Women’s Heritage Month: Honoring Women Breaking Musical Barriers

The archives at Smithsonian Global Sound are full of inspirational stories of female musicians who have broken down barriers of cultural and gender intolerance through the power of music. From the courageous American Indian women of various Plains tribes to the Dagarti women of Ghana and modern folk singers like Lucinda Williams, women across the world are making their voices—and their talents—heard.

At Smithsonian Global Sound, an international network of music audio archives and digital media educational resource, the stories come to life through recordings, videos and lesson plans designed for a variety of age levels that capture the challenges women in
music have faced as they fight not only for their right to play music, but also for important social and political issues within their culture and the world.

To assist teachers with their curriculum for Women’s Heritage Month, Smithsonian Global Sound has included excellent classroom tools, including audio samples, video clips, and detailed lesson plans, all available for free download. With these resources, students can learn about the history of the movement, and about specific pioneers in the field, such as the American Indians in the Plains tribes.

According to the Smithsonian Global Sound website, the American Indian women in the Plains tribes fought so successfully against female discrimination in music that women in that culture have now moved to the forefront in powwow drumming, a style of music that was once male-dominated. Additionally, the drum circles of the Crying Woman Singers (Sioux) are also full of American Indian women who teach drumming to the next generation. They also educate young women about the preservation of their culture and discuss the role women should have within their communities. In the Dagarti culture of Ghana, women are courageously fighting back against the stigma that xylophones and instruments like the flute and guitar are reserved only for men. Closer to home, folk singers like Lucinda Williams alter gender assumptions by singing about topics generally found in male-sung country and folk songs.

The contributors to the women in music movement are many, and it is the aim of Smithsonian Global Sound to provide a platform for their diverse voices to be heard.

For more detail on Women in Sound and to download classroom curriculum, please visit: www.smithsonianglobalsound.org.