8 Decks In The Round – Shiva Fesharaki

Collaborative DJ Installation for Primary Musicians (2016)

Grooveschool × UK Music Masters × Shiva Feshareki

Overview

In 2016, Grooveschool partnered with London Music Masters (LMM) and award-winning composer/turntablist Shiva Feshareki to deliver an ambitious sound installation and workshop for 30 Year 5 pupils from two Lambeth primary schools. Held at The Prince of Wales in Brixton, the project introduced orchestral beginners to electronic sound, vinyl manipulation, and collaborative DJing through an immersive 8-station circular turntable setup.

Many pupils had never touched a record before. By the end of the day, every student had operated at least one deck, created sound textures, and contributed to a group performance directed live by Shiva.

What We Delivered

🎛 Innovative Creative Setup

  • 8 twin-deck turntable stations (16 decks total)

  • Circular “in the round” configuration

  • Pre-wired and engineered by Grooveschool’s technical team

  • Venue transformed into an exploratory sound lab

🎧 Hands-On Learning

Children worked in rotating pairs, learning:

  • Cueing & needle handling

  • Vinyl control

  • Looping, scratching & sound manipulation

  • Tempo sensitivity & rhythmic control

  • Collaborative composition

This was the first-ever DJ experience for most participants.

🎼 Art + Education Combined

Feshareki shaped the children’s sound experiments into a collective sonic performance, demonstrating how installation art and youth education can blend into a single creative experience.

Impact

⭐ Positive Emotion

  • Consistent excitement, joy and curiosity

  • Parents described the workshop as “brilliant” and “unforgettable”

  • Children expressed the thrill of trying something completely new

⭐ Engagement

  • 100% participation across all groups

  • Deep concentration at each station

  • Rapid skill development, even for those new to music technology

  • Students absorbed for long stretches in unfamiliar tasks

⭐ Relationships

  • Two schools collaborating cohesively throughout the day

  • Peer support naturally emerging at every station

  • Friendships built through teamwork and shared discovery

⭐ Meaning

  • Exposure to a pioneering female composer

  • Expanded understanding of what music can be

  • Challenged assumptions that music-making is limited to traditional instruments

⭐ Accomplishment

  • Every pupil operated professional equipment successfully

  • Multiple students exceeded expected skill levels

  • Pupils co-created a brand new piece of music that “didn’t exist that morning”

Quotes from the Day

“I enjoyed learning how to work the equipment and create music.” – Qumia (Year 5)
“I worked on my confidence and tried to make new friends.” – Innes (Year 5)
“I liked experimenting with the music and having teamwork with the other school.” – Layla (Year 5)
“Not something other schools are doing — a real opportunity.” – Assistant Headteacher

Strategic Value

  • Strengthened the partnership with UK Music Masters

  • Demonstrated Grooveschool’s ability to deliver complex, high-impact multi-station setups

  • Positioned Grooveschool as a bridge between contemporary/experimental practice and youth music education

  • Created a model for future composer-led cross-disciplinary projects

Key Metrics

  • 30 pupils

  • 2 schools

  • 8 turntable stations / 16 decks

  • 5+ facilitators & technical leads

  • 100% hands-on participation

  • 100% positive feedback

Conclusion

8 Decks in the Round remains one of Grooveschool’s most innovative workshop models — blending art, engineering, DJ practice and primary music education into a powerful, joyful day of discovery. For many students, it was the moment they realised they could shape sound with their own hands.

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