Wild City is shining the spotlight on women in the music industry!
Worldwide studies indicate that women generally constitute for 10 percent of electronic music lineups. This disproportionate representation of women on festival and/or club lineups persists all over the world, including our very own India. Wild City has, therefore, launched an initiative focused on women in electronic music, entitled Skills Development for Women, which will be launched in New Delhi on December 2ndΒ and will feature a masterclass with Macquaire Universityβs Julian Knowles.
With support from Absolut, Skills Development for Women is a Wild City initiative that aims to equip women in India with basic skills that will increase their chances of employment in the music industry, and hope to further nurture their talents, and turn their passion into skills. The initiative will kick off with a one-day pilot β in partnership with Macquaire University and supported by the British Council and Native Instruments β which will feature a masterclass conducted by music and new technologies expert,Β Professor Julian Knowles. Selected applicants will be able to avail this opportunity on December 2Β in New Delhi.
Credit: Wild City
Wild City strives to make the electronic music industry as inclusive as possible and believes that the scene requires the involvement and participation of more women, as fans, as musicians, and as stakeholders. After all, isnβt everything better with a womanβs touch? The aim of the initiative is to provide women with more visibility in the music industry, which is key to dismantling stereotypes related to the role of a woman and her interest in electronic music.
βIβm incredibly excited to be launching this initiative with my team β we are all passionate about creating meaningful and impactful opportunities at a grassroots level, for women in India interested in the music industry. A combination of events, workshops, discussions, skills development and content will make up the first phase of the project, this is a long-term initiative of Wild City,β says Sarah Chawla, founder Wild City and partner at Magnetic Fields festival.
The visual identity for the project is a night goddess, who steals the moon for her own keeping. It was designed by visual artist and musician Sandhya Visvanathan aka Pardafash, and is meant to represent the need for public spaces where women can confidently chase their creative pursuits.
βSarah and I wanted to create an image that had a strong sense of feminine cosmic energy. We need the music industry to be more inclusive and have greater gender diversity. Itβs important to create spaces where more women can feel confident in their creative pursuits. And when youβre just starting out it really helps to belong to a community,β Sandhya explains.
TheΒ one-day pilot programmeΒ onΒ December 2Β will take place at the British Council, and will offer a group of selected applicants aΒ production masterclassΒ with professorΒ Julian Knowles, who is a composer and performer, specializing in new and emerging technologies, and is the professor of music and media at Macquaire University. Nearly 50 percent of the 307 respondents in aΒ survey conducted by Wild City had expressed their excitement at the prospect of developing music production skills.
Credit: Wild City
βI am very excited about working with Wild City on this important new initiative. As a long-standing professional music producer and academic, I am acutely aware of theΒ issues that women face in gaining support and skills in a highly male-dominated industry. Programs like these provide a safe and supportive environment to learn production skills thatΒ boost confidence and ability, empowering women to pursue their ambitions in music production. Macquarie University is deeply committed to engaging with the community, not just in Australia, but around the globe and we are committed to impacting social issues. This is a great opportunity for us to work together on something very important for women in music in India,β professor Knowles commented.
The production masterclass will be accessible to those who present a strong desire and interest to engage with the music industry and learn more about production. Professor Knowlesβ class will include an introduction to working with loops and beats, the basic use of synthesizers,Β and recording of vocals and instruments, among other things.
Interested applications should apply here!
Last date for application isΒ November 24,Β Friday.
Tune in to The Sherp for more!