Spin doctors

Caitlin Hudgins

Friday, July 9, 2004 | 4:42 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

July 10 - 11, 2004

DJ J Na's class meets 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Doolittle Community Center until the end of August. For more information, call 229-6374.

A train wreck is a disaster no matter what the situation.

For a DJ, however, it's the equivalent of getting fired. In the hip-hop community, the phrase "infamous train wreck" means not that a steam engine has crashed off its tracks, but that everyone in a club has left the dance floor.

The phrase was one of the first terms DJ J Na, whose name is Jerry Nash, defined for his five students at a DJ workshop at the Doolittle Community Center in North Las Vegas last month to demonstrate just how important it is for DJs to keep clubbers entertained.

But Na's free class for children under 17 isn't just about clubbing. The comprehensive course, in addition to teaching students the technicalities of turntables, also provides tips on math skills, job responsibility and money management.

Most importantly, the workshop lets inner-city children know that it is possible to make a legal living.

Even with a karate class next door belting out intermittent "hi-yahs," DJ J Na kept his students, gathered around the turntables in an otherwise empty room, focused on his instruction.

The young musicians had reason to pay attention: Na is an experienced DJ who performs at Club Seven on the Strip and has been in the business for 21 years.

One student, Kneesee Rogers -- known as "Girlie" when she DJs though she's a mother -- admires her teacher because he loves his profession.

"He's adamant about it. He's passionate about it," she said.

Rogers, who would like to have her own DJ company someday, learned of the DJ workshop from her son. After visiting the class to watch her son learn the tricks of the trade, she decided she wanted to participate herself.

"I was looking for something to do, and I picked right up on it," said Rogers, who prefers mixing with CDs.

Jonathan Williams, 13, also developed his DJ skills quickly. After a year of instruction from Na, Williams recently put on his first show by providing the entertainment for a family get-together.

He got his own turntables for Christmas, but Williams doesn't want to make a life out of being a DJ.

"I want to DJ as a part-time job," he said. "I want to do something more serious (for a career)."

Na isn't offended if his students don't want their lives to revolve around the turntables. He encourages them to think about how to use the skills DJs rely on in other professional areas.

"Even if they don't do this, they'll know about business," Na said.

To incorporate general business know-how into his course, the instructor stresses the importance of math.

He explained how to calculate beats per minute as well as how to estimate the number of tickets and drinks bought in a club and how to keep track of paychecks.

Some of these calculations can help a DJ know when he has the right to ask for a raise, according to Na. If a DJ can figure out the manager's profit, the employee can determine whether the owner can afford to increase the worker's salary.

"If you know your numbers," he said, "you have viability with the manager -- and you'll do better in school."

While Williams got tangled in the headset cords as he expertly spun radio-version records without profanity on the turntables, Na continued to go off on DJ-related subjects.

He talked about music history, the importance of showing up on time for a job and the positive influence music can have on children.

Na once taught a 9-year-old named Joshua to DJ, but the boy was so small that the turntables had to be lowered so he could reach them. Josh was quiet in the beginning, Na said, but associating with other children his age allowed his confidence to grow.

"He was normally really shy, but now he's interacting with everyone," the instructor said.

Na said that his DJ class isn't just a social gathering, though -- he makes his students work.

One homework assignment required the children to find the name, birthplace and genre of the very first DJ. The students groaned at the announcement, but they couldn't help but smile at their teacher's excitement about the fact-finding assignment.

"I like how he teaches," 13-year-old Jeremiah Gardner said of Na. "I like everything (about the class)."

Gardner, who became friends with Williams through the workshop, has been in Na's class for about five months. He wants to be a DJ when he grows up.

"I just like the music," Gardner said as he carefully placed a record back in its case.

The students get the chance to show off their talent at various community center events, including dances and a Late Night Hoops program.

At these performances Na hopes his students can use the skills they learned from him as a base for coming up with their own sound.

"They can take what I've taught them and put their own style to it," he said.