Project Proposal

Project Proposal

Advanced Design

Women in Music

In the musicology area of study, there have been many studies on women in music and the lack of recognition they had during their lifetime. In many music genres, the musical patriarchy has always been male dominant. When people think about the classical era, they think of composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, or go into the baroque era with Bach and Handel. When asked to identify female composers, many cannot think of any. Going into Jazz history, the focus was mainly on Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and many virtuosic performers, but some of the only female performers recognized for bebop were Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday, and it was mainly for their performances with other famous male artists. When people think of rap or metal rock music, the two genres are also extremely male dominant and those female artist who have made rap or metal rock music are not recognized for the hard work that it takes to break through those norms and create music that they enjoy making. Modern pop music has given many female artists the opportunity to be the most recognized in. There is always the question to whether they are really affirming power through this kind of music, or simply being objectified by society through their performances. This is being based off of the exotic, sexual appeal that many female artists give off from their music videos and concert performances.

With all this information being said, I have decided to create an interface design with digital illustrations to honor the women who are not recognized for their achievements. They will be poster-sized images with text, informing people on what their contribution to music was. This will be somewhat like a tribute to women in different musical genres that have passed on or are still out there, and are not well known for their compositions, songwriting, or performances. The genres will include: classical, jazz, rock/metal, rap, and pop.

The visual style I have in mind is digital illustrations with the use of Photoshop and Illustrator, and the text incorporated would communicate musical works, years of contribution, and some background information on their music education. The layout I was thinking of would be similar to an event poster with buttons that would transition to further background information, musical compositions and performances. Rather than communicating a concert event, I will be creating a commemoration for these woman and their musical contributions.

Some women I have in mind:

Classical Era                 Caterina Assandra, Italy 1570-160

                                    Maria Theresia von Paradis, Austria 1759-1824

                                    Clara Shumann, Germany 1819-1896

Jazz                              Lucile DesMoulins, Blues 1900s

                                    Mary Lou Williams, pianist/arranger

                                    Thelma Terry, bassist/singer

Rock/Metal                  undecided

Rap                              MC Lyte (Lana Michelle Moarer) 1980s

Pop                              undecided

Here are examples of the type of graphic and the type of layout I was thinking of for these posters: