WIRED

WIRED was a participatory music technology programme taking place across Yorkshire combining face-to-face and online activities, enabling girls and people of minority genders to develop creative music technology skills alongside expert music leaders.
An accompanying workforce development programme aimed to combat unconscious gender bias in music education.

Multiple strands of activity took place between 2022 and 2024 including:

• Face to face music technology clubs at three locations in Yorkshire (Wakefield, Rotherham and Beverley) giving girls and minority gender young people aged 11–18 the opportunity to work with experienced music leaders.
• Outreach sessions across Yorkshire to promote the project and recruit to the clubs – both in the areas where WIRED music technology clubs were held but also further afield in Bradford, Huddersfield, Grimsby, Keighley and Whitby.
• Online engagement – including delivering two online courses on Sound Art and Podcasting, and launching WIRED Online – a set of free video tutorials produced by diverse audio professionals to help girls, young women and minority gender people aged 11-25 learn all about working with audio – from creating tracks to careers in the industry. Young people (based anywhere) can continue to register for and access the WIRED Online resources here.
• Research in understanding factors that may contribute to girls and people of minority genders disengaging with music technology. The research was carried out for YSWN by Anni Raw & Associates, with additional input from Dr Eddie Dobson, and resulted in the WIRED Toolkit – sharing findings around the experiences of girls, women and minority gender young people in music technology learning settings – in particular, the reasons why some disengage from the subject, and ways in which educators can support them and create better learning environments. The WIRED Toolkit resources can be downloaded here and are summarised in this short film:

• Training sessions for music educators, offering insights into different kinds of unconscious bias and highlighting research into gender discrimination within audio and education
• Paid trainee music leader opportunities for young emerging practitioners.

Evaluation of the WIRED found that the programme largely achieved three main outcomes:

• Girls and young people of minority genders gained new skills and knowledge in using creative music technology:
“I have learnt how to use a DAW, make my own music and record with different objects.”

• Girls and young people of minority genders increased their knowledge and aspirations of careers in the sound and music industry and progressed in their musical journeys:
“One participant said she has ever realised there were so many ways to work with sound, or known about the different roles that exist in the world of audio beyond being a musician.”

• Music educators (outside of YSWN) demonstrated increased awareness and knowledge of gender inequality and make their practice more gender inclusive:
“I have adopted facilitation techniques that are mindful of gender differences and strive to create an environment where all voices are heard and respected.”

Internal evaluation also found that the project had a ‘deeper impact on young people…supporting them to form their own music making communities and discover their own identities in teenage years. Feedback from young people, parents and staff on the project reflects the power of the social connections for the participants’ personal and emotional development.’

WIRED was funded by the National Foundation for Youth Music. Youth Music is supported by the National Lottery via Arts Council England.