Empower U.S. Women Through Music: Jobs & Education

Happy New Year!

As Herizon Music's board of directors prepare for their first meeting of 2021, one thing is clear:

We are surrounded by angels.

Herizon Music weathered the effects of COVID-19 better than many other charities. Approximately 30% of all nonprofits are expected to close their doors due to the pandemic. Yet here we stand, ready to expand in the new year.

Why?

Because of your personal commitment to empowering the next gen of women in music.  In Q4, we raised over $8500 from individual donors and personal foundations. More contributions came to our PO Box during the December campaign, which will be tallied when I get back to Texas.

And let's hear it for "2020 Rising Star" Izzy Jane, who boldly shared with us (in her own words) how Herizon Music and the programs we provide/support help her cope with bipolar disorder. After receiving the Rising Star merit scholarship for music camp next summer, she promptly donated it to a girl in need. THAT is what the spirit of our community is all about!

We have big plans going into Q1 2021. If you see something on the list that you'd like to advise or participate, please email me at thea@backstagechats.com.

--  Pay out scholarship grants (one of our favorite activities!)

-- Launch more episodes of our podcast Backstage Chats with Women In Music, including our first of the year with Lauren LoGrasso who is a singer/songwriter, creativity coach, and producer for a number of top-tier podcasts including Brené Brown's "Unlocking Us." If you'd like to receive announcements about upcoming programs like this, sign up for the Spotlight newsletter. 

-- Find corporate partners to help us launch the music business education series

-- Onboard a Treasurer (referrals welcomed!)

-- Hire an Executive Director

Lastly, January is my birthday month! To celebrate, I will personally match 100% of  all donations through January 31st until we raise $1,000. Donate today!

Until we can meet again in person, rock on!

Greetings from Austin, Texas!

Welcome to our quarterly GlobalGiving donor report which lets you know how your gifts to Herizon Music Foundation are uplifting the next generation of women in music. Given these uncertain times, your support counts more than ever. And here's why...

Intitially, Herizon Music's 2020 major fundraisers were scheduled for music festivals. COVID-19 changed everything and forced a hard shift. Our team scrambled to make backup event plans in hopes the summer would see everything "back to normal." Thanks to your on-going support, we didn't give up. And we identified a need in the market for a program that would be pandemic proof. More on that in a moment.   

Here is what we've accomplished since the beginning of this summer:

Backstage Chats with Women In Music podcast. 

We've launched 5 podcast episodes since "shelter in place" started. We have remotely recorded 8 more episodes with guests that are in production, including: 

- Two female guitar techs who work side-by-side

- The founder of the first all-female Grateful Dead cover band

- A 16-year old singer/songwriter who is battling cancer

- An immigrant violinst who played Carnegie Hall and with the first all-female mariachi band.

These trailblazers and rising stars have stories you don't want to miss. Sign up for new episode announcements on our newsletter.

Hosted our first virtual live event.  

We uplift women through education, experience, and role-modeling programs. Part of getting experience for musicians is performing in front of an audience. We hired Izzy Jane for the Kendra Scott Gives Back event. She's an 8th grader in Austin, TX, who attends music camp at Girls Rock Austin (one of our scholarship grant beneficiaries). She knocked it out of the park with original and cover songs. There wasn't a dry eye in the Zoom room when she shared the story behind her song "Under Your Spell." Izzy was a professional from our first email to our dress rehearsal to our followup communications. If she is what the future of women in music have in store for us, the future is indeed bright!

Pandemic-Proof Education Program

Due to the pandemic, we identified a hole in the market that needs to be filled. Young women need a music business education program that's accessible anywhere, anytime. We've teamed up with mentors and educators to develop a pilot series designed specifically for future music business leaders. The plan is to develop the 5-episode pilot by early 2021. This is an innovative, fun, and practical series that women can act upon immediately while they build a community of peers. 

As always, your help is welcomed and appreciated. GlobalGiving is hosting "Little By Little" Week now through Friday. GlobalGiving will match 50% of your donation up to $50. It's the perfect time to start a recurring monthly donation plan that fits your budget. Recurring gifts have the highest impact because they help us better plan and support our rising stars. If you have questions about donations, please contact me directly.

One Last Thought

I want to leave you with a quote from our podcast interview with modern folk artist Ali Dineen.  It's a powerful statement for our times. 

" No matter how long we’ve got, we need to love and fight relentlessly for one another."

Thank you for joining our band of dreamers, rule breakers, and rock stars. It's a new day for women in music!

Greetings from Austin, Texas!

Welcome to our quarterly GlobalGiving donor report which lets you know how your gifts to Herizon Music Foundation are uplifting the next generation of women in music. Given these uncertain times, your support counts more than ever. And here's why...

