Manchester Women To Make Music For IWD

MUSIC is the universal language that unites people. It knows no boundaries, and it’s for that reason this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is using the power of music to engage more young women in the annual celebration.

"We want women to come along and participate and leave the event with new aspirations, more skills, greater confidence and a positive outlook."

Founded in 1910, women's activist Clara Zetkin first proposed the idea of an International Women's Day to celebrate women's achievements and raise awareness of women's issues.

Clara ZetkinHer idea was gradually taken up by a range of women's groups, trades unions, socialist societies and working women's clubs. The Women's Day movement went from strength to strength, spreading around the world and this year the event takes place on Thursday 8 March.

An interactive programme of events is being planned in Manchester as part of 56 events taking place around the UK for IWD.

In Manchester, there will be an emphasis on women working in the music industry. As part of the celebrations, women in the city are being asked to design and produce an album from start to finish with the help of local female musicians on Sunday 4 March, 11am-6pm at Manchester Town Hall.

Coordinated by a local grassroots music and community group, Un-Convention, the Great Hall will be turned into a fully operational studio space where young women can get involved in music production and learn about the music industry from experienced women in the industry including radio DJs, record label directors, sound crew and festival organisers.

There will also be panels featuring key women in music including Julie Weir (Visible Noise), Hannah Overton (XL Recordings), Kerry Harvey-Piper (Cherry Red Records), Jo Good (BBC 6 Music), Viv Albertine (The Slits) plus many more. There will also be a practical element, including design, screen printing and digital workshops.

Jo Good Bbc 6 MusicInspiring Futures is the overarching theme of IWD 2012 and all the activities at the event will support, inspire and develop women’s skills.

Councillor Suzanne Richards, lead member for women’s issues at Manchester City Council said: "We have gone for a totally new approach to this year’s event working in partnership with the Co-operative Group, MediaCity UK, the Pankhurst centre and the voluntary sector.

"I have been overwhelmed by the number of people, business and organisations volunteering their support and services. We are all working together to make this year’s event a positive, engaging and most of all inspiring experience for young women in our city. Its girl power in action.

"We want women to come along and participate and leave the event with new aspirations, more skills, greater confidence and a positive outlook to help support them in whatever their next steps in life are."

Hannah Overton Xl RecordingsRuth Daniels from Un- Convention said "Women face many challenges in music and media and we hope this event will go some way to redress the inequalities."

All the activities on the day will be incorporated into rooms with the themes: recognise, represent and resolve. There will be opportunities to learn new skills, speak to influential women and get advice on employment and training, as well as recording your own album of course. For more information on getting involved in this event please click here.

For more information on other events taking place around the world on IWD, please visit www.internationalwomensday.com

For other events taking place in Manchester on IWD, please visit www.manchesteriwd.co.uk