Creative music production workshop launched for International Women’s Day

On 8 March, to celebrate International Women’s Day, Surrey Arts partnered with the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) to launch a special music technology workshop at ACM Studios in Guildford. Aimed at female and female identifying young people aged 11 to 16, EQualise offered an opportunity to explore music production in a fun, supportive, creative environment.

Designed as an introduction to the software and hardware used by leading music producers around the world, EQualise invited participants to experiment with industry standard technology and explore some of the techniques that shape their favourite tracks. The initiative sought to encourage and engage young people who remain underrepresented in the music industry, highlighting the need for greater gender diversity across creative and technical roles.

Data shows that women currently represent only around 20% of the music industry workforce. They occupy just 12.5% of producer roles and hold approximately 26% of executive level positions. Recognition remains limited too. In 2021, women received only 16% of nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Producer.

Feedback from one participant clearly clarified the reasons why creating a female only space to learn music production is an important initiative “The fact that it was a female only workshop really appealed. I felt like I was going to be judged less, and if I made a mistake it wouldn’t be as big a deal”

Figures further illustrate the disparity behind the scenes. Women account for just 5% of audio engineers and sound technicians - roles that often shape the sound of the modern music landscape. Mentorship opportunities also remain uneven, with only 30% of women in the industry reporting that they have access to a mentor. Additionally, more than half have experienced gender-based discrimination or harassment in the workplace.

Young people at the taster workshop were shocked to hear these statistics - “I think that it’s really upsetting that it’s so male dominated in the music industry”...”It makes me feel like I really want to be included more, and want to do more workshops like this, because then we can make a change”.

Role models such as Billie Eilish champion self-determination: “Women need to be able to take control of their own narratives in music” and initiatives like this, that directly address the inequality within the industry, can help to make female musicians and artists less reliant on male producers and sound engineers.

Surrey Arts Head of Service, Sarah Lee says: "We hope that EQualise will contribute to this cultural shift by empowering the next generation of female creators, technicians and producers. Through hands-on learning and exposure to inspiring role models, the session aimed to build confidence, celebrate creativity, and open pathways into an industry where women remain significantly underrepresented."

Feedback for the pilot workshop has highlighted the importance of continuing this initiative, so from Thursday 7 May, Surrey Arts will begin running weekly EQualise music production sessions at ACM. To find out more email surreyarts@surreycc.gov.uk