Writing The Biography Collection Music Mavens

Music Mavens feature for Women Writers, Women’s Books

What excited us most about writing the biography collection Music Mavens was the opportunity to show teen readers the vast scope of the music industry—the diversity of artists and motivations, the variety of genres and roles, and the doors now opening for young women in arenas traditionally dominated by men. 

Though the potential of this topic was clear to us, so too were the challenges. Unlike the other books in Chicago Review Press’s “Women of Power” series—biography collections featuring high achievers in fields such as scientific research, engineering, and entrepreneurship—readers were likely to come to our book with a wide range of relevant knowledge and experience. Our topic would interest youth ranging from music makers in arts magnet schools to headphone-clad consumers curating private soundscapes on their smartphones.

Having been young music lovers ourselves, we understood that loyalties run deep. But as adult writers, we wanted to take readers on a journey from their comfortable corner of the music world to stages and studios they’ve never imagined, revealing unseen journeys to the big mics and mixing desks of the industry. 

So we cast our nets wide and found 15 extraordinary artists willing to share exclusive stories with our teen readers. To give a sense of Music Mavens’ scope, we’ll introduce three: an audio engineer, a percussionist, and a singer-songwriter. 

Holed up in her childhood bedroom in Bogotá, Colombia, 11-year-old Maria Elisa Ayerbe taught herself to play every note of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged album on her father’s old acoustic guitar. Months later, when he finally bought her an electric guitar, it didn’t come with an amp. Undaunted, Maria Elisa, who had a knack for fixing things, wired it to her boombox. Little did she know she was practicing for her future career in audio engineering, a role that requires both music and STEM skills. 

After earning her master’s degree, Maria Elisa moved to Miami, where her first studio position entailed “taking out the trash, preparing fruit bowls, and picking up pizzas for Lil Wayne in the middle of the night.” 

Once established in Miami, however, she engineered, mixed, and eventually produced for many of Latin music’s biggest stars. Maria Elisa has garnered a Latin Grammy and multiple nominations, a “Leading Ladies of Entertainment” award, and (since 2021) a gig as an on-screen host and behind-the-scenes sound mixer for HBO Latino’s hit show, A Tiny Audience. 

A newly elected Recording Academy board member, Maria Elisa is now positioned to champion the next generation of women in sound.

Kaoly Asano discovered drumming as an adult—in a love-at-first-sound encounter. The moment she stood behind a taiko drum, the moment she brought the bachi down on the skin, she felt the sensation of coming “home.” 

Growing up in Tokyo and Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, Kaoly couldn’t play an instrument or sport due to asthma, but drumming—with her free-spirited strike style—unlocked the energy she’d longed for as a child. Her first instructor gave her freedom: “Everything spirit‐wise that a taiko player must nurture, he taught me.” But he left the rest (form and style) to her. Kaoly went on to found—and front—the legendary band GOCOO, which has toured some of the world’s biggest music festivals and made music for major motion pictures such as The Matrix Reloaded. 

Kaoly jokes, “The grade school kid that was traumatized by music would’ve never imagined a future where music would become her life work that takes her all over the world.” And Kaoly has shared the stage with acclaimed musicians from many genres. “It’s not about what techniques you use or what pieces you perform,” she says. “It’s about whether or not your soul and spirit are in the sound.” 

Singer-songwriter Kate Schutt grew up in small town Connecticut, tromping in the woods, studying jazz guitar, and playing ice hockey. A superb hockey player, she would eventually play for Harvard University before deciding on a music career and devoting herself to intensive guitar studies. After graduation from Harvard, Kate embraced the life of a touring and recording musician, and her career was blossoming. Then it all came to a halt. 

Kate’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Kate moved home to care for her for five full years. Living her motto, presence not perfection, helped sustain her. So did capturing her journey courageously and vulnerably in a series of songs.

Kate wrote her way through grief and its aftermath, ultimately releasing Bright Nowhere, an album that looks death in the eye and melts listeners’ hearts. Her lyrics are sheer poetry with melodies to match. 

In “You More Than Me” she sings: 

I can’t imagine how you must feel

Though I try to put myself in your place

I press my heart to your heart
My face to your face
The unbroken expanse
The unbridgeable space1

Each Music Mavens story explores experiences such as these, both the obstacles and opportunities in artists’ paths. Though we could only feature 15 women of note, each spoke about artists who served as mentors and role models, and those people form the subject of many sidebars. The result is a collection showing women working across multiple genres, wearing many hats, and expressing distinct perspectives on the path to mastery and the importance of artistic integrity. 

This quote, from renowned violinist Regina Carter’s 2021 commencement address at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, sums up the spirit of exploration of our book and (we hope) serves as an invitation to creatives at any stage of life or musicianship: “Music teaches us one of the most powerful lessons: that nothing is 100 percent certain. Music isn’t stagnant, it’s fluid. And its beauty comes from its imperfections. . . . You might think you’re lost. But remember, you can discover some incredible things when you get lost.”

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Bios:

Ashley Walker is an author, educator, and amateur musician. She holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, and she recently graduated from the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she was a three-time award winner. For more information, visit Ashley’s website: www.ashleywalkerbooks.com.

Maureen Charles also has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has worked as a writer, editor, and writing coach for 14+ years. She sings, plays guitar and ukulele, and was married for 24 years to the late Emmy-winning arranger, orchestrator, and composer of television and film music Jon Charles. You can find her at www.maureencharles.com.

1. Kate Schutt, “You More Than Me,” Bright Nowhere (album), 2021. Lyrics used by permission.

 

 

MUSIC MAVENS: 15 women of note in the industry, Ashley Walker, Maureen Charles

Nothing moves us like music. 
Music Mavens transports readers around the world (and beyond)—to a jazz performance in Genoa, an instrument lab in London, a Tokyo taiko