Intitially, Herizon Music's 2020 major fundraisers were scheduled for music festivals. COVID-19 changed everything and forced a hard shift. Our team scrambled to make backup event plans in hopes the summer would see everything "back to normal." Thanks to your on-going support, we didn't give up. And we identified a need in the market for a program that would be pandemic proof. More on that in a moment.   

Here is what we've accomplished since the beginning of this summer:

Backstage Chats with Women In Music podcast.

We've launched 5 podcast episodes since "shelter in place" started. We have remotely recorded 8 more episodes with guests that are in production, including:

- Two female guitar techs who work side-by-side

- The founder of the first all-female Grateful Dead cover band

- A 16-year old singer/songwriter who is battling cancer

- An immigrant violinst who played Carnegie Hall and with the first all-female mariachi band.

These trailblazers and rising stars have stories you don't want to miss. Sign up for new episode announcements on our newsletter.

Hosted our first virtual live event.  

We uplift women through education, experience, and role-modeling programs. Part of getting experience for musicians is performing in front of an audience. We hired Izzy Jane for the Kendra Scott Gives Back event. She's an 8th grader in Austin, TX, who attends music camp at Girls Rock Austin (one of our scholarship grant beneficiaries). She knocked it out of the park with original and cover songs. There wasn't a dry eye in the Zoom room when she shared the story behind her song "Under Your Spell." Izzy was a professional from our first email to our dress rehearsal to our followup communications. If she is what the future of women in music have in store for us, the future is indeed bright!

Pandemic-Proof Education Program

Due to the pandemic, we identified a hole in the market that needs to be filled. Young women need a music business education program that's accessible anywhere, anytime. We've teamed up with mentors and educators to develop a pilot series designed specifically for future music business leaders. The plan is to develop the 5-episode pilot by early 2021. This is an innovative, fun, and practical series that women can act upon immediately while they build a community of peers.

As always, your help is welcomed and appreciated. GlobalGiving is hosting "Little By Little" Week now through Friday. GlobalGiving will match 50% of your donation up to $50. It's the perfect time to start a recurring monthly donation plan that fits your budget. Recurring gifts have the highest impact because they help us better plan and support our rising stars. If you have questions about donations, please contact me directly.

One Last Thought

I want to leave you with a quote from our podcast interview with modern folk artist Ali Dineen.  It's a powerful statement for our times.

" No matter how long we’ve got, we need to love and fight relentlessly for one another."

Thank you for joining our band of dreamers, rule breakers, and rock stars. It's a new day for women in music!

Hello from Austin, Texas!

While 2020 has thrown some major curveballs at us, Backstage Chats Foundation is still forging ahead. And we have you to thank for believing in our cause to uplift the next generation of female musicmakers. 

The cancellation of SXSW and subsequent fundraising events forced us to "stop, drop, and pivot" in an unexpected twist to the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic.  After learning that so many essential workers were scrambling for protective equipment, our board of directors jumped into action. We donated over 400 bandanas (originally created for the cancelled fundraising events) to healthcare and food service providers. That's a $6,000 retail value of gear that went where it is needed most. 

Here is a short but sweet video about how we made that happen and which organizations benefitted. Above is Dr. Sherry Neyman's team at Rennaissance Women's Group. They hand out BCF bandanas to patients who may have forgotten their masks so they can keep their appointments. How cool is that? 

I'll be honest, this year hasn't been easy for anyone. And our fundraising investments still need to be recouped to get us back on track. If you're able to pitch in just $10 per month or more using GlobalGiving's recurring payment system, it will make all the difference in the world for musicmakers who need our support now more than ever. The good news? We're developing a mobile music educational program just for teen girls that is gauranteed to be pandemic proof.  Stay tuned for updates on that in the future.

Meanwhile, stay safe and enjoy listening to our new pandemic playlist "Anywhere But Home" on Spotify!

Rock on,

Thea Wood, President

We are GRATEFUL!

Thank you for your continued support of Backstage Chats Foundation. Even though the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on our fundraising events, we're so appreciative to have donors like you rooting for the next generation of female music makers.

The best news that we've received this month arrived in my email box today. Our plight grabbed the attention of the wonderful team at GlobalGiving, which has awarded a $1,000 microgrant to help get us through these hard times. This extra boost is exactly what we needed at the right time. It's why we are so proud to be part of this network, which is more than a crowd funding platform. It's an international family of heroes, and we're so honored that you are a part of our family. 

Please stay safe and listen to lots of music and our podcast Backstage Chats with Women in Music as we move forward in virtual togetherness.

Speaking of togetherness, this report comes from GlobalGiving.org. If you'd like to receive BCF's newsletters with event and podcast episode announcements, please sign up here. We'd love to stay in touch. 

Rock on!

Thea Wood, Founder