Studio Picnic Summer School: 2026

About Queensway and Studio Picnic

Queensway Collective CIC is a Merseyside-based collective that platform underrepresented community groups within the electronic music industry. We facilitate DJ courses for beginners and also run Studio Picnic - an affordable DJ and community-use studio space in L3. On top of that, we host parties and events across Merseyside!

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We're delighted to have secured funding from Youth Music to run a third instalment of our DJ Workshops. This time around, we are specifically focussed on bringing access to broadcasting and DJing to young people who are facing barriers due to their income or socio-economic background.

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The Studio Picnic Summer School will take place over 12 weeks in Liverpool. The course is free of charge, and there will be a graduation-style showcase event taking place after the completion of the programme. The course will be a group of approximately ~12 people with little or no experience of DJing. Sessions will be led by an experienced workshop facilitator; DJ and broadcaster Lupini (Nina), assisted by musician, DJ, producer and our brilliant workshop facilitator, Mia Mai (Mia).

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The course will run in three Semesters:

• Semester 1 (May – July 2026): DJing and Radio Hosting 12 Week Course

• BREAK: August 2026 

• Semester 2 (September – November 2026): 3 x Artist Development Masterclasses & 2 x Open Deck Nights

• Semester 3 (December 2026): Recording Sessions + 1:1s
   

In Semester 1 We will cover the basics of DJing,  including beat matching, mixing different genre styles, phrasing, EQs, keys and effects,. We will also cover an introduction to Radio Hosting and Producing, microphone technique, hosting shows and recording mixes. 

In Semester 2, we will run 3 bespoke masterclasses with industry leaders to further develop the skills you built in Semester 1 and to sharpen your music business knowledge with conversations around securing gigs and self-promotion. We will also run 2 Open Deck Nights as an opportunity to DJ publicly. 

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In Semester 3 we will host 2x 1:1 sessions per participant to hone your skills and get you recording your very own radio shows! 
 

​Key information and dates

• Workshops will take place in Liverpool City Centre at Commune, Constance St, Liverpool L3 8HB.

• Semester 1 - Workshops will run on a weekly basis on Monday evenings at 6pm to 8pm, for 12 weeks in a row, including on the Spring Bank Holiday in May. The first workshop will be on Monday 11th May 2026, with the final workshop taking place on Monday 27th July.

• Semester 2 + 3 dates will be set in collaboration with our participants. 

• We please ask that you only apply if you are available 6pm to 8pm on Monday evenings, May-July for the DJing and Radio Hosting Training AND you intend to attend all 3 Semesters. Please note that sessions will run during ALL bank holidays.
   

About you

​This opportunity is suitable for you if you:

• Are aged 18 - 21 on the first day of the course (May 11th 2026)

• Have a keen interest in DJing, broadcasting, radio, electronic music or nightlife 

• Live in Merseyside

• Are available and committed to attending all sessions.

• Are either Not in Education, Employment or Training

  • Or earn under £25,397 p/year (national living wage)
     

This call is open to everyone who meets the above criteria, but we are particularly interested in making and prioritising space in our course for people who are:
 

• From global majority backgrounds

• LGBTQIA+ communities

• Neurodivergent

• Facing barriers due to class

• Facing barriers due to mental health challenges
   

How to apply

• Complete this form

• Alternatively, you can send us your answers in an audio recording, video or any other format that is accessible to you. Applications in these formats should be emailed to us at lupini@heavytexture.net 

​Deadline: Friday April 17th - 19:00pm

 

Please note, we expect to receive a higher volume of applications for this opportunity than there are spaces.. Unfortunately, we cannot give a space to everyone who applies, as much as we'd love to. 

What to do it you have questions

You can email the course leader with any questions: Nina Franklin at lupini@heavytexture.net 

Nina will also be running two drop in Q&A sessions online, where you can ask any questions on a Zoom session.

The drop in Q&A sessions will be:

• Friday, 3rd April 12:00pm – 13:00pm

• Wednesday, 8th April⋅18:00pm – 19:00pm

To get the meeting invite sent to you, please email lupini@heavytexture.net with the subject line Zoom Q&A Session.

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Access information

Queensway is committed to making the workshops as accessible as possible. We’ve put together the below information for applicants to make an informed decision about accessibility based on their own requirements:

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The venue

• Our workshops are delivered across two event spaces: Commune and Studio Picnic.

• Commune is a step-free venue, with an accessible toilet.

• Studio Picnic, located upstairs within Commune is not step-free. It is a converted shipping container that has approximately 10 steps leading up to the entrance up a steel staircase.
   

 What does this mean?

• If you have mobility-related access requirements, we will ensure that you are working in a group that will be based in the main Commune venue, which is step-free.

• We are confident that this should not impact your workshop experience as decks and equipment will be available in both spaces.
   

During the sessions

• We will take regular comfort breaks.

• We will provide a selection of herbal tea. Please feel free to bring your own drinks and snacks to sessions. 

• The Commune bar will also be open, where you can purchase soft drinks. 

• The workshops are a sober space, so we ask that you refrain from drinking alcohol at the workshops. 

• We encourage participants to use fidget toys etc, to step outside and get some air if required, take a breather or speak to the Queensway team if you have any concerns about anything at all.

• There will always be at least two members of the Queensway team present at any given session (Nina and Mia).
   

More information

• If you have any specific access requirements, or would like to discuss this further, please email hello@queenswaycollective.com addressed to Nick.