I am a jazz musician. More accuratley, I am a woman jazz musician. It doesn't seem like a big deal, until you start living the life of one.
If only music was purely for the ears. It's not. It's a spectator sport, and if there is a female in the band, people are quick to point it out. "Hey look there's a girl on the drums!" they might say. That's fine, pointing out somebody by gender. But you would never her them say, "Hey look, there's a black guy on trombone!" That would be too rude. They would refer to him as the Trombone Player. Not the Black Trombone Player.
Well, you see my point.
Except I am a pianist. A woman drummer is much more of a phenomenon than a woman pianist.
So please join me on my journey through life and music, as I aspire to talk freely about my struggles as a musician and as a woman in a man's field.
