Apply Now for Girls Rock! Tāmaki Makaurau 2021

September 16th 2020
E te tī, e te tā, kua tae te rā whakapuaki o te hui Tāmaki Makaurau 2021!

Applications are open right now!
For mentors & volunteers, campers and interns,
find out more at our website.

 

Girls Rock! Tāmaki Makaurau has been helping young women, transgender and gender-non-conforming youth form bands, build instrumental skills, and write original songs since 2018, and now our 2021 program is set to be bigger than ever.

Held Monday 18 January to Saturday 23 January 2021, Girls Rock! is open to youth aged 12-17 years who are women, and/or intersex, transgender, or gender non-conforming. They’ll learn instruments, form bands, write original songs, and perform at a showcase, all guided by professional musicians in a women-led environment. Alongside collaborative learning, participants will take part in workshops about DIY merchandise, mindfulness, and performance skills. Each day they’ll enjoy lunchtime performances from local artists: the 2020 camp included performances by Paige, CHAII, and Nothing But Hole.


For 2021, SAE Creative Media Institute Auckland has partnered with Girls Rock! as our new key sponsor and will be hosting Girls Rock! Tāmaki Makaurau at their SAE Auckland campus, allowing the program access to their state of the art recording studios and equipment.

 

New Electronic Stream

 


Thanks to SAE’s generous support, Girls Rock! is able to offer a new 'electronic stream' for our upcoming program. Following the success of Girls Rock! Pōneke's Ableton and Soundtrap workshops, this stream will teach skills in digital music recording, composition, and production, bringing the sounds of hip hop, house, and electronic pop to Girls Rock! Tāmaki Makaurau. With women making up just 5% to 7% of audio engineers and producers, according to reports by the Audio Engineering Society, Girls Rock’s new electronic stream and partnership with SAE addresses an important imbalance in NZ music.

 

Intern Program

 


2021 also sees Girls Rock! Tāmaki Makaurau expanding our intern program; an important bridge between being a Girls Rock! participant to becoming a Girls Rock! mentor. Interns will develop leadership skills, attend industry workshops, assist with activities and gear setup, and shadow Girls Rock! staff and mentors. This is an exciting opportunity for women, trans, and gender non-conforming young adults aged 16 to 19 to act as role models and become a part of the Girls Rock! community.

 

The kaupapa of Girls Rock! is to empower young women, transgender and gender non-conforming youth by giving them practical skills and role models in a safe, supportive space.

In 2017, Kiwi feminist music lovers and musicians came together to launch Aotearoa’s version of this global program, from bands like Street Chant, The Beths, Carb on Carb, Wax Chattels and more. From there, the Girls Rock! whanau has continued to grow, with 2019 seeing Girls Rock! expand to Pōneke/Wellington. Girls Rock! Pōneke's successful online program this July has shown that even in the face of a global pandemic, Girls Rock! remains dedicated to growing our community and amplifying the voices of young women and gender minorities.

“Girls Rock! is a ray of sunshine and I wish I could have attended when I was younger," says The Beths' Liz Stokes. "Being introduced to a loving and supportive music community, seeing and hearing it with your own eyes and ears, is something really special."

The participants are equally enthusiastic:
“It was super inclusive and honestly a bit therapeutic. It was so nice to meet new people with similar passions to me and come up with a great song at the end. Performing was amazing, and it was a great week" 

“Everyone was so kind and welcoming and amazing and honestly I felt so accepted and awesome"

More info:

  • Girls Rock! is a paid holiday program with an allocation of financial assistance available for low-income families. Please see our website for more information.

  • Applicants don’t need any previous musical experience and participants will be at all different levels. 

  • Girls Rock! Runs from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, with a showcase on Saturday, 1pm to 3pm.

  • Girls Rock! Tāmaki Makaurau is supported by the Tindall Foundation’s Next Gen fund, Auckland Council, Creative Communities, SAE Institute, The New Zealand Music Commission, and APRA AMCOS NZ.

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