As founder of the organization, Girls Make Beats, I am truly passionate about our mission to empower young girls in music technology. At Girls Make Beats we work with girls ages 5-17 teaching them how to become the next generation of music producers, DJs, audio engineers and music industry leaders.
I started the organization nearly a decade ago, initially breaking into the industry as a young recording artist. After being featured on shows like American Idol and X Factor, I was offered various recording contracts. Frustrated with the lack of creative control and lack of women in the studio, I took an interest in creating my own music. After facing much adversity due to my gender as I made my journey through the male dominated fields of music production and audio engineering, I decided to create a safe space for young girls to explore these fields.
A recent Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study shows less than 3% of music producers are women. There has also never been a woman to win “Producer of the Year, Non-Classical” in the history of the Grammys. Our goal at Girls Make Beats is to help change that!
It is extremely important to have more women and girls in music. Music is extremely powerful. It influences our culture, daily lives and how we interact with one another. If women are not a part of the initial conception of what is being flooded out into culture, we truly do not have control of our own narrative and are not being accurately portrayed in society.
Girls Make Beats nurtures girls at an early age, exposing them to state of the art equipment and software, music industry professionals and real world opportunities. Our girls have accomplished some pretty amazing things including an official remix for Janet Jackson, a placement in the new Coming 2 America film, a music placement with Ford and Angela Bassett during her voice over content piece, a Nike Airmax commercial and much more.
We have found so much truth in the saying “If you can SeeHer, You can Be Her”. At Girls Make Beats, we focus on positioning young girls at the forefront of music technology so that other girls can be exposed to seeing girls and women who look like them being successful in what has been traditionally male dominated fields. Breaking barriers and glass ceilings transcends beyond the classroom. Our focus is not only on honing technical and creative skills, but most importantly the confidence it instills in our girls! As said best by our very own 10 year old DJ MAK10, “When I grow up, I want to be a DJ, Producer and the first black female president of the United States.”
