Music and Gender

Girls can play guy instruments?!?!?!

 I'm very fortunate to live in a world where opportunities are abundant. Being a guy, those opportunities are even more abundant for me, statistically speaking. For girls and women everywhere, I'd like to believe that the opportunities are the same, but I've seen plenty of women and statistics on the internet that tell me otherwise. Despite these challenges, some women have persevered and have absolutely conquered the limits that life has put on them. Here are some of those women whom I admire so much.

1. Carol Jarvis

Carol Jarvis is a British trombonist from Buckinghamshire, England. I first discovered her a few years ago when I was listening to one of my favorite YouTube trombone players, Christopher Bill. He mentioned her in one of his videos, and so naturally I curious about her and looked her up. I was absolutely astounded at what she had accomplished and the trials that she had conquered over the years. In 2004, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and after many years of treatment, went into remission in 2011. Despite her condition, Carol has managed to become on the most in demand trombonists in the world, working with Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Amy Winehouse, Sting and Queen. She has written orchestral arrangements for artists like Seal, has given masterclasses at schools like Julliard and the Lucerne Conservatory in Switzerland, was the 2017 International Trombone Festival president and in 2023 will be the first female International Trombone Association president. So, can you see why I'm a fan yet?

Here is Carol's rendition of 'Adagietto' Mahler's 5th Symphony. This video is from several years ago, but I just couldn't help posting it; her sound is just wonderful.

2. Evelyn Glennie

I first found out about Evelyn Glennie when I had to do a presentation for my SSS (Student Success Seminar) class, and have been fascinated by her ever since. Dame Evelyn Glennie is a Scottish percussionist who has been essentially deaf since the age of 8. After being introduced to percussion at the age of 12, she discovered that she could play the instruments and interpret the sound by feeling the vibrations that the instruments created. Despite initially being rejected from the Royal Academy of Music in London, she eventually gained entrance at the age of 16. While attending, she studied percussion and piano, discovered the opportunity for percussion outside of an orchestral setting, and decided to forge a new path in the world of solo percussion. From that point, she has gone on to premier the first percussion concerto in the history of the BBC proms in 1992, win 2 Grammys, release over 40 CDs of solo recordings, and perhaps her crowning achievement, lead over 1000 percussionists in the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic games. Need I say more?

Here is a video of her leading the 2012 London Olympic games.

3. Karen Carpenter

The first time I saw Karen Carpenter was in a YouTube video clip; she was singing and playing the drums for the song "Dancing in the Street" with her band, The Carpenters. Seeing her jam out on the drums and sing so well at the same time, I knew I had to find out more about her. Here's what I discovered: Karen went to high school in Downy California, where she joined the marching band and learned how to play the drums. After graduating, she went on to join the Long Beach State choir, where she went on to develop her 3 octave range. Soon after, Karen, her brother Richard and their friend went on to start a band (Karen would play the drums and sing). After taking advantage of many different opportunities, The Carpenters (which is what their band was now called) were offered a recording contract with A&M Records. After much performing with the Carpenters, Karen took on a solo career. Unfortunately a few years after this, she started suffering from anorexia nervosa, and eventually due to the abuse of certain medications, died at the age of 32. I'm sure she had a lot of troubles over the years, being a woman drummer and just a woman in the spotlight. Despite her toils, she kept moving forward until her body just couldn't go on anymore. Listening to her drum was such a pleasure, and I'm happy that I got to know her story.

Here's the video that I originally watched that led me to explore the Carpenters and their lead drummer singer, Karen.

No # Special Guest: Gunhild Carling

She's the best Swedish Swing superstar that you've never heard of! I saw a video of her playing with Post Modern Jukebox a while ago, remembered she existed while doing this blog, and decided to add her at the end as a little here ya go!

Here's a video of her not caring about the boundaries of trumpet playing!

Here are my sources:

Carol Jarvis:

https://caroljarvis.com/about-carol-jarvis/

https://www.trombone.net/awards-2022/

Evelyn Glennie:

https://www.evelyn.co.uk/about/biography/

https://pittsburghsymphony.org/pso_home/biographies/guest-artists/glennie-evelyn

Karen Carpenter:

https://people.com/music/karen-carpenter-70th-birthday/

https://www.npr.org/2013/02/04/171080334/remembering-karen-carpenter-30-years-later

https://web.archive.org/web/20170920092529/https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/december-2013-know-karen-carpenter/