Meet Greg Murphy | Working DJ & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Greg Murphy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Greg, how does your business help the community?
In everything I do I believe that my students can reach a new level of self-confidence, inspiration and peace through music. I can do this by showing them how to blend music together using professional techniques and guiding them beyond the “hard skills” to the “soft skills” of reading a crowd and creating a specific vibe for various experiences. This is possible through learning the art and craft of DJing. I cannot speak to how I have specifically helped the community directly, besides DJing for various charity events throughout the years and holding camps for our youth to learn new fun skills, but I can speak to how my students have improved themselves and how DJs indirectly impact the community. DJ lessons have provided all of my students a new creative outlet for them to express themselves and to improve upon. They can then utilize their skills for their own benefit in reaching therapeutic flow states in mixing music of their choice and or progress to performing in their own live gigs and earning money from their new found passion. This can in turn make them more positive individuals and also contribute to the local economy (earning money for themselves and associates, paying venues, buying gear, holding event insurance, referring event planners and other vendors, etc.) DJ’s are often seen as the unsung heroes of events, everything from corporate picnics to weddings. Many don’t realize the heart and soul DJ’s put into their craft to create a specific vibe for any event which is two fold. DJing takes a lot of practice to get good at behind the scenes. Additionally, when performing they are constantly scanning the crowd for overt or covert feedback so they can improve their song selection and ultimately the vibe for the day/night which can make or break an event. All that to say, those who learn how to DJ can stay inspired by their new hobby of mixing music to achieve greater satisfaction from everyday life. They can even mix music for their next get-together or party with friends. The next step would be to advance into the professional event world and make any size event more fun through their work of creating a fun vibe and getting people to dance – the ultimate goal of any DJ at all times.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mission: DJ began with a simple goal in mind – to provide access to the best DJ instruction that San Diego has to offer for all ages and walks of life, kids are welcome 7+! Our instruction is unique in that it is 1 on 1 private sessions. In 1 on 1 lessons, students are able to learn quicker because all of the focus (instructor and student’s focus) is on that student’s progression, not anyone else’s. Think about having a private tutor when you were stuck in that high school calculus class…although the subject matter is not nearly as complex! Students can also develop a strong bond with their instructor which translates into more efficient learning and more fun. This is why Greg decided to model Mission: DJ around private instruction rather than group classes. The learning curve is quicker, scheduling is flexible and students are happier. With multiple options for equipment to learn on, from a beginner/intermediate controller setup to a professional turntable and CDJ setup, students have all the options they need to reach an advanced level quickly. Custom lesson plans are also always present and also always in flux, changing based on the students individual progression. Founded in 2017, M:DJ is the product of past endeavors, passion and best practices. The business was founded by a local working DJ, who previously worked as the manager for Pacific Beach’s own Fundamentals DJ Academy. Most recently the challenge of teaching safely came about due to COVID. Therefore virtual lessons were introduced successfully. Masks are of course worn otherwise for in-person lessons and the gear and space are sanitized before and after each lesson. On-site lessons in Pacific Beach are the standard but travel lessons to the student’s home are also always available.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Pacific beach for the parties, Ocean Beach for people watching, Downtown for the nightlife, North/South park for the food and Balboa Park for the culture. Of course we’ll have to grab a fish taco and or a California burrito along the way.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jerry, from the rundown cheesesteak shop in Northern Virginia that I was working at before I moved out to California. We were chatting and talking about what I wanted to do with my life (8 years ago) and I mentioned I’d really like to live in California and pursue music as a career. His response was “what’s holding you back?”. It was then that I realized nothing was holding me back. I moved to CA about a month later.

Website: www.missiondj.com

Instagram: @mission.dj

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/missiondj

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionDJsd

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mission-dj-san-diego

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4cJBfy9RLvHzehtGVEPdQ