Sounding off: Women belong in the booth

BRATTLEBORO — In the spirit of Women’s History Month, women are getting a chance to learn how to operate the sound board at the Stone Church during a month-long workshop.

“We are turning the spotlight on women (our definition of women is inclusive of cis and trans women, as well as nonbinary people affected by gender oppression),” said Erin Scaggs, Stone Church community outreach coordinator, who created the program.

“For the entire month of March we have booked almost entirely women-fronted bands. We’ve also created a curriculum and workshop, free and exclusively for women, all about the production side of live music.

“Historically women have been grossly under represented in all sectors across the live music industry. We are working to reduce barriers and increase access to all facets of the industry for women and non-binary folks,” Scaggs sid

The concert venues has partnered with Vermont Women’s Fund and Foam Brewing, who agreed to sponsor the cost of the “Women Belong in the Booth” Workshops.

Organizers are collecting donations throughout the month to benefit the other two presenting partners — Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and The Women’s Freedom Center. They will match every dollar that is donated when purchasing a concert ticket.

“All of these organizations are doing important work in our communities. We are proud and grateful to stand beside them and amplify their work,” said Scaggs.

No experience or registration is required. The workshop is every Tuesday in March at either 4 p.m., 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. Thirty-six attendees participated in the first workshop that was held on March 7.

Scaggs said that the response has exceeded all of the organizers’ expectations and proves that there is an appetite for women to get involved, feel supported, learn about and take part in the production of live music.