Stand Up Now

By Bonni Stevenson

If music has the power to soothe the savage beast, can it stop bullying?
DJ Benny DL, alias Bruce Langford, hopes it can. He tours elementary schools with his ATFM (A Time For Music) moch radio call-in show talking about bullying and its effects, suggesting ways to deal with it.
Langford, a music teacher at New Sarum Public School near St. Thomas, wrote and developed the show’s format after researching the topic of bullying. He has been presenting it since last September, and estimates he does between six to 10 shows each week. He alters his show to make it age-appropriate for the Kindergarten to Grade 8 students who watch it, and he recently performed for the students of Mooretown-Courtright Public School.
During his presentation, DJ Benny DL impresses on the students, “It’s bullying if it goes on and on directed at one person.” Three types of bullying were identified during the presentation: physical; verbal, which constitues about 70 per cent of the bullying that is reported; and relational. Although physical and verbal bullying are easily identified, relational bullying can be more difficult. It includes exclusion or shunning, where an individual is purposely left out of activities.
He urges children who are being victimized to talk to an adult they trust about the problem. He also says there are times when bullies must be ignored. “Sometimes you have to try to ignore it because if you react, it (the bullying) may just get worse.”

     In the song, Stand Up, DJ Benny also advises those who witness a bullying incident to speak up. “If you just watch, or worse, if you think it’s funny, you’re a bystander and you won’t help to stop the bullying,” he said. He urged the students to have the courage to stand up against the bullies and be a friend to those who are being victimized.
DJ Benny advised victims not to lose their self-confidence and keep trying to make a positive connection with the person or group that is doing the bullying. Further, those who are the bully’s friends should have the courage to befriend the victim and make it clear the bully’s actions are unacceptable, in spite of the fear they might lose their other friend. “It only takes one person to make a difference,” he said. “Friends can be a great help to someone being bullied.”
He recommended the website bullying.org as a place for victims and others to find suggestions on how to deal with bullies.
Langford says his character is named after his two-and-a-half-year-old son Benjamin David Langford. It is because of his son’s imminent entry into the school system that he was motivated to do something positive to stem the growing trend toward bullying in the schools. “I wanted to do something positive to help,” he said, adding he uses music because students relate to it. “Students learn so well through music.”
Reception to the show has been very good according to Langford, who feels he is making a positive difference to the school life of the students he visits. “We have lots of fun and we feel we are connecting with the students,” said Langford.