Recently, I had the pleasure of giving a presentation to a group of deeply engaged women from the American Association of University Women. The AAUW “empowers women and girls by championing their success in higher education and pushing for bold policy solutions to create lasting change. For more than 140 years, AAUW has led the fight for gender equity in higher education and beyond. With a strong record of advocacy and action, AAUW continues to break barriers and defend the rights of women in education and the workplace.”
It was both fun, and somewhat challenging to present to people outside of my usual music world as I shared examples of my vocal pieces to demonstrate how I set text and the difference between choral and solo settings. As I chatted with people after the presentation, someone told me that it’s the first time she understood how music and lyrics work together! Ultimately, I hope that these wonderful women left with a better understanding of the compositional process, and when they attend their next concert, they can bring this lens to their listening.