The Effect of Gender Bias in Music

If I had a dime for every time I've heard “girls can't play drums”, I'd be incredibly wealthy. The funny thing is, I’ve heard the same in regards to any number of instruments, music styles, etc. “women can’t play ____________” (drums, guitar, bass… they can’t sing hard rock, metal, anything but pop…) It’s the most ridiculous series of statements since the world being allegedly flat. No foundation for these arguments exists. I remember reading a review of a concert a few years ago of two very different bands sharing the same stage. The first was very energetic, very upbeat. They got the crowd going and it was all wine and roses headbanging… if you can imagine such a thing. The second band was more what most people expect from a heavy metal band; angry, energized, ready to remold the world in their image… and the crowd ate that up too. The author of the article praised the first band, and read the second band for trash. And they were wrong to do so. Both bands did their job, and did it well. They are artists. Sound is their medium, and their goal is to evoke emotion with it. Both of them did exactly what they set out to do, in exactly the manner they intended. It didn’t matter that they were from diverse backgrounds, that their music was different, they both led the audience on a journey. In retrospect, this blind belief that so many possess that women can’t do something as well as or even better than a man is all the more reason that they should. It’s a unique perspective, a defiance that should absolutely be embraced. If you close your eyes and listen to two people of equal skill level play the same instrument, you won’t be able to tell what their gender is, their nationality, their sexuality, none of that comes through in the music. What you will hear is their respective level of mastery, their hours of practice, their dedication and hard work, their passion for what they have chosen to do. Male or female will not matter; in the end, you will be moved equally by both.