“It was a fantasy of mine to become a DJ ever since I signed on to SL because music is a passion of mine,” says Mike Kesten, a DJ in SL after graduating from the Blue Moon DJ Training Academy. “I went to another so-called DJ school, but felt completely lost. I loved it here, so this was a dream come true.”

Kesten now does DJ work at least six days a week in SL and may consider doing it in real life sometime in the future.

“The training I received here and what I do now has completely changed my SL life,” Kesten says. “I learned and now I can do what I love.”

The Blue Moon DJ Training Academy is the brainchild of Kasha Morgath. She works closely with Kiara Lanzet, who focuses on the host/dancing side of the academy.

“We saw the need for professional training,” Morgath says. “Most of the schools here in SL simply are not equipped to provide good training. Many of us at the academy also are entertainers in real life, so we know what it is like. We offer training and hands-on experience, not just videos or papers to go through.”

The academy has three floors of classrooms and a mockup of a SL club so students can get the feel for what it will be like when they start working.

“Some clubs do their own training, but they don’t usually have a lot of time to do it,” Lanzet says. “We make sure the students are well-trained here at the academy.”

DJ students go through two weeks of training. The first week is in the classroom, while the second is an internship. Classes range from what it means to be an Internet DJ to voice and emote training.

“I can teach all day, but the student needs to be dedicated to learning,” says Joslyn Bonetto, an academy instructor. “I help with voice control, explain streams and software, musical genres and timing. I talk candidly to the students about his or her voice. However, if a student is very knowledgeable about the music, the student doesn’t have to speak.”

Bonetto says a great deal also has to do with stage presence. “You have to engage the crowd or it doesn’t matter how great you sound.”

The internship consists of training at SL clubs. This gives students the opportunity to work with different music genres, listeners and styles. Students start with one set per evening and then more as they progress.

Students who go through the academy must pass a test at the end of two weeks to be certified as a graduate of the academy.

“I personally make sure the student is certified before we release them,” Morgath says. “Our reputation is very important to us, so the students know right away they have to pass the test. The academy is not a hobby for us, it’s our passion.”

The academy does not guarantee that students will find a job after graduation. However, it does act as a placement agency and has recently hired India Cerise as a marketing instructor to help the students.

“We teach DJs, hostesses, dancers or anyone else how to market and promote themselves,” Cerise says. “We have three levels starting with image and business development, branding strategy and professionalism. The next levels include video portfolio development and group or one-on-one coaching.”

Morgath and Lanzet say there are minimum computer requirements that are needed by the students. Prospective students are encouraged to contact one of them for more information.

“But the biggest requirement is the desire to learn,” Lanzet says.

For Mike Kesten, the academy’s help and that desire to learn has enabled him to fulfill his fantasy of becoming a very busy DJ in SL.