The Young Womens Band Project is based at the Ark T Centre in Cowley Oxford and is in it's 8th year.
YWBP offers monthly workshops on songwriting. performing and jamming, with special female guest leaders from the fields of music industry, sound engineering, session work and performers. The project produces a yearly CD compilation of young women's music and a launch featuring performances from girls on the CD. During the year other performing opportunities are provided for the girls on a regular basis. In 2006 we produced a documentary film 'Young Women Rock' about YWBP with a local film maker which was shown as part of a Channel 5 event in Oxford in collaboration with Ruskin College and Oxford Contempory Music.?
?The project aims to empower young women through raising confidence and musical skills, whilst increasing the participation of young women playing and singing popular music across Oxfordshire, which is very low compared with the boys.
The YWBP is about personal empowerment for girls through music. It creates an atmosphere of safe learning and confidence building; promoting the idea of co-operation between young women, in order to share skills and develop musical relationships and friendships. It provides positive role-models across the field of music and careers.
The YWBP is part of the main music project at the Ark T Centre in Cowley, Oxford. It has been running for 9 years.
Based in a multi -cultural area of Oxford, the project offers young people aged 11-19 rehearsal, recording and performing opportunites in a safe environment with two trained music youth leaders and young trainees. We regularly produce CD compilations of music from the young people and run monthly gigs at the centre. Over the last five years we have worked with over a 1000 young people from many different backgrounds. As well as local young musicians, the project works particularly with vunerable young people through referals such as Oxford Social Services,Connexions,Youth Offending Team and local homeless projects.??
To get involved email
[email protected] and just come along to the monthly workshops held at the Ark T Centre 2-4pm on the 2nd Sat of each month.
So far, young women have enjoyed workshops from Jo Laverty from the Musicians Union on careers in the music business and band promotion tips; Girgit Dhinsa, sound engineer from Gateway Studios in London, on live sound, engineering and production skills; professional session guitarist Ella Reid, on guitar techniques and session tips; and Australian singer-songwriter Lisa Fitzgibbon, on releasing records and touring independently.
We are currently in recording for the next album, if you have a track that you would like to feature, there is still time to get in touch!
Best wishes Kate Garrett
