WASHINGTON — It’s an art form, being a disc jockey. If you’ve ever stepped out for a night on the town in D.C., DJ Quicksilva was probably on the ones and twos at one of your events.
He’s not only one of the biggest DJs in D.C. but across the nation.
Now he, along with Project Create in Southeast D.C., is teaching the next generation the keys to the craft.
"If you can count to eight, you can become a DJ," Roberto "DJ Quicksilva" Silva explained.
He said you start on the one and end on the eight but don't assume it's simple.
"I teach the fundamentals of actual counting bars, as in beats per minute," he said.
Coming to Project Create, centered in the heart of Ward 8, will be Quick & Eazy DJ Academy. After much success in Baltimore, Md., the pair of dynamic DJs knew it was time to take the show on the road, with a proven track record.
"Over 170 students have graduated already from Quick & Eazy. I said I got to do something in D.C.,” DJ Quicksilva said.
There's no age limit to catching the beat.
“My youngest student graduated so far was 12, the oldest was 68,” he said.
For children and teens who live in Ward 8, the five-week classes are free. In those classes, not only will kids learn the basics and fundamentals of becoming a DJ, but they'll also learn marketing and promotions.
“All you have to have is an open mind and show up. Once you show up, we provide everything, everything that we teach you hands-on,” he added.
The success DJ Quick Silva has had is immeasurable. The award-winning DJ said growing up in East Baltimore wasn't always easy. But he learned early on the rhythm of his life would be determined by the spin of the records HE chooses.
"The same feeling I’ve been creating for decades, I want a young student from Southeast D.C. to know, 'You know what? I don't want to do that, I'm gonna change that.' I want to save a life; because somebody was gonna do something bad but because of my music, I play, they might not do it today," he said. "The goal when you graduate from Quick & Eazy DJs is to first know that you have a passion and you have a skill set that can change your life.
To sign up for the next class, click here.