DJ Siren
Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.
A. I have DJ’d and emceed business openings, wedding ceremonies & receptions for people of all different lifestyles and cultures, civil unions, birthday parties for children & adults, graduation parties, class reunions, going away parties, Halloween parties, New Year’s Eve parties, St. Patrick’s Day parties, and restaurant/club/bar DJing.
Q. Describe three recent jobs you’ve completed.
A. I recently DJ’d and emceed an annual summer festival, attended by all ages, where there was vending and other activities.
I DJ’d and emceed a wedding ceremony and reception at a local landscaping business that has an outdoor garden and indoor reception area.
I regularly DJ at a local restaurant with a large dance floor and plenty of room to line dance. I join in to help guide the steps and for fun.
Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A. Ask what type of events they have DJ’d and emceed, and what genres of music they are familiar with. Don’t be afraid to ask them how they dress for events. You don’t want your DJ showing up in a football jersey and jeans, even if your event is casual. You are paying them to not only do a good job but to have an approachable appearance and good presentation. If a DJ talks about themselves more then they ask questions about your event and what you want, move on. I want to know every single detail of your event, even if it’s not going to effect me, so I will know exactly what is going on and how you want things to flow.
Q. If you were a customer, what would you want to know about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?
A. When getting an estimate make sure you ask what is included with that price. Some DJ’s have a separate fee for everything, such as set-up and lighting. Especially for weddings, know that DJ’s aren’t the same thing as an event coordinator. Even though we do a lot of announcing and getting the guest’s attention, we are stuck behind the DJ table. It’s always a good idea to have a point person that knows your itinerary and what you want. If something comes up everyone will go to that person instead of bothering you on your big day. The point person will help me move the event along and get people where they need to be, like for the cake cutting and bouquet toss.
Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?
A. Have you ever DJ’d an event like this before? What kind of equipment do you have and are you capable of doing an indoor or outdoor event? Do you have the capability of downloading music on site if you get a request for something you don’t have in your music catalog? Do you have an assistant? Do you have a contract? Do I need to pay a deposit?
Q. What important information should clients have thought through before seeking you out?
A. Where, when, and how long their event is, what type of event, and what age group of people will be attending. After those initial questions are answered I can offer a quote and set up a date to have a one on one meeting to discuss the fine details.
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. I love parties and weddings and the details that go into planning them. That’s one of the reasons I ask my clients everything they are planning for their day. I also have a great love of music that I’ve had all of my life. Between my husband and myself we listen to every genre of music. I can always find the songs people want, even on a little bit of information. DJing is fun for us and it seems like less of a job because of it. We’ve also met a lot of great people, and it makes us happy to see people enjoying themselves and having a good time. We also tell our clients that when they hire us they don’t have to worry about the music part of the day because we have it under control. If we do have any problems, we always find a solution because we are great at problem solving. Sometimes getting music to a certain spot is a challenge but we love doing it!