The school teamed up with disc jockey and music producer Schuyler Stevens Friday to host a walk-through of the hardware and software ubiquitous to most DJ setups.
“Each ‘m’ in Mmmmaven represents four beats, and in this lab you’ll count to four until you’re blue in the face,” said David Day, executive director and co-founder of Mmmmaven, at the beginning of the class. Students gathered around Stevens as he explained different aspects of a DJ setup, which includes different needles, a Serato scratch box and a mixer.
Stevens, who instructed Friday’s lesson, has been DJing and producing music since he was 15. His musical journey began when he attended an electronic music show and was mesmerized by the DJ’s striking abilities.
“[My DJing has] gone through a bunch of different phases,” Stevens said. “I started out scratching in my room and kind of got into grooves with people. Shortly after getting into DJing, I got into making beats and producing and by the time I came to Boston … there were a bunch of people around looking to collaborate.”
Although each student went to Friday’s DJ class to expand their personal knowledge of music production, everyone was actively engaged and interested in what others had to ask and say.
“The community just gets larger and larger,” Day said. “We’ve got plenty of students that become friends.”
Before and during the class, students mingled with the staff and even stayed afterward to discuss their music and other related hobbies. Students even invited one another to their future shows.
“I did the last free workshop,” said Roiel Benitez Bertoni, a Boston-based DJ, music producer and attendee of Friday’s class. “I’m here again. Everyone is awesome.”
Mmmmaven was initially a pop-up shop in Central Square. Three years later, the shop closed and became a permanent establishment. Mmmmaven offers a variety of different courses suitable for all ages, including a DJ 101 class for beginners and a Kids DJ Program for interested junior jammers.
“We’ve had 60-year-old Indian Bollywood DJs to nine-year-old Dubstep and Skrillex wannabes,” Day said.
Students dedicate about 50 hours of class time and also have unlimited studio time to practice their music production skills.
“The idea is that music and technology go together in this lab,” Day said.
Ableton Live, the main program taught at Mmmmaven, is meant to be used alongside live music. Day said he loves Ableton because he believes that DJing isn’t just about mixing music. It’s about the experience created in the presence of other people.
“It’s a new way to experience music, and it’s fun,” he said.
The students said they love coming to Mmmmaven and sometimes they refuse to leave until they’re forced out, he said. But what sets Mmmmaven apart from other electronic music schools isn’t just its familial environment, but its mission and ultimate end goal. Mmmmaven is all about inclusivity, education and exposure to the world of music.
“The real goal is … to build a non-profit that’ll teach kids Ableton and music technology,” Day said. “When we get underserved kids in here that can’t afford this stuff, they freak out. They love [music production]. Their eyes light up, they won’t leave … We’ve had kids take the class and then want to learn piano. It’s a way to introduce kids to music.”
Day, Stevens and Benitez said they all agree that the immersion into music production can be intimidating, but it is feasible.
“I was [intimidated] too,” Stevens said. “You have to be. But that’s what shows you how awesome [making music] will be.”
