School of Rock: Girls Rock! D.C. Teaches Girls the Art of Rocking Out

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (0)

FOR SOME OF US, the rah-rah phrase "Girls rock!" conjures grade-school doodles on Lisa Frank notebooks. But in D.C., the slogan has hit a hip new note. Girls Rock! DC is a volunteer collective of women whose headlining act is a summer punk-rock camp for girls ages 8 to 18. The group also offers a free series of monthly music workshops for local ladies of all ages.

Though past classes have introduced the basics of in-the-spotlight skills such as DJing and bass guitar, June's workshop, "Amps and Sound," will chart a behind-the-scenes course to tech mastery for aspiring roadies. "Most sound crews and roadies are men," explains Ebony Dumas, core organizer for Girls Rock! To combat that bias, their programs aim to provide an empowering environment where women can experiment, express themselves and learn something new. Oh, yeah, and rock out.

The Basics
Workshops are held monthly and taught by local musicians. Theater technician Kellie Knight, sound engineer Gerri Ruef and long-time musician Kathy Cashel will lead "Amps and Sound." After two hours of hands-on instruction, participants will help local band the Andalusians set up its equipment — right down to the sound check — then stick around for a free live performance.

What You'll Learn
Instruction will cover the intricacies of guitar amp inputs, sound mixing, good feedback versus bad feedback, how to re-string a guitar and change the head on a drum, sound theory, troubleshooting, instrument maintenance and more. "A lot of people see this massive, huge soundboard — we'll go into what all those knobs do," Knight says. "It's a chance to learn not only what it does but play with it and hear what happens when you make adjustments."

What's the Deal?
"Amps and Sound," will be held Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Arlington Cultural Center's Dome Theatre (1101 Wilson Blvd.). Classes are free, but donations are accepted. Check out Girlsrockdc.org for information on future classes and volunteer opportunities.

Written by Express contributor Katie Knorovsky
Photos by Kevin Dietsch for Express