Bayton (1989), "How Women Become Musicians"

Bayont (1989) examines issues of band formation, practice time, and creative process as they pertain to women’s experience. 

1. Female musicians primarily learned to play an instrument after they joined the band, as women were not encouraged to learn music in the aggressive way that men are.

She begins by comparing individual female and male musicians, noting that the women she interviewed only began playing rock instruments after they decided to join a band. This contrasts work on male musicians, a difference Bayton suggests is related to women’s socialization as passive and timid. 

2. Feminist musicians struggled to create a model for their bands that was not leader-centered. 

The essay then tackles the challenges of group performance, focusing on feminist groups in particular. Women she interviewed often discuss issues of leadership, as the feminist model resists authoritarian forms of organization, but the rock model relies on a lead singer to address the audience. 

3. Female musicians found it difficult to negotiate their roles as mother and musician, but found their role as musician to open a positive space in which they could discuss all aspects of their lives.

Finally, Bayton notes the difficulties female musicians face in splitting time between their roles as musician and mother, smartly noting that male rockers, even when they are fathers, rarely experience the same pull. Importantly, though, the all-female band provided a space for women’s dialogue and solidarity, providing emotional and creative support in a safe environment. Thus, the women Bayton interviewed faced a number of obstacles when developing personae as rock musicians, but found the rock band to offer feminist rewards as well.