EQ: Women in Electronic Music

Rose Bolton, program developer and director
Matthew Fava, Will Callaghan, coordinators

EQ: Women in Electronic Music is focused on education and community building among trans/cis women and non-binary folks who create electronic music. Through mentoring, technical instruction, and sharing of music and ideas, we foster mutual support and camaraderie among those who present or identify as women. Together we will encourage and feed into your creative spirit.

If you see yourself as a woman and a creator, you may be accustomed to feeling like “the only girl”. Whether in an academic, industry, or community setting, you might feel marginalized as the only woman in a group—this can be further magnified if you are a person of colour.

EQ: Women in Electronic Music is a place for musical growth, the pursuit of artistic excellence, and a space where you can be part of a community in electronic music. With each edition of EQ we seek to create a more accessible space for you to feel safe, inspired, and creative while having the freedom to take musical risks.

EQ: Women in Electronic Music is organized in collaboration between Musica Reflecta and the Canadian Music Centre.

Program Overview

Program runs from January to June 2018.
8 participants will be selected, and notification will be sent in December 2017. Participants will be placed into groups of 4.
Participants will receive:

4 private instruction sessions (1 hour per month, February through May);
6 group workshops (2 hours per month, January through June);
Sessions are facilitated by Rose Bolton;
Additional guest mentors will be invited to lead sessions including Pursuit Grooves.

There is no immediate cost to apply. Participation for the selected individuals is $165 (roughly $10 per hour of programming). The application form allows you to indicate whether you would be interested in an alternate membership scheme.
Group sessions take place on Thursdays between 5 and 10pm based on participant availability. Group session dates include January 18, February 15, March 15, April 12, May 10, and June 7. If you are interested in applying but these dates conflict with your other commitment, we will make an effort to accommodate your participation should you be selected.
All program activity will take place at the Canadian Music Centre (20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, near Yonge and Wellesley). CMC is an accessible building with gender neutral washrooms.
Participants are provided with healthy snacks and refreshments during all program activity.

Eligibility

Applicants should be 18 years of age or older.
Artists based outside of Toronto are eligible to apply, but will have to cover travel costs. Where possible, EQ organizers may be able to assist with accommodation/housing in Toronto.
We encourage applications from artists regardless of their artistic practice, or primary discipline, but require that electronics and sound play prominent roles in your present work.
We are particularly interested in potential candidates aged 18-30.

Application Process

All applications will be submitted through an online form. The form gathers basic information along with details of your artistic work, and expectations for the project. In addition, we require a reference track/project (a recent work that will be used as your primary support material during the EQ review process):

The priority is a musical composition (can be in the form of written out music, or a recording).
You can discuss the reference track in your written responses.