How a Charlotte music teacher is bringing women together online from all around the world
The Lady Rockstars have been learning instruments and playing in a band during the pandemic, all online. It s connecting women across continents. Author: Michelle Boudin Updated: 5:50 PM EDT March 15, 2021
CHARLOTTE, N.C. A Charlotte musician is helping women connect in an unusual way thanks to a business plan that was actually in place years ago, but is perfectly suited for the pandemic.
They re called Lady Rockstars. It s become a source of unexpected connection in a year when that s been hard to find.
If you search YouTube for guitar lessons, Krystle Baller said the instructors all look pretty similar.
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Krystle Baller is music director for Girls Rock CLT and lead singer of the electro-punk band RICHARD.
In 2019, USC Annenberg published a report about gender equity in the music industry. The numbers were dismal, to say the least, emphasizing the lack of major representation by women in all music trades. Women made up only 21% of artists, 12% of songwriters and around 3% of producers.
As a touring and recording musician (most recently in the band RICHARD), Charlotte resident Krystle Baller has personally seen those numbers in action. Which is why she has dedicated her time to instructing women and gender diverse youth as music director for Girls Rock Charlotte and founder of Pachyderm Music Lab, ensuring the needle moves in a more positive direction for women in music.