June 23 marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, also known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, amending the 1972 Federal Education Amendment. This means most music educators (predominantly women at 52.2%) have known education couldn’t prevent women from participating, including in music. However, according to Zippia, the majority of band directors are male (68%) as are the majority of composers (77%). While we're seeing more equity in music educators, we have a long way to go in music and Performing Arts leadership. Clearly, women have been paving the way, but we can do more because we all know representation matters.
At GPG Music, we're working to correct our shortage of female-identifying composers. We specifically sought talented women to expand our Spring concert release and encourage composers to share their work. In the meantime, we'll be sharing more about the women involved in GPG Music, starting with composer Shealley Lee.
Many schools and colleges across the country are paying homage to the first woman (fill in the blank) in Performing Arts and rightfully so. Do you know who was your first female band director? Or the first woman conductor at your school? Where in your history did your school break the barriers for women? Share on our social pages and tag @GPGMusic with your stories of women in the Performing Arts. Who were your glass-ceiling breakers?