WIN | A place on women’s sound engineering course

As recent statistics have shown, men are still dominating certain industries, predominantly in the sciences and technology sectors. As veteran gig goers, we can definitely attest to the fact that men seem to outnumber women when it comes to sound engineering. This could be down to a number of factors – early socialisation that genders girls into certain careers and away from others; institutional sexism from employees who believe men are naturally better with technology than women; a lack of learning resources geared at girls in education, etc. – and the imbalance definitely needs addressing.

It’s great to hear, then, that someone is doing something about it. Leeds-based music/arts collectives Sapphic Traffic and Riot Grrill have paired up to give one lucky winner a spot on Wombeatz, a sound engineering course designed to give girls and women the same access to music-based technology that their male peers enjoy.

Kicking off on October 13, the course will involve “hands on experience in a studio environment where the participants will learn how to use the sound desk, PA system and different microphones. Part of the course and the end product will be creating and running the showcasing event. This will involve publicity, booking bands and DJs, and sound engineering at the event.”

Sapphic Traffic and Riot Grrill will sponsor the winner, covering the course fee and potentially some travel costs too. Participants must be over 18 and able to get to Red Eric Studio, Leeds, every Wednesday evening from October 13 – December 1. To enter, send your name, date of birth, and a paragraph explaining why you’re interested in the course to either sapphictraffic@googlemail.com or felinegroovy1@gmail.com. The deadline for entrants is midnight on October 2.

Wombeatz courses are available outside of the competition, priced at £40 unwaged/£80 waged. Email training@wombeatz.com for further info.

Tagged riot grrill, wombeatz