Resampling Gender in Music Production: Community Development and Participatory Learning at Play

Abstract

<p>Women are seriously underrepresented in the field of music production because of a number of social and systemic barriers. These barriers include a lack of access to technology, a lack of encouragement to use technology, shortages of same-sex/same-gender role models, and the marginalization of women’s contributions in the field. In response, I organized the event “Resampled music production workshops for women and trans folks.” My aim was to challenge some of these barriers and to encourage women and trans folk to engage in music production. A team of experienced female facilitators led the Resampled workshops, which covered a variety of disciplines in the music production and technology fields. Women and trans people of all experience levels were invited to participate in the free event, which took place on July 14, 2013, in Toronto.</p> <p>This paper outlines Resampled’s mission and pedagogical approach, including its goal of working toward social justice through empowerment, community development, and participatory learning. After the event, participants were invited to complete a feedback questionnaire about their experiences at Resampled. Drawing upon this feedback, along with critical discourses on women in music production, this paper analyzes the usefulness of Resampled as an approach for tackling injustice and inequality in the field. My findings demonstrate that although the model has limitations with regard to facilities, funding, and outreach, it was highly effective in fostering a productive learning environment and in empowering participants to further explore music production.</p>