'This felt more like a conversation': challenging gender norms in electronic music production through alternative education programs

This article argues that problematic gender norms in electronic music contexts - namely, their association with masculinity and overrepresentation by cis men - can be subverted through alternative education methods. We use the case study of the Electronic Music Accelerator (EMA) program, run by youth organization The Push in Melbourne, Australia, to illustrate this. Specifically, we evaluate strategies used in the EMA program to teach Ableton and related skills on building electronic music production careers. The EMA s program was designed to increase the numbers of women and gender non-conforming or gender diverse people involved in electronic music production, in response to evidence that these groups continue to be underrepresented in this area. We focus on how so-called soft skills, as opposed to the strictly technical skills normally the main focus in an Ableton course, were taught in this program. In the EMA, rather than insisting that the participants take up a 'masculine' attitude to adapt to the existing electronic music scene that is dominated by men, the course presented ways of working with, and even reclaiming, traits perceived as feminine, such as humility and community-mindedness. This approach offers possibilities for reconfiguring expectations in electronic music spaces.

Automated summary

This article argues that problematic gender norms in electronic music can be subverted through alternative education methods, using the Electronic Music Accelerator (EMA) program in Australia as a case study. The program aims to increase the representation of women and gender non-conforming individuals in electronic music by teaching not only technical skills but also soft skills such as humility and community-mindedness.