A series of presentations and discussions that centre the experience and knowledge of women, trans, and non-binary identified artists in music.

The Mistress Class works to create a respectful space for building knowledge and community, and seeks to disrupt both the narrative and the form of the traditional master class.

The Summer 2020 webinars are free to attend! Participants can register for individual sessions, or for the full series. In order to make these sessions available to more participants, we will be hosting them as Zoom webinars. The chat will be available during sessions for attendees to communicate with each other and with the organizers. We also invite participants to share questions in advance to help guide each discussion.

Class 1: Sound Advice | Sage Kim, Heather Kirby
Wednesday, August 5, 4:00-5:30 EDT

Workshop attendees sit in on sessions with mastering engineers, learn about the software and hardware they use, the differences between the creative and technical aspects of their work, and the collaborative spaces between artist and engineer.

Class 2: Gear and Studio Tours | Lisa Conway (L CON), Vanese Smith (Pursuit Grooves), Maylee Todd
Wednesday, August 12, 4:00-5:30 EDT

Guest artists show us around the space(s) where they create and record music, and the tools they use to do so (instruments, hardware, software). Counter to the idea that there is only one correct (read expensive) professional studio set-up, we are interested in how artists are creative and resourceful–with space, with gear, with knowledge.

Class 3: Health and Wellness | Beth Pickens
Wednesday, August 19, 4:00-5:30 EDT

A therapeutic professional who specializes in working with artists explores what it means to do creative work during a pandemic. What is the toll? What is the reward? How can we take care of ourselves and use our skills to help take care of others? How do we understand the meaning and importance of our work in a time of pandemic and of political upheaval? This session may also feature a guest artist.

Class 4: Writing and Composing | Kinnie Starr
Wednesday, August 26, 4:00-5:30pm EDT

Our guest artist discusses her writing process: where it starts, where it ends, what happens in between; how it has changed over the course of her career; when it feels good, when it hurts; what ignites her; what frustrates her. We also discuss how her writing process has changed (or not) over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accessibility | If there are any needs that you would like organizers to be aware of please contact matthew.fava@cmccanada.org, or include a comment during your registration through Eventbrite.