Issue link: http://saihq.uberflip.com/i/1518894
sai-national.org • Spring 2024 11 Wen In Music was honored to serve as her Gold Award Sponsor, and our shared experiences fueled our passion to foster a more inclusive environment for young women in music. is symposium has never been just an event; it is a testament to our commitment to increasing female representation, providing a space for young women to thrive, and fostering mutual support among women in music. With the inaugural Southeastern Women in Music Symposium set to be weeks away, we received notification our venue was no longer available, we had not received the registration numbers we had hoped, and several other factors were against us. We made the horribly difficult decision to postpone the symposium. While seated at the dining room table with Mya and her mother, I promised Mya that we would make her Gold Award happen regardless of this setback. I mentored her through the logistics needed to reorganize the event, and Mya took initiative. Mya began promoting the event through social media and directly emailing band directors in the area, secured an alternative venue, arranged for the clinician, and set up registration booths at marching competitions in the Middle Tennessee area. Adhering to the Gold Award project's requirement for the Girl Scout to independently complete all tasks, I could only provide mentorship. With dedicated planning and work totaling 80 hours, the inaugural SWIMS festival took place from December 9th to 11th, 2022, hosted at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. Dr. Brittan Braddock, the Director of Bands at Mercer College in Macon, Georgia, led the event as the clinician for 28 participants. ey had the extraordinary opportunity to perform in an all-female ensemble, explore musical literature composed by women, and receive guidance from a highly accomplished female director. rough dedicated rehearsals, they honed their musical abilities and gained valuable insights to overcome the challenges that women oen face in the music industry. e participants also forged meaningful friendships during the weekend, fostering a sense of community and support. One of the notable highlights of the event was an empowering and educational round table discussion centered around the experiences of women in music. College participants generously shared advice with their younger peers, providing a rare and invaluable experience not commonly found in traditional band settings. e symposium culminated in a concert on December 11th at 5 pm, raising nearly $1000 to commission a wind band piece by Ashley Knox, an aspiring composer seeking her first commission. SYMPOSIUM continued on page 12 Learn more at: https://southeasternwomeninmusicsymposium.org/