Girl Guitar: Female-Only Music Lesson

Ten years ago, after moving back to Austin from New York City, and finding herself broke and unable to find a job, Girl Guitar founder and local singer-songwriter Mandy Rowden saw an opportunity to capitalize on a market that has very much been left untapped: female-only music lessons. She had previously taught at the Austin School of Music, and while there, she “noticed there’s a hole there – no one’s teaching a class just for women.”

So, Rowden did what any musician in 2007 would do – she created a Myspace profile. She called her page “Girl Guitar” – a name that people at the Austin School of Music had called the hypothetical women’s lessons that had never materialized. Rowden gathered up eight women she met through Myspace to sign up for her guitar lessons. “I owe it all to Myspace,” she said laughing, “it got me where I am today.”

At first, the lessons were just something to pay the bills. However, as the number of students began growing, Girl Guitar branched out. Rowden said they now have “guitar, drums, bass, keys, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica, banjo, vocals, you name it.” Now, Girl Guitar is a large operation; beyond the lessons, there are also bands of various
The world of music is very harsh, especially towards women. Girl Guitar not only helps women learn new musical skills, but it also creates a framework of support, making the music world a bit less frightening. It gives women the ability to learn music comfortably, without the pressure and competitiveness of classes with men. On the gender dynamics in music, Rowden said, “Music is still kind of a man’s world… guitar specifically. There’s something kind of special and nonthreatening and just really chill [about Girl Guitar] because it is all women. It lacks a lot of the competitiveness you could get in a lot of other situations. I don’t think this would stay the same if guys were