A Month of Women and Music: An Interview Series for March

March is Women’s History Month in the United States. As a way to commemorate, I’ll be sharing a series of special interviews done with some of my female musician friends. Each woman has a different relationship with music, and works with music differently.

The inspiration to this series began with my wanting to do something to highlight women and music. I was especially interested in the experience of women in the music business. As I thought about it more, I began thinking about some of my amazingly talented female musician friends. As I thought about it even more, I began to recognize that the “music business” could be rather vast, if it’s interpreted as working with music for a living. With these thoughts in mind, I wanted to share the stories of some of my friends as a way to illustrate the diversity of what it means to work in, and with, music as a woman.

Women Working with Music

Each woman I interviewed works differently with music. Two are music therapists. Two are performing musicians active in the community and in the music business. Another woman trained extensively as a classically-trained vocalist, and is now finding her voice through writing. The common thread among these women, however, is that music has been significant in their lives.

The Women’s Musician Series

The talented women you’ll get to meet over the course of this month-long series are:

• Rachelle Norman, MA, MT-BC

• Stephanie Bolton, MA, MT-BC, Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery

Both Rachelle and Stephanie are board-certified music therapists in the United States. Even though they are both music therapists, they work with music differently and serve different populations. Rachelle specializes in working with older adults, while Stephanie specializes in working with Guided Imagery and Music (GIM).

• Francine Brocious

Francine and I both studied vocal performance at Viterbo University. She is an author who now sings for pleasure, rather than for performance. Her experiences as a singer, along with her own personal healing process, have led her to truly finding her voice through written word.

• Jessica Eppler

Jessica is one half of the Prairie Scholars. Together with her husband, Andy, she frequently performs along the Front Range, but calls Longmont, Colorado home. An accomplished pianist, Jessica also performs as a solo artist, and recently released a solo album of piano music. She is incredibly active in the the Longmont music scene by creating with Andy open mic opportunities for up-and-coming local musicians to perform in public, and by booking local musicians for paid shows at community venues.

• Jess Rosario

Jess is a Boulder County singer/songwriter with a bold, soulful voice. She is involved in both solo and group projects along the Front Range.

I invite you to celebrate women and music this month by learning more about these women, and the ways they work with music. The series begins on March 1st, when I’ll be sharing my interview with Rachelle. A new interview will be published each week.