Amy Beach – Hermit Thrush at Eve
Welcome to September – and back to classes for students across the country! As educators finalize syllabi and students return practicing after a summer hiatus, we applaud the efforts being made by all teachers – whether classroom instructors or private lesson teachers – to introduce their students to a diverse and inclusive sample from the classical music canon.
We have been following the story of Jessy McCabe who has a petition at Change.org to include women in her school music curriculum. Though McCabe is in London, her petition is just as relevant just about anywhere. Apart from offhanded mentions of wives (Ruth Crawford Seeger), siblings (Fanny Mendelssohn), and women who composed in addition to being performers (Clara Schumann), there is little representation of women’s work in music in the standard music history texts.
Yet – including the works of women composers in the discussion of music history is worth the effort! And we are here to help! Here are some fantastic resources that can serve as inspiration for music educators and music enthusiasts alike:
- Hildegard Publishing has been publishing works by women composers for almost 30 years. In addition to their store, their website provides biographical information about each composer, and excellent guides for studio and classroom instructors.
- The International Alliance for Women in Music website has a wealth of information including educational databases of women composers and scholarly articles on the work of women in music.
- Women of Note, which is curated by conductor Diana Ambache, includes repertoire information, historical biographies, and a CD shop.
And, of course, Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy! We are thrilled to once again be offering Performance Grants to support performances of works by women composers – and half of our funding is dedicated specifically to youth ensembles. Learn more, or being the application process, here.