WOW Festival Makers Project 2015, Women and Music Journalism

This year our FREE Festival Makers project for Women of the World Festival focuses on music journalism: offering you the opportunity to work with top female music journalists to learn the skills of the trade, to find your own unique voice and have a platform for the work you produce.

Whether you choose to specialise in features, reviews, interviews or blogs, this project will introduce the skills necessary to make it in the business, and discuss the issues you need to consider when writing for your target audience. With the opportunity to go to gigs and concerts in the WOW festival and interview some special guests, this will be a brilliant introduction to writing about music, wherever your specific interests lie. No previous experience required, all levels of experience welcome.

The dates:

The project will run intensively for 4 sessions leading up to the WOW Weekend and will include time throughout the festival Friday 6 – Sunday 8 March

Session 1: You as a Music Consumer

Wed 25 Feb, 5.30-8.30pm

An introduction to music journalism, including different forms of writing, from short reviews to longer features. We will also be exploring your musical tastes and where you’d like the project to take you.

Session 2: Writing a Feature

Thu 26 Feb, 5.30-8.30pm

Coming up with the idea, finding your unique angle and working out how to pitch it for your audience.

Session 3: The Interview!

Wed 4 Mar, 5.30-8.30pm

How do you prepare and research? What to ask and how to get the information you need. How to find your style and improve your technique. With special guest for interview practice!

Session 4: Life as a Music Journalist

Thu 5 Mar, 5.30-7.15 (hopefully followed by Tune-Yards Gig until 10pm tbc)

This session looks at life as a music journalist: yes it can involve gigs and free tickets but it’s not always as glamorous as you might think!

To apply:

To take part in this FREE project you must identify as female and be aged 16-21

If you have any questions about the project, please contact Ruth Hardie on festivalmakers@southbankcentre.co.uk

DEADLINE MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY

WOW Weekend

Young journalists will be given wristbands to the whole festival and will have the opportunity to go to special events and meet guests throughout. Times for the Women of the World weekend Friday 6 – Sunday 8 March will be fixed with the group after the project begins.