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CELEBRATING OUR 21st YEAR in 2025!
Off Centre DJ School is downtown Toronto's most unique boutique DJ & Electronic music education facility. From 2 hour Weekend Workshops to 78 hour Full Programs our mandate is simple: have fun with records and electronics! We strive to find new ways to teach and creatively express ourselves by playing with sound. At Off Centre we emphasize the roots of DJ culture: Vinyl, two turntables, and a mixer is the best way to learn to DJ. Combined with modern software and most importantly studio artistry, the creative possibilities are endless. By focusing on turntables and production gear as instruments, performance and creation takes on a completely different shape. While the art of DJing, scratching, and beat making has often been clouded by gimmicks, competition, and commercialism, we bring forward the school of thought that the DJ & Producer is a musician and the turntable an expansive instrument of personal expression. Let us help you reach your potential. |
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CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
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FULL DJ PROGRAM
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FULL PRODUCER PROGRAM
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FULL DJ & PRODUCER
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Our DJ and/or Producer Certificate Programs are the most comprehensive and hands on path to becoming an electronic artist. Whether you're looking to learn the Art of DJing or develop your studio potential as a musician, you'll learn the skills, technical know how, and creative mind set to become a unique and well-rounded artist.
You can take our FULL DJ and FULL PRODUCER programs separately, or combine the two disciplines with our flagship FULL DJ / PRODUCER PROGRAM.
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NEXT DATE: May TBA
Thinking about taking courses? Or just curious about what we do? Come by, meet instructors, check out our space, and find out exactly what program is right for you. You'll have a chance to experience the intimately designed class setting and catch a glimpse of what you'll learn through conversation and sometimes an impressive demo or two from our seasoned team of professionals. This is also an opportunity to register for your courses in person if you prefer. |
COMING UP
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NEXT DATE: May 11th - June 8th, 2025 // Sundays, 11:45 - 2:45pm
Release your studio and performance potential with our Ableton Live Foundation Course. In this 12 hour program, start making your own tracks by learning the basics of the software that has revolutionized electronic music creation and performance. Get comfortable navigating Live's unique interface, learn to trigger multiple tracks on the fly, and build your own song from scratch. At the end of this session you'll be on your way to making your 1st of many production pieces. |
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NEXT DATE: August 13th - 27th, 2025 // Wednesdays, 6:30 - 9:30pm
Learn the skills, the right way! A comprehensive 9 hour introduction course covering all the basics of mixing, scratching, and use of equipment. Designed for the beginner with little to no experience on the turntables. The main focus of "Intro to DJing" is to develop hand skills, basic music theory, and experiment with different ways of playing with sound on your very own vinyl turntable setup. |
NEXT DATE: June 21st, 2025 // Saturday,
6:30 - 8:30pm In our fully equipped, relaxed, and inspiring environment we guide you through two hours of fun filled exercises designed to maximize hands on time navigating the traditional two turntable and mixer setup. This workshop is a thorough introduction to the fundamental skills of DJing and will help you decide on the next step. |
SUMMER DJ CAMP
NEXT DATE: July 7th - 11th, 2025 // Monday - Friday, 9:45 - 12:15pm or 1:15 - 3:45pm (fully booked)
With the majority of learning being hands on, we encourage students to use their mistakes as a way of discovering new things. Our focus is placed on technical aspects of mixing, scratching, and use of equipment, but we also highlight a DJ culture component to emphasize the music that exists beyond commercial hits. Secrets that take years to learn are revealed in a warm modern studio design featuring small class sizes for ease of communication. |
ADVANCED 1 ON 1s
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These classes are designed for students who have completed our Full Programs or are at an Advanced Level and are now looking to further their skills. These programs are designed to give you a deeper understanding of a concept and continue developing your DJ and/or Producer chops. With Off Centre's advanced 1 on 1 instruction, you'll build on your current knowledge base with learning tailored to your specific strengths and weaknesses. We'll help you get past any road blocks holding you back from achieving your goals.
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TEAM BUILDLING WORSKSHOPS
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Covering all the basics of mixing/scratching and use of equipment. This is a hands on workshop designed to boost morale, stimulate creativity and promote teamwork through the art of DJing. In this fun and active two hour session, we guide you and your team through the fun and exciting world of DJing with plenty of hands on interaction using the traditional two turntable and mixer set up. We'll also introduce you to digital DJing with a look at the latest software.
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FEATURED VIDEO
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Live Turntables & Drums
Erik Laar & Topher Stott pop the roof off with an original funked out trip hop/chill step piece called "Dream Sequence" in this 3rd edition of Off Centre's Live Studio Beats. |
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ORIGINAL VIDEO TUTORIALS
Live Stream 7Tutorials with character! Here's a small sampling of high quality instructional videos for the aspiring DJ and/or electronic music producer from the Off Centre Youtube Channel. Here we break down some of the intricacies of beat making, melody composition, equipment, sampling, scratching, and so much more. Get an idea of who we are, what we do, how we do it and most importantly how we can help you get it done.
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LIVE STUDIO BEATS
PERFORMANCE
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SOUND DESIGN
SCRATCH TECHNIQUES
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COMPOSITION & ARRANGEMENT
EQUIPMENT TWEAKS
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