Those of you familiar with this podcast know that I usually welcome a guest who shares tips and tricks that you can put to use in your music program. We’re doing things a little differently for this episode. Because today is International Women’s Day – and because March is Women’s History Month – I’m going to share some stories of amazing women in music.

If you’ve ever done a music history unit with your students, you’re fully aware that the vast majority of the composers we teach about are men. White men, mostly.

Why is this a problem? Why do we need to seek out diversity?

It’s because our students are diverse. We want to show them that there are musical heroes and geniuses who look like them. Which is why we need to teach about women in music right alongside the men.

So today I’m going to talk about composers, artists, and conductors who you can spotlight in your classroom. I encourage you to share these – and other stories of women in music – with your students this month and all year long.