Girls Make Beats: A Nonprofit for Young Women
Have you ever wondered why there aren’t more women in the music industry? Whether that be
on lineups, in studios, or on production teams? Have you noticed? Where are all the ladies? If
not, it’s time to take those rose-colored glasses off and take a good look around. Any woman in
this industry will tell you – it’s definitely male-dominated, and we’re always looking for at least
one other woman in the room.
However, this can’t be the narrative forever, and there are trailblazers in this industry who are
doing something about it. Tiffany Miranda is the founder of the nonprofit organization, Girls
Make Beats, empowering young women in the music industry. Stumbling upon their page during, I was overjoyed seeing such an active presence in this space for young women.
Yes, young women at that.
Young women ranging from ages 5 to 17 years old. Girls Make Beats provides these talented young
ladies with guidance, leadership, and opportunities to reach their musical goals.
Star-Studded Leadership
Girls Make Beats president and founder, Tiffany Miranda, has developed her career in this
industry through DJing, producing, engineering, and singing. Beginning to explore her craft as a
recording artist at age 15, she has made appearances on American Idol and X-Factor. By 2012,
Miranda created Girls Make Beats, to empower young girls who are interested in similar career
paths. She’s established partnerships with star-studded leaders in this industry, all from
extensive backgrounds in media, producing, marketing, and all characteristics necessary to lead
a successful music career. Tiffany Miranda has established a team with 25+ of the industry’s
most-renown innovators from all angles of the industry. With members from Meta, Amazon,
Berklee College of Music, Top Dawg Entertainment, iHeart Media, and a countless list of music
industry professionals, any young woman who enters this program is absolutely in good hands.
Opportunities for Young Women
When it comes to the opportunities the program provides, young women are given the tools to
begin and enrich their skills in music production, audio engineering, and DJing. Like Miranda,
many of these young women are beginning their careers early, and making the necessary
commitments to do so. Membership into the program requires attendance in learning sessions
and events but, for good reason. Attendance in these events give these young women
exceptional opportunities. Recently, some of their members were invited to attend The Grammys.
In addition to gaining access to performing on grand stages at such early stages in their music
careers, the young women are able to join a sisterhood of other young women on the same journey as them. It is important as an artist to find opportunities to collaborate with other artists.
Collaboration can take both parties’ crafts to the next-level. Girls Makes Beats creates a
community for young women to explore their musical desires and see the endless possibilities
awaiting them.
Lastly, young women enrolled in Girls Make Beats are given the opportunities to build their own
professional industry networks. This allows them to engage with leading music companies,
organizations, producers, engineers, DJs, artist managers, and artists. Also, the girls can
participate in courses to sharpen their skills in DJing, music production software, engineering
software, media training, and self-branding. It’s like going to college for music, before going to
college. To think of where the Girls Makes Beats Alumni will be in a few years is mind-blowing.
Scholarships to Those in Need
Indeed, Girls Make Beats is a note-worthy non-profit, creating opportunities for young women in
an industry that needs more female representation. Well, it doesn’t end there. The non-profit
offers scholarship opportunities to support young women from low-income households. Whether
you are making music as a hobby or a career, it can get very expensive. Equipment is not
cheap! However, members of Girls Make Beats are given access to industry-standard
equipment to practice and gain experience with.
Scholarships as such are the reason some of these young ladies are able to participate in this
program. I was one of those kids growing up who always needed a scholarship to do any sort of
extra-curricular… so seeing this as an option is amazing. Scholarships open the doors for young
women belonging to families who may be struggling financially.
Industry Presence
Girls Make Beats can be found in almost every nook-and-cranny in the online space. I
discovered them on Instagram, but you can also find them on Spotify, SoundCloud, and
Facebook. As a non-profit organization, Girls Makes Beats already has exceptional industry
presence, brand voice, and a unique brand image that works very well for them. Members are
able to share their art through online platforms, gaining exposure and thus, creating more
opportunities for them in the future.
Spotify
On Spotify, the girls have a podcast, where they speak about hot topics in the industry, like mental health, gender gaps in music, BIPOC matters, and self-help.
SoundCloud
Now, we go to SoundCloud, where you will find the full library of music from Girls Make Beats
members. The library includes beats, remixes, and a plethora of songs to explore from these
talented young ladies.
Lastly, if you head over to Facebook, you will find Girls Make Beats TV. This is a live show in which a music industry professional comes to answer questions and connect with the community of young women. The past shows have featured pioneers in music such as, Tinashe, Chloe and Halle Bailey, and Janelle Monáe (all women of color!).
An Unstoppable Team
I am so jealous of these young ladies! I wish I knew about something like this when I was their
age. Girls Make Beats gives young women all of the necessary tools, environment,
opportunities, and education to succeed as an artist. With a collective full of the industry’s best
tastemakers, executives, managers, and creatives, this team is unstoppable.
March Courses
March Events
For more info about Girls Make Beats non-profit, click here to go to their website.
