To celebrate Women’s History Month in March we are thrilled to publish a new Women’s History Month Listening Calendar with 31 days of inspiring music by female composers.
At I Can Compose we are passionate about getting pupils listening to a variety of musical genres and styles from a diverse range of composers. We believe it is important that all young people have strong role models to aspire to and be inspired by and are committed to creating resources which represent both mainstream composers and those in minority groups.
Introduction
In March Women’s History Month is celebrated and provides an opportunity to highlight women’s contributions to history, culture and society. It has been marked annually in the United States since 1987 and is increasingly recognised in the UK.
Through creating this Women’s History Month Listening Calendar our hope is that students and teachers will discover new composers and their music and be inspired to explore them further. Many of these musicians were and are trailblazers, following their passion despite facing discrimination and significant setbacks. In this resource you will find composers from different eras – from the 12th century through to present day; women writing music in different styles; composers of different nationalities, composers of colour, LGBTQ+ and disabled musicians.
FREE A4 Women’s History Month Listening Calendar
To celebrate Women’s History Month we have created a free A4 listening calendar showcasing 32 inspirational female composers (the Boulanger sisters share a day!) complete with a Spotify playlist, accessible by QR code or weblink. The original artwork and calendar design is by our graphic designer, Toby Potter.
Women’s History Month Listening Calendar – A2 colour poster to order
As well as the free A4 calendar download, an A2 full colour poster is available to order (UK only) – ideal for your classroom wall, music corridor or staff room!
Further resources
If you’re looking to include more female composers in your classroom listening our student listening packs are a great starting point. Below is a list of our resources with details of the female composers included:
- Baroque Composers -Wilhelmine von Bayreuth
- Classical Composers – Maria Hester Park
- Romantic Composers – Clara Schumann
- Twentieth Century Composers – Lili Boulanger
- Contemporary Composers – Elena Kats-Chernin; Jessica Curry
- Female Film & TV Composers – Delia Derbyshire; Hildur Guðnadóttir; Isobel Waller-Bridge; Yoko Kanno; Anne Dudley; Carly Paradis; Debbie Wiseman
- Black History Month Resource Pack – Florence Price; Tracy Chapman
Composing Tips Videos
We’re delighted that composer Sally Beamish OBE has created some short videos for us with her top composing tips. Why not subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Follow the action!
We hope that you and your students will enjoy using the Women’s History Month Listening Calendar – we’ll be tweeting every day of March to remind you who the composer of the day is. Do follow us if you don’t already and we’d love to hear your experience of how you’re using the pack: have you discovered a new composer or work? Did you feel prompted to find out more about a particular musician? Are there opportunities to include more of these composers in your classroom listening activities?
