Outside the halls of Central Heights Middle School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, associate principal Kyree Brooks MS’18 goes by another name: DJ Ree Maniac. But his alter ego isn’t a secret to his students. In fact, a lot of them follow him on TikTok, and they’ve seen him in action at various school events. Middle schoolers can be hard to impress, but as the owner of DJ Ree Maniac Entertainment Services, Brooks has a more obvious cool factor than most educators and administrators. “They know I stand on business when I got to, though,” he emphasizes.
Brooks and his wife, Natalie Arriaga de Brooks MS’20, started their entertainment business together in 2022, but Brooks has been producing music since he was 12 years old. He also played the oboe, tenor saxophone, and bass drum growing up. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooks decided to turn his lifelong love of music into a small business. “A lot of people think DJing is a hobby,” he says, “but for me, I made it more than that.”
Two careers would be more than enough for most, but Brooks also DJs with Celebrations Entertainment and serves as an adjunct professor for the McNair Scholars program at his undergraduate alma mater, UW–Whitewater. Below, Brooks breaks down how he juggles everything and why it’s worth the extra hustle.
Let’s start with your first career: education. What made you choose that path?
I went to UW–Whitewater for undergrad, and I was a football player. So, of course, I loved everything that had to do with working out. I was like, “Okay, being a gym teacher sounds cool.” Then I joined a couple of teacher organizations on campus. I also got into the McNair Scholars program. That sparked my interest in special education because I did research on the risk factors of autism for my research project. Once I started to do more of that, I applied to UW–Madison. I got a full ride to be a part of the special education master’s program.
After I did my student teaching in Madison, I applied to the Madison Metropolitan School District and got my first teaching job. I taught special ed for about three and a half years. After I taught special ed, I went into PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) coaching and [later became] a dean for an upper middle school, which was eighth and ninth grade. The next year [2022], they said, “Hey, we’re going to transition into a traditional middle school, and we want you to be the AP [associate principal].” That’s where I’m at right now.
What’s your favorite part about the job?
It’s rewarding just being able to communicate with all my stakeholders. I have the community, I have the students, I have the parents, and I get to see them grow every single year. We have our data. As far as academics, it’s starting to improve. Our discipline data is starting to decrease, which is great.
Just seeing things like that and being able to have different partnerships in Sun Prairie has been very rewarding. And being a DJ, I also am able to collaborate with other schools and AVID [advancement via individual determination] programs. But as far as being an AP, I’m able to have a huge hand in the development of my students and make a tremendous lasting effect on students every day, as well as coach my staff up.
Is it hard to juggle everything?
It is. I’m getting at least three to four inquiries a day about events. Sometimes I have to recruit other DJs to have the event because I can’t be everywhere. Being able to have other DJs that I can reach out to, who I rely on, who are able to fulfill the event, who have the same equipment as me, who could bring the same energy, that’s important. That’s another route of my business that I’m taking — having other DJs on my team to facilitate events as well.
Is there a special story behind your DJ name?
Of course, my name is Kyree. I took the last three letters off, R-E-E, as Ree. And people say that I’m pretty relentless when it comes to everything that I do. So when I was looking at things to put as a logo, I was like, “Maniac makes sense.” I don’t know why. Maybe because I used to watch that show, and I’d go “Animaniacs.” I’m a ’90s baby, too, so it just brings me back.
Do you have any favorite must-plays at the events you work?
I’m an open-format DJ, so I’m never set to play certain songs. I’m looking at the energy in the room to see, “Who’s that person who I’m going to make dance? And who’s that person who’s not dancing, who, if I play that song, they might bob their head?”
It just really depends on the event. Mostly, I do weddings, and in the private wedding sector, it’s always a lot of country music. I have some artists that I like a lot: Usher, Chris Brown. Rappers like Kendrick Lamar. I like Lenny Kravitz, some funk.
Is your goal to transition fully from AP to DJ some day?
I’ve thought about that a lot. I worked my butt off to be a principal, but at the same time, I’m making about the same amount [as a DJ]. I could go full-time DJ, but I know that there’s always going to be a need for the type of leader that I am. And as a student, I always wanted someone to make sure that I was doing well and [who] wanted me to succeed. There aren’t many people of color who are in a position that I’m in to make a change. And I do realize my privilege at that. I have thought about dipping out, but then again, at what expense? I’m balancing both, and I’m making it work for now. But in a dream world, yes, of course. Who wouldn’t want to DJ full-time? I’m just playing it in God’s hands.
