Eighth-grader works as DJ for school events, parties

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - For one Blue Valley eighth-grader, going to a Friday night party is all in a day's work.

Lakewood Middle School student Brock Langhart has been making the rounds at area parties working as a disc jockey since he began his own business several months ago.

"It's just a blast," Brock said. "It's so much fun to kind of watch the crowd's reaction."

The business, DJ Beats, is not something Brock takes lightly. He practiced with the sound equipment and remixing music for almost three years before starting the business.

"I really told myself I need to be confident in each type of music," he said.

Now Brock has collected a variety of music from hip hop to jazz and is able to provide any type of music a customer requests.

"The entire night, the music shouldn't stop," he said.

Brock's interest in becoming a disc jockey began three years ago when he started listening to a local disc jockey's show on Friday and Saturday nights. Brock was impressed with the disc jockey's ability to remix music and began to wonder how it was done.

"I really liked what he had done," he said.

Brock began mowing a lot of lawns to earn money to buy equipment to perfect his skills.

Now, Brock performs at parties and Super Tuesday assemblies at his school. The assemblies honor student achievements.

Brock thought he might be nervous the first time he stood before all his classmates, but as it turned out he wasn't the one feeling anxious.

"It was nerve-racking for me, and he was just fine," his mother, Ginger, said.

Lakewood Middle principal Scott Currier said the school decided to ask Brock to perform during the Super Tuesday assemblies after Brock asked if he could help out at school events.

"The kids really like to hear him," Currier said. "He's got quite a following here."

The school will continue to ask Brock to perform at the assemblies as long as Brock is still interested, Currier said.

"We really appreciate all he does. He's a great kid," he said. "He helps us out a lot."

Brock travels to events with his carrying case complete with two CD players, speakers, a mixer and a microphone. For some parties he even rents lights.

And while many of his friends are getting jobs at local grocery stores, Brock says there's nothing else he would rather do.

"I love going out at night," he said. "I am probably the only one in my family that is a night owl."

It's still too early to tell where the future will take Brock, but he hopes to work as a disc jockey through college.

"Music is all around me," he said. "It's a big part of my life."