Tom-Tom Magazine & Girls Rock MKE

Hey all! Today I'm going to profile two awesome groups that both focus on women and girls in music. Even better, they pull in aspects of technology and media too.

ATTN campers in the Magazine Editor track! I was browsing through Autostraddle's article 15 Women's Magazines that Don't Suck, Are Awesome for inspiration for this post and I came across Tom-Tom Magazine (#8 on their list). Tom-Tom Magazine focuses on female drummers and includes profiles of talented drummers from a variety of musical, social, and geographical backgrounds--including this article on 12-year-old Paulina Villarreal Velez aka Shredder.

 

Each of their issues has a theme, such as Drummers Who Sing or Religion & Spirituality. Their current issue is titled, Body Issue. So if you're interested in music or magazines that aren't the standard ones you see in the checkout lane at your local grocery store be sure to check out Tom-Tom Magzine, or any of the magazines on that Autostraddle list.


The second group I'll be telling you all about is Girls Rock Milwaukee, which was founded by music lovers and players Valeri Lucks and Ashley Smith when they realized there was a serious lack of venues for young girls to create their own music, write their own lyrics and have the equipment and mentoring to be able to smush all of that together into their very own song. Their mission is to "empower girls of all backgrounds through music education and performance. We are dedicated to creating a positive environment that builds girls’ self-esteem and fosters leadership, life-skills development, and independent thinking while cultivating a supportive community of peers and mentors that demonstrate it’s ok to be who you are!" If you ask me, that's a perfect message to send to young girls and teens in Milwaukee and across the country!

You can check out the songs created last summer, as well as photos of the bands on their website. Unfortunately, all spots are filled for their camp this summer but they have a waiting list. You can also like them on Facebook and see what cool things they're up to throughout the year!


Til next time...
Ashley