guest blogger: Caro Kemp
Although they have a high prominence in many popular music styles, professional women singers and instrumentalists are still a novelty in many other musical genres, especially in rock. But Rock is no longer a boy’s club!
If you need proof, look no further than the 2021 Grammy nominations. The Recording Academy recognized six female artists for the Best Rock Performance category.
At Music in the Community, we are breaking down barriers between people and cultures one music event at a time by putting local talents at the heart of their communities.
In Edinburgh, you don’t have to look far to find talent. The founders of Girls Rock School Edinburgh noticed the big gap between the number of men and women performing live music and are encouraging women into the scene through a supportive environment where they can learn and play instruments together.
We invited one of the founders, Caro Kemp, to write a few sentences about the rocking work they do:
Think bands are just for boys? WRONG!
Ever thought about taking up an instrument and forming a band? What’s stopping you?
At Girls Rock School Edinburgh we believe that wanting to try something new and having a positive attitude is more important. We run group classes in vocals, guitar, bass, drums and occasional workshops in DJing, songwriting and music tech. The school is free and open to women (including transgender women) and non-binary people, from ages 18 to 118. We welcome people of all cultures and try to use wheelchair accessible venues wherever possible.
In order to give our graduates a chance to play live and strut their stuff, we organise twice-yearly showcases, which are always extremely well attended. We reckon that as a result of the classes and showcases, around 100 bands have been formed since 2015, giving the male-dominated music industry a good kick up the bum!
Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for future live events.
Our event in collaboration with Space and Broomhouse Hub celebrated some very talented women in the Edinburgh music scene: Coma Cat and Lou Mclean (Lou is also part of the Girls Rock team). The event was recorded live in session and is available here.
Comments