT to React to Haters

This is where a lot of artists, musicians, video photographers, and even actors can go wrong by taking the hate a little too personally. We’re human and we obviously don’t want people to hate us, but you have to remember that most of these people are just sitting over there in the darkness either wishing they were you or just sitting there wishing they were somewhere else. Just keep that in mind when someone starts yelling that you suck. If it really gets to you though, don’t be afraid to just walk off the stage and not give them a show at all.

Now more than ever you probably already have a general idea of who in the crowd is most likely to dislike you. Whether this is a jilted ex or just an old conservative lady that really hates rap music, chances are you know who it is. While performing, have some fun with it and make motions to the person like you’re talking directly to them. Let them know that their opinion is very important to you and then go right back to doing your thing as if they were loving every moment of it. Odds are, everyone else will think that this person is having a real effect on you and they’ll all gang upon him or her to shut them up. That might sound mean, but hey that’s just the breaks when you want to be in the spotlight.

Following these few simple tips should help you out quite a bit in your pursuit of being a musician or performer of some sort. Just remember if all else fails, go back to #1 and #2, because those will always get you through.