SoundGirls held their second annual Live Sound Camp for Girls in Modesto. Last year we trained 11 girls and women. This year we trained another 11 students, 10 girls, and one young man. This is such a great asset to our community, especially to the California Women’s Music Festival, which will be providing mentoring opportunities throughout the year.

CWMF has hosted the workshop for the second year in a row and the attendees have gained lasting experiences that will have an impact on the live of those who experienced the workshop. SoundGirls.Org provided scholarships to over 50% of the girls, so they could attend the camp for free.

This month I want to focus on the stories behind the training. I was lucky to have three girls in my home who took the workshop. A 13-year-old junior high student Diana, 11-year-old Mimi, and 10-year-old Evelyn. In addition to talking to my own children, I was able to talk to Jade, 16 years old, Jaidon, 13 years old and Jose, 15 years old. Who also attended the Live Sound Camp. I asked each of them what they thought they would learn, what they learned, what was the most valuable thing they learned, and what they learned that they will use in real life.

Here are a few of their answers:

What did you think you would learn?

Evelyn: “I thought I would learn how to do sound”.

Diana: “ I thought I would how to use and understand the EQ better.

Mimi: “ I thought I was going to learn to run sound.”

What did you learn?

Evelyn: “ I learned how to coil cables, how to set up a PA, and how to mix using a PA.”

Diana: “ I learned how to use the EQ, how to run effects, how to set up a stage, how to make an input list and a stage plot and how to be a stage manager.”

Mimi: “ I learned how to work a PA, how to coil a cable, how to be a good stage manager, and pretty much how to run sound.”

What was the most valuable thing you learned?

Evelyn: “ To not wear shoes that show your toes, to always use a harness, and to always look up and be aware of your surroundings.”

Diana: “ The most valuable lesson was to use gaff tape instead of duct tape, how to wrap cables, and to wear comfortable shoes.”

Mimi: “ The most valuable thing I learned was to be safe. For example, never wear sandals or flip-flops. Don’t take unnecessary risks such as jumping off the stage instead of using the stairs.”

Jaidon: “I had a lot of fun learning how to hook up cables and set up the stage.”

Jose: “I learned that if you mess one cable up, the whole sound will be off and that’s why it is so important to do several sound checks.”

Jade: “ to make music sound good, you have to periodically change volumes. If something goes wrong, don’t freak out, you can fix it.”

What did you learn during the workshop that you will use in your daily life?

Evelyn: “ Pay attention to your surroundings”

Diana: “ To use your legs instead of your back when picking up heavy things and definitely use of gaff tape instead of duct tape.”

Mimi: “ In my daily life the workshop has taught me to pay attention to my surroundings and to always be aware of risks.”

After reading through each of these responses I was so proud of all that has been accomplished this year. Karrie and Tiffany taught the girls how to be a team, how to organize a team and how to set up a live show. This was such an empowering experience for every girl who attended. We would like to extend this opportunity to every girl in California. The Central Valley is a great place to start. We look forward to next year and the partnerships that lay ahead.

SoundGirls.Org brought their Live Sound Camp for Girls to Nevada City, CA the following week and bring it to Wilmington, DE, and St. Louis later this month.