Many Thornton School of Music students attend USC with hopes of becoming professional musicians and end up in cohorts and classes that distinguish them in their craft. 

In addition to the coursework learned by major courses, the Women in Music club intends to break down department barriers and create a space for women of different majors and musical styles to convene, network and support one another.

“There isn’t enough [overlap] between majors in Thornton, and especially people outside of Thornton,” said Sofia Gomez, co-president of Women in Music and a junior majoring in popular music performance. “Our goal is to connect as many women as possible and try to support each other through our projects and create more connections so that we have more collaborators to work with and secure our network.”

WIM hosts live performances and panels, allowing industry students the chance to work on event coordination and management, and performance students additional support in getting their music heard, Gomez said. 

“We all need each other. Pop majors need industry students to help manage their life and book their shows, and we need classical students to play on our songs,” Gomez said. “We’re trying to support the arts and every facet of that.”

In January, WIM held its largest event of the semester titled Femme Fever, a house show featuring an all-women lineup of USC pop and R&B artists such as Suede Avery, a junior popular music performance major, and Chanell Kimani, a sophomore popular music performance major.

“In the music industry in general, women can often be overlooked,” said Ash Conner, WIM’s co-president and a junior majoring in vocal arts with an opera emphasis. “Having a group where we’re constantly supporting each other, constantly reminding each other that we’re all here [and] we’re all doing it together is a really important reminder  to have.”

Beyond live events, WIM organizes pre-professional events and activities to help members get professional headshots and refine their resumes.

The executive board of WIM features a variety of representatives from Thornton’s popular music and classical departments. Conner and Julia Ruddy, the club’s secretary and a junior majoring in vocal arts with an opera emphasis, lead as classical representation for the board and coordinate classical performance events.

Conner and Ruddy said they plan to integrate popular and classical genres by hosting multi-genre shows that feature a variety of WIM club performers.

“I would love for us to find a way to perform together, like all different genres, [by] having some kind of show that involves all of the pop, jazz and classical people to force us to think outside of the box,” Ruddy said. 

Through the club’s mission to bridge the divides between classical and popular music departments, they also work to unite the students and encourage cross-genre collaboration and appreciation. 

“It’s so important to broaden your horizons and hear as much as you can,” Conner said. “Listening to different [music] is honestly a skill, and helps you in your craft, regardless of what field you’re in.”

WIM plans to host a final event before the end of the semester and is currently working to get involved with the broader Los Angeles chapter of the Women in Music nonprofit organization, Conner said. In future semesters, the club co-presidents hope to work alongside the Los Angeles chapter of Women in Music to plan larger live events and panels, and have a wider scope of opportunities while connecting with women in the music industry community.

“I want [members] to feel like they have a network because of this club. I want them to feel like they were able to connect with other women and have people to collaborate with,” Gomez said. “I hope that even after we graduate, we still have a support system.”