A group of Cincinnati DJs is partnering with local community organizations to give children in Over-the-Rhine a new creative outlet.
“Six-Week Spin Lab,” a new six-week class for youth in OTR, teaches kids to explore music, build confidence and develop new skills while feeling supported by their local music community. Each participant learns basic mixing, looping and transitions using DJ equipment — and what’s more, they get paid for attending. By the end of the six-week course, each child will have received enough cash to buy their own DJ equipment.
Sydne Blackburn, a local DJ with the stage name NYMPH, used to be a grant writer for Over-the-Rhine Community Housing before pursuing music.
“When I worked there, I told some of the staff that I’d love to one day teach kids how to DJ at the Children’s Creative Corner, which is a free after-school art building OTRCH runs up on East Clifton Avenue,” Blackburn said. “When I stepped away from the role in October, I was able to actually explore the possibility. I met with Caroline Dziubek, the CCC’s coordinator, talked it through, presented it to the nonprofit, and they were down.”
While planning the course, Blackburn shared her ideas with Alex Rushing — another local DJ with a background in community organizing and charity work — and Skylinn Jenkins, a local journalist and DJ with an interest in community outreach.
Rushing and Jenkins were already collaborating on programming at Seven Hills Neighborhood Housing, prompting Blackburn to ask, “Why don’t we just join forces and make this a big thing?”
“After getting Seven Hills on board, I wrote up a grant proposal and a curriculum and timeline. We decided it should be a summer program, and the main focus really should be for the youth to explore music, creativity, self-expression, and just getting them to understand the foundations of DJing,” Blackburn said.
During the course, students attend various lectures on the history of DJing while getting personalized one-on-one teaching on how to operate all the equipment that goes into a typical set. At the end of the six-week period, participants will play in a special showcase inside Redtree Coffee & Art’s OTR location on Aug. 9 at 4 p.m.
For Blackburn, assisting with the program has provided what she felt her life was missing.
“Working for a nonprofit, there’s a certain level of fulfillment you get from that, and DJing is also fulfilling. But I was missing the aspect of giving back to the community, that sort of direct impact,” she said. “I mean, I live down here, right? I live on the street parallel to the CCC, and I see these kids hanging out all the time. I know it’s summertime and there’s all types of things they could be getting into, and I just thought that this was maybe a better alternative for their free time where they could also gain a skill they could potentially use for the rest of their lives.”
In the future, the spin lab courses will “hopefully” continue every year, and there are already plans for future installments to be bigger and better. At the moment, though, Blackburn is focused on the most important aspect: her students.
“A lot of these kids are low income. A lot of them have familial burdens at home where they’re the oldest sibling and they have to take on a lot. So for them to have that individualized one-on-one time with someone who’s really investing in them, and then just to see the smile on their faces after they do their first successful transition, or match the BPM… it’s everything,” she said.
One of her students, she said, reminds her of herself when she was younger.
“It’s been fun seeing her open up a little bit. She was super shy when we first started. She wouldn’t even introduce herself to me at first, but as I had that one-on-one time with her, as I encouraged her and really tried to instill confidence within her, she’s opening up, she’s talking to people now. She even said, ‘oh, maybe I might want to perform at the showcase,'” Blackburn said. “I think that’s my favorite part of all of this. The new confidence boost I see in them, and just seeing their confidence build and build. It’s the biggest payoff for me.”
The student showcase for the “Six-Week Spin Lab” is this Sunday at Redtree’s Over-the-Rhine location, located at 229 W 12th St, at 4 p.m. For more information, visit DJ Nymph’s official Instagram page.
