Women's Audio Mission closes gender gap in creative technology careers

SAN FRANCISCO -- Women's Audio Mission visualizes a music industry with more women and gender expansive voices in the mix.

The San Francisco and Oakland-based nonprofit organization uses music and media to attract over 2,000 underserved women/girls/GNC individuals every year to STEM and creative technology studies. Their mission: to inspire them and amplify their voices as they become the innovators of tomorrow.

"I started Women's Audio Mission about 19 years ago," explained founder Terri Winston. "And it started at City College of San Francisco, where a group of students were trying to address the lack of women in our classes, and it just grew exponentially from that small group."

WAM's award-winning curriculum weaves art and music with science, technology and computer programming. One of their programs, called One Composing for TV, Film, Advertising, is sponsored by ESPN and covers a basic toolkit for composing and mixing for commercial and film media.

In addition, the organization's Girls on the Mic program offers free creative technology and digital media production training in a variety of topics for youth ages 11-18 from under-resourced communities.

"I've always been into music and stuff. And people have always asked me, 'What's your backup plan?' You know, and so it never seemed like something that was feasible for me to go into music or audio or anything like that, especially being an Asian girl. There is not much representation," said student Madison Gee.

Gee added, "So, I think just having a space for women, non binary people to come together and just learn more about it and be empowered in that way has made me feel like this is something I can do."

For more information about Women's Audio Mission, visit here.