By Thea Wood | President
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!
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