DJ Camp
With the Chulita Vinyl Club
🪩 🪩 🪩 🪩
For the 16th year, Ballroom Marfa presents DJ Camp, a free youth education program founded in 2010.
This summer, Marfa students ages 10–13 will dive into the world of DJing with a week of hands-on workshops led by instructors from Chulita Vinyl Club. From learning music theory and beat-matching to mixing vinyl and experimenting with scratching, students will build the skills and confidence to create their own sets.
The fun doesn’t stop at the turntables! Campers will record radio promos for Marfa Public Radio, design custom T-shirts, hats, and buttons, and spend the week exploring music, creativity, and self-expression alongside new friends. Daily breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided.
The week wraps up with a public showcase on Friday, July 31, from 6–7:15 PM at Planet Marfa (200 S Abbot St), where students will take over the decks and perform live for family, friends, and the community. Come celebrate the next generation of Marfa DJs!
Schedule & Location
The camp runs Tuesday through Thursday, July 28th–30th, at the USO Building (302 S Highland Ave) with the final performance at Planet Marfa (200 S Abbot St) on Friday, July 31st.
Tuesday-Thursday Student Itinerary:
8:45–9 AM: Parent Drop-Off
9-10 AM: Breakfast
10 AM–12 PM: Morning DJ Session
12–1 PM: Lunch & Rest Break
1–3 PM: Afternoon DJ Session
3– 3:15 PM: Parent Pick-Up
Friday Student Itinerary:
5:30 PM: Arrival at Planet Marfa for Final Performance & Dance Party
6- 7 PM: Show Time!!!
About the Instructors
Chulita Vinyl Club ATX. Photo by Jinny J.
Chulita Vinyl Club (CVC) is an all-vinyl, all-genre DJ collective made up of women, gender-non-conforming, non-binary, LGBTQ+, and self-identifying people of color. CVC launched in 2014 with the context of providing a safe space for empowerment, and togetherness, and utilizing music and vinyl as a form of resistance against the erasure of culture. The CVC ATX chapter puts an emphasis on individuals of mixed-heritage combining narratives to speak crucially about intersectional identities. Each Chulita has their own unique identity. They are not to be classified as one nationality or culture; they can be brown, black, or white and all shades in between. The unifying denominator is the belief that el disco es cultura and they have established a strong coalition deliberately choosing to only play vinyl with the goal of activating a musical history that might not otherwise be shared in the digital age.
Acknowledgments
DJ Camp is made possible by the generous support of Permian Basin Area Foundation; Ballroom Marfa Board of Trustees; and Ballroom Marfa Members.
In kind support provided by the USO.
Special thanks to Chulita Vinyl Club, June TeeZe, Shannon Moberly, Marfa Visitor Center, Marfa Public Radio, and Planet Marfa.
