How to Make an Online DJ Course in 7 Steps

Dec 22, 2023

6 min read

Want to monetize your DJ skills? Crafting an online course for a genre or skill you are passionate about could be your ticket to success.

Venn diagram showcasing the intersection of "Expertise & Credibility," "Passion," and "Market Demand" with "COURSE TOPIC" in the center.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR COURSE TOPIC

Maybe you’ve mastered scratching hip-hop, or excel at selecting techno tracks. Either way, choose a topic you are knowledgeable about and your passion will shine through when you teach.

This will engage your students and keep them interested. Plus, when you love what you do, it won’t feel like work! However, passion and skill aren’t enough. To make money, you need to make sure that there is market demand for your course.

Google search results page for the query "dj online course".

STEP 2: CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCH

Once you’ve picked your course topic, it's time to do some research.

This is an important step because it helps you understand what your potential students want to learn. You’ll also learn how much, if any, demand for your DJ course there is.

Let’s break this down into two parts:

customer research & market research

Customer Research involves identifying your target market. This is the group of people who are the most likely to buy your DJ course.

You need to learn about your target market’s problems or ‘pain points’. What do they struggle with? What do they want to learn or achieve?

Understanding these points will help you design a course that meets their needs, and give you ideas along the way.

Market Research is about understanding the competition and market demand for the course. Start by looking at other DJ courses on learning platforms like Skillshare.

Check what topics are offered, and note which are not. Then read reviews to learn what people enjoyed about a particular class.

Screenshot of the skillshare online learning platform and the available music classes

This will give you an idea of what is oversaturated on each platform – as well as direct feedback from your target market.

A more cost-effective way to conduct market research is to browse DJ forums, blogs, and Facebook groups. Alternatively, you could attend local events or meetups to ask questions in person.

Remember, the more you understand your students and the market, the better your course will become.

STEP 3: DEFINE YOUR LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Now that you have chosen your DJ course topic and understand your audience, it’s time to set your learning objectives. These are clear statements that outline what students will know or be able to do by the end of your course.

Diagram illustrating a learning objective with labeled components, including "TIMEFRAME," "SUBJECT," "OBSERVABLE ACTION," and "WITH WHAT RESOURCES."

These objectives will guide you when writing your script and planning other media elements.

A good way to start is to break down the ideas and pain points you found during your market research into modules. Modules are the big topics or skills you want your students to learn.

Let’s say you are teaching a course on DJing house music. From your market research, you found that your audience wants to learn about:

Basic DJing techniques
How to select the right music
How to curate a setlist
How to add unique elements to a house set
How to promote a DJ mix online

Each topic represents a module and can be broken down into specific learning objectives.

For example, using the first item in our list we can determine that: ‘By the end of module one, students will be able to execute three different house music transitions using a Rekordbox device’.

STEP 4: DEVELOP YOUR DJ COURSE OUTLINE

After you understand the learning objectives, it’s time to develop a course outline. This step is important, as it will structure your course and ensure a logical flow of information.

While conducting market research, you might have found smaller topics related to the main subjects. They may not warrant a primary module, but are valuable in enriching your lessons with sub-topics. Use them to fill out each module into a comprehensive lesson.

For example, under the module ‘Basic dubstep DJing techniques,’ your sub-topics might include:

How to set a beat grid
Helpful DJ effects for beginners
Beginner DJ transitions

After adding sub-topics to each module, your plan should look something like this:

EXAMPLE OF A DJ COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1: Basic Dubstep DJing Techniques

Lesson 1 – How to set a beat grid

Lesson 2 – Helpful DJ effects

Lesson 3 – Beginner DJ transitions

Module 2: How to Select the Right Music

Lesson 1 – Understanding house music sub-genres

Lesson 2 – Building your music library

Lesson 3 – Tips for track selection during a set

Module 3: How to Create a House Music Set

Lesson 1 – Planning your setlist

Lesson 2 – Tips for playing a live set

Lesson 3 – Engaging with a live audience

STEP 5: CHOOSE YOUR DJ COURSE FORMAT

Next, you need to select a course format. This will depend on your course content load, i.e., the amount of content you choose to create.

Here are three common lesson formats:

Mini-Courses: Taking up to two hours to complete, mini-courses often come in various mediums. Such as a series of emails or a playlist of short videos.

Typically priced under $100, or even free, mini-courses can serve as a marketing tool or lead magnet. As a course creator, a mini-course is an excellent way to test the market.

Black and white image of a dubstep DJ showing an energetic crowd how to dj

Multi-Day Courses: As the name suggests, multi-day courses take students several days to complete. They often include pre-recorded videos broken down into levels or modules.

Alongside this content are supplementary materials like worksheets or quizzes.

With enough credibility, you can charge between $200 and $2,000. This is the ideal choice if you have already validated your market demand.

Masterclasses: A masterclass course runs anywhere from weeks to months, aiming to provide a complete guide. These classes are generally sold to professionals and priced from $300 to $5,000.

As a first-time course creator, creating a masterclass is not ideal. Instead, gain experience through mini-courses and multi-day courses first.

STEP 6: CHOOSE YOUR DJ COURSE PLATFORM

Once you choose a course format to follow, it’s time to find a suitable platform. Your choice will impact the type of content you create, its formatting, and how you distribute your lessons.

Illustration of a woman learning online with playback controls below.

Here are some popular online education platforms that can host your online DJ course:

Skillshare: A platform with a user subscription model. Teachers get paid based on the number of minutes watched by premium students and referral bonuses.

Udemy: Instructors keep 97% of sales from coupons or referrals. However, for organic search or promotions, the commission is 50% of the sale.

Thinkific: This platform allows you to price your course any way you want. Also, there is no transaction fee for purchased courses.

Teachable: Here, teachers are paid based on sales. However, Teachable does charge a transaction fee per sale.

If you have your own website or email newsletter, it might be more profitable to host and sell your course there. This way, you avoid the many restrictions on e-learning platforms.

STEP 7: START CREATING COURSE CONTENT

With your course topic, outline, and platform selected, it’s finally time to begin creating your DJ course content. This is where your plan comes to life.

Choose one or more of the following mediums to communicate your knowledge:

Video Content: Great for explaining ideas quickly in an engaging way. If your course will be hosted on an online platform, note their requirements. They often require high quality video-based instruction.

Screencasts and Walkthroughs: Perfect for technical lessons, allowing students watch and learn from an instructor’s actions.

Text Content: Ideal for detailed explanations and set-by-step guides. It can also link to other helpful resources. Text can stand alone as the main teaching tool, or be combined with video for an enhanced experience.

Downloadable Content: This includes assets like cheat sheets, vocab or command lists, and templates. These are handy tools that students can refer back to.

Workbooks: Structured documents that allow students to complete exercises, answer questions, and reflect on the material they learn. All while avoiding the constraints of elearning platforms.

Constructing the media for your digital course might feel daunting at first, but remember, it’s about teaching your skills to others. Be confident in your ability and follow online course writing best practices.