Although the school has been running discos for many many years, it is only recently that the PTA has been running them. Our first three were a success and raised a lot of money, though the noise was, at times, almost unbearable; not just for the adults, but the children too. In fact, for our last disco we had a breakout room with a dedicated member of staff - not ideal when volunteer numbers are low.
This time it was decided to hold a silent disco, an oxymoron if ever there was one. Although it would cost us money to rent the equipment, the decision was made, and the headsets booked. For those not in the know, at a silent disco, every person participating is given a headset which they wear in order to hear the music. Each headset has the option to switch between 2 or 3 channels of music, which is broadcast to the headsets via a tablet. Not only that, but they have complete control over the volume.
The headsets arrived, the music was loaded, and we were ready to go. Ticket sales were unusually low, but every child who went branded it the best one ever! They loved it, though it wasn't silent. Sets of children all singing and dancing to three different tunes.... But not one child had a meltdown, not one child was overwhelmed, the breakout room was only used for one minor injury. Wow! What a change!
It is unlikely that every disco we hold will be a silent one, but certainly the next one will be. Hopefully word will spread and, as the children talk about the fun they had, ticket sales will be up next time.
