Aside from hours and hours of practice, you have to spend a lot of time educating yourself, either through books or video tutorials, if you want to become a DJ. But let’s face it—nothing comes close to formal instruction. And thanks to Rob Wegner's program, anyone can become an accredited professional DJ.
Rob Wegner—from enthusiast to teacher
Wegner started his career in DJing just like any other musician: By fostering a love for music. At the age of 18, he spent most of his time drumming for nightclub DJs, dedicating five hours a night, four nights a week.
It wasn’t an easy task. In fact, Rob once shared that his hands would bleed from all the drumming, almost developing a natural metronome inside his head. Born in Chicago, Rob later moved to Arizona, where he became a DJ at some of Phoenix’s biggest nightclubs.
Like many other DJs of his time, Rob lacked a formal education in DJing. But this did not stop him from pursuing his passion. Three years after he graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in political science, Rob started Disc Jockey 101—the first website offering online DJ lessons.
From there, the website grew, reaching aspiring DJs on the other side of the world. One user, all the way from Hong Kong, inspired Rob Wegner to establish his very own college-accredited DJ degree.
Wegner approached Scottsdale Community College (SCC) in Arizona, which had a dedicated music department, about holding DJ classes. The school agreed, and in 2001, the class became official.
Thanks to the course’s high turnout over the following years, SCC and Rob were prompted to establish “Introduction to Disc Jockey Techniques,” the world’s first college-accredited DJ class, in 2014.
This class inspired many other DJs to launch more accredited classes, including DJ Ramsey Higgins’ “Introduction to Turntablism Techniques” and DJ Tranzit’s “Ableton Live” class.
Nowadays, aspiring DJs can take classes in certified DJ schools, both online and offline. Music production is also widely offered in many colleges and universities, including the Berklee College of Music and Carnegie Mellon University.
But if you want to learn from the man who started it all, consider visiting Rob Wegner’s website for tips and tricks on becoming a better DJ!
About The Author:
Rob Wegner, a DJ & Music Producer official website, is also known as Rob Wegner DJ or DJ Rob Wegner. He is an American open-format DJ and music producer known for establishing the world’s first college-accredited DJ degree at Scottsdale Community College (SCC). He was born in Chicago and learned to DJ at age 18 by drumming over a DJ at a popular east coast nightclub. He has a Master of Arts degree in political science. Rob was selected as one of the world's 36th most influential Club DJs in 2002 by DJ Reporter Magazine.
