Subtle prejudices crop up in the audio industry when we hear people say things like, “Mary can mix a band as good as Steve,” or “They’re a girl but they can push a subwoofer like a man.” By setting men as the standard for both of those skills, it is possible that we are intimidating women out of those roles even if the intent is to praise someone for their skills.
Democratising Education to Diversify the Workplace
Instead of focusing on the statement ‘the industry is male-dominated,’ let’s showcase women who are already in the field so that people see that even if we have so many men in the industry, there are women who are doing great jobs who are doing their best and brightest. Seeing is believing. When I see other women do it, it will encourage a young girl anywhere to say, ‘if she can do it, then I can do it.’ So it’s more of a visibility problem and awareness, which is why we all have a role to play in it. Everybody has to work to make that happen.”
Jam Phelps, a recording and mixing engineer, is the owner of Denk Studios (North Carolina), a self-proclaimed safe space for all musicians regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Today, I was wondering where my gig bag, passport, and show files were, so strange as I always knew where these things were, usually by the front door. I will have to dig my gig bag out of the closet and check for show files and passport and when it might expire. So this got me thinking about the things I need to do before returning to work, and while it seems far away it really is not. I thought I would share some thoughts about preparing to return and changes and plans that need to be put in place.