A pilot New York City program, Sound Thinking NYC, addresses gender disparity in the music industry by providing free education and career path programs for young women in 11th and 12th grade. It was launched by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), City University of New York’s Creative Arts Team, and the nonprofit NY Is Music. The inaugural three-week program took place in July with 40 students, representing all five New York City boroughs. They were introduced to music production, audio technology, and sound recording through hands-on workshops and field trips. They attended leadership sessions and panel discussions with women industry professionals. The program hopes to expand to 100 students by 2020.
Tag Archives: women
Top Women Conductors
Classic FM has released a list of what it considers the 10 best women conductors of today.
- Lithuanian maestro Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
- French conductor Laurence Equilbey
- Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra
- American conductor Marin Alsop, a member of Local 802 (New York City)
- British conductor Alice Farnham
- Finnish maestro Susanna Mälkki
- Australian Director Simone Young
- Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang
- American conductor JoAnn Falletta, a member of Local 125 (Norfolk, VA)
- Canadian maestro Barbara Hannigan
Advocacy Group Promotes Union to Women Film Workers
Women in Media (WIM) provides networking opportunities, professional development, and advocacy for women in above- and below-the-line positions on film productions. Few studies look at female representation in below-the-line positions, but across the top-grossing 100 films of 2017, women comprised 14% of editors, 2% of cinematographers, and 3% of composers, according to a report from San Diego State University professor Martha Lauzen. On April 27 WIM will hold a panel for union members and nonmembers on “navigating the unions.” Representatives from IATSE, the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild, Directors Guild of America, and other unions will be present.
FIA Issues Declaration on Sexual Harassment
In October, the International Federation of Actors (FIA) Executive Committee approved a declaration on sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation in the entertainment and media industries. The declaration, authored and sponsored by SAG-AFTRA, recognizes the rights of all performers to a safe and harassment-free working environment and urges the industry to work in good faith with unions and performer organizations to develop a long-term strategy to achieve discrimination and harassment free workplaces.
“The scandal involving Harvey Weinstein revealed problems that were all to familiar to women—and men—in our industry. We know that sexism in our industry is real. We know that there are sexual harassers who use their power to intimidate. And we know that this needs to change. And as union leaders we are taking a stand—we seek nothing less than a major cultural shift,” says FIA President Ferne Downey.
Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives
A celebration of women in country, Americana, and bluegrass music, Woman Walk the Line is a collection of deeply personal essays from some of America’s most intriguing women writers. From Maybelle Carter to Dolly Parton of Local 257 (Nashville, TN), k.d. lang of Local 145 (Vancouver, BC) to Taylor Swift of Local 257 to Rosanne Cash of Local 802 (New York City), Woman Walk the Line speaks to the ways in which artists mark their lives at different ages and in various states of grace and imperfection—and ultimately how music transforms, not just the person making it, but also the listener.
Bebop, Swing, and Bella Music: Jazz and the Italian American Experience
This book explores the contributions that Americans of Italian descent have made to jazz. It includes profiles of major composers, musicians, and singers, and overviews of minor figures. Early chapters are dedicated to single players, from Louis Prima to Frank Sinatra to Bucky Pizzarelli. Other sections discuss jazz in Italy and women of jazz. The book also explores the discrimination and stereotyping faced by Italian immigrants in their efforts to assimilate into American culture.
Bebop, Swing, and Bella Musica: Jazz and the Italian American Experience, by Bill Dal Cerro and David Anthony Witter, Bella Musica Publishing, www.italiansinjazz.com.
AFL-CIO Commits to Mobilizing Women in 2016
Women make up more than half of the US electorate and vote at higher rates than men. From now until November, the AFL-CIO will be talking to women voters about the issues that impact them the most to ensure that women remain at the forefront of the conversation.
Today, the AFL-CIO Executive Council reinforced its commitment to advancing the rights of all working women and men—union or non-union—with the adoption of the Economic Agenda for Working Women and Our Families. The labor movement will continue to fight for equal pay, family friendly policies, high-quality education, and the right to negotiate better working conditions.
According to the AFL-CIO, “This year we are going to elect pro-worker, pro-woman, and pro-family candidates. Hillary Clinton’s historic nomination for president shattered the glass ceiling, and we stand behind her.”
To read the full Economic Agenda for Working Women and Our Families click here: www.aflcio.org/working-women-economic-agenda