Wray & Nephew Foundation introduces students to deejaying

Headsets ready and fingers on the keyboards, children got down to creating rhythms at J. Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation's first-ever disc jockey summer camp recently.

The one-week camp catered to 26 children, age 10 to 17, from the communities of Waterhouse, Seaview Gardens and Olympic Gardens.

"Our neighbouring communities along Spanish Town Road are faced with several challenges, many of which are grounded in the inability to express or give voice to emotions. By introducing the children to an activity that provides a platform for self-expression, creativity and collaboration, we are hoping to become a catalyst for better communication. We are also providing the participants with a vision of what else is possible for their future careers," said JWN Foundation CEO Tanikie McClarthy Allen.

Senior FAME FM disc jockey Denvo 'DJ Denvo' Thombs conducted the daily sessions that had its fair share of intrigue, disagreement and, ultimately, satisfaction.

DJ Denvo led the sessions where the campers were presented with the challenge of learning a new skill and building new friendships.

"One of the things I've noticed with the kids is that they have shown enthusiasm for music. They're now working together in teams as groups, and they're now a little bit more confident in themselves through music," said DJ Denvo.

The children were introduced to different aspects of deejaying and music production such as mixing, scratching, audio editing, beat making and content creation.

"This camp has really been great to me because it has helped me to interact with people. I'm not used to interacting with people and working with a team. It taught me to play with things and listen to music because I don't really like music. I mostly read books," said Chrissy-Lee Ormsby, who attends the Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha). "It was great. I had a lot of fun, it was nice."

Sanjay Loague, who attends Camperdown High School, also embraced the experience.

"It made me meet some really good people. I've never been around so many good people in life, because I've met up with some really bad people, so it was really good," said Loague. "We had some excellent teachers here at camp and I just want to tell them thanks for teaching us and the other campers how to do this deejaying thing."

Loague's team finished first in the mixing competition and earned $10,000, while Ormsby's group placed second, pocketing $5,000, and $3,000 went to the third-place finishers.

On the final day, the participants demonstrated their new skills in a mix-off competition (sound clash), and toured the studios of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group on Lyndhurst Road.