The last thing you might expect to see in a library is a live DJ, but as a community hub for knowledge and learning, the combination actually makes sense.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much goes into it, even science and math,” said Gabrielle Davis, who performs as Smuvi. “When you’re DJing, you’re actually reading the wave form of a song. It’s showing you by color, by shape, where the upbeat is, where the downbeat is, where vocals are and things like that. Even with math, tempo counting, making sure that you know where you are in the song so that you’re able to transition smoothly versus starting a song in one timing and then going to a different timing. A lot goes into it besides just hitting play or picking songs. And so that’s what I want to translate through these events.”
Davis is in the midst of a unique, first-ever residency and program called ‘Silent Disco’ with the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library. Every Wednesday in April from 4:30-6 p.m. during LEGO Club, library patrons can get headphones and listen to Davis’ DJ set while participating in library activities. People of all ages are welcome, but a parent must be present with children younger than 8. The idea has been something Davis has been developing for years.
“You have a pair of headphones and it’s connected to a transmitter, so you’re able to hear what I’m DJing as you’re browsing through books, on the computers, or during LEGO Club,” Davis said. “This has always been a goal of mine, and it’s been in the works (with the library) since the end of last year.”
So far, there have been two Silent Disco sessions and the interest has exceeded expectations.
“The turnout has definitely been great,” said Robert White, children’s learning specialist at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library. “We joked that the only struggle that we’ve had is not having enough headsets. Everyone has just been really excited about the opportunity to listen, and the joy has just radiated from every patron that is wearing the headset. And it doesn’t matter if they’re adults or children in the LEGO club. They are just smiling and clearly enjoying it to the highest degree.”
Connections Through Music
The ‘Silent Disco’ aligns with other work Davis has long led in the community, combining different forms of music with educational opportunities. Davis founded her nonprofit, Dream League Music Mentoring, in 2014, inspired by her own experiences as a kid wanting more music programming and opportunities in schools. Dream League strives to fill some of those gaps, and currently Davis teaches virtual DJ classes for kids and plans to offer in-person classes as soon as the weather improves. More information about her is on her Instagram and Facebook pages.
Her passion comes from simply seeing kids connect with and respond to different elements of music.
“I enjoy seeing them get that spark or fall in love with something the way that I did,” said Davis, who has been DJ’ing for nine years. “And for me to be able to expose them to that means a lot. A lot of DJs, they have the ability to teach, but they just don’t have the time, because it’s a career for them. I’ve always enjoyed teaching music even with my nonprofit. And Dream League has kind of evolved along with me as I evolve.”
One aspect of Davis’ passion that aligns well with any library’s mission is storytelling through music and introducing different types of music. So far, listeners to Silent Disco have heard 1990s R&B, some 1970s and disco music, reggae, dancehall, and more.
“I’m really heavy on storytelling, so I like for songs to make sense or one song to be a response to the previous song so that it’s navigating the audience through a journey and they’re able to really hear what I’m trying to translate through the music,” Davis said. “I try to always leave room for creativity and allow the music to take me where it wants to take me. It’s sort of cool to see how people gravitate to different genres.”
White said the library is continuously looking for creative ways to bring more patrons in and introduce them to programs and services that the library offers, and Davis’ ability to translate music and DJ’ing into storytelling and learning opportunities that complement other library activities made it a perfect fit.
“We had had a few conversations in the past at the library about offering a silent disco, but different hurdles arose and we had questions about getting people to come out to something like that in the library setting,” White said. “When Gabby came, it felt like the perfect opportunity to collaborate and find a way that would work for us. And that’s exactly what Gabby came up with, a way to add onto the experience of coming to the library but not necessarily making it an event where it was necessary to be in one space the whole time. I think it’s perfect for the community because for those that come regularly to the library already, they get a new addition to their regular experience. And for people who come to the library for Gabby’s DJing, they have the opportunity to (re)discover their public library and the offerings we have in terms of space, technology, and programming. And I think, critically, we have to build our community muscles. Especially since COVID and in general we are isolated so often. So this is a great opportunity to dip our toes into sharing more space with everyone in our community. That is what the library is all about.”
Davis is also interested in bringing music and DJ’ing into spots that are more accessible to more people, and libraries are a great fit for that.
“I want to bring music and DJing into unorthodox spaces, because typically, you have to go to bars or clubs and things like that for it,” Davis said. “So I’m trying to figure out a way to implement something for the demographic who isn’t into night life or doesn’t drink or things like that. And something more family friendly so that you don’t even have to worry about a babysitter, you can bring your families. It’s a way to create a space that’s needed in our city.”
That premise also fits with the library’s community-building goals.
“I think it is bringing music back into the social sphere and out of bars,” White said. “It is an experience for all ages and a reminder that the best music is music that we share together. Where so much of our music consumption has become driven by algorithms and enjoyed in private, DJing and this program specifically are using music to create shared experience and connection. And ultimately that is what we need more of and that is what the library is here to work toward, providing and promoting public space that creates community.”
A “Good Problem”
The only real issue so far has been that the Silent Disco has been too popular, which Davis called a “good problem to have.”
“With the headphones, it is a limited quantity,” Davis said. “So we had a longer wait list (the second week) than we did the first week. More and more people are starting to come and engage with the event.”
Davis said that there has been a big increase in participation in LEGO Club, and there was even a patron who drove from outside of the area to experience the event.
“I enjoy witnessing moments or like seeing people enjoy music in the way that they would’ve never expected to,” Davis said. “There was someone who drove here from Ypsilanti just to have that experience, and people who have been to the library before, but it was totally new to them because they were experiencing the library in a new way. I think it’s important for us to have those types of spaces to be free to really hone in on even our mental health with everything that’s going on in the world. I think it’s important to have every ounce of positivity and joy that we can.”
The residency has both Davis and the library thinking of future ways to collaborate and expand the program. Davis said she’d love to see it become a monthly program, or even take the concept into other public spaces where she can bring music directly to people.
“I would love for Silent Disco to be a staple with the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library,” Davis said. “I also want to take this concept in other spaces that are unorthodox, so maybe like grocery stores or different markets and things like that. A lot of times we expect people to come where the music is, but we don’t necessarily meet them where they are in the community.”
White said that one of the best parts so far has been people coming up and asking the library to have it more often, and other collaborators have also been interested in ways they can incorporate it into existing programs like the Yoga Storytimes series or even just adding traditional DJ’ing to other library events.
“I think this speaks to the quality of what Gabby is doing by giving such a good product to the community with her art,” White said. “And it speaks to the power of public space and the public library. It is a space for community members to use their collective intelligence to build from one another. Gabby brought her skills to the library, and another saw those skills and came up with a new avenue for exploration. This is ultimately what we want to see, the community building upon and alongside one another with the skills we already have. Any time we partner with someone we are always sowing seeds and hoping that they will bloom into larger, more enjoyable, more effective programs and services for the public.”
Header photo by Delano Moore II
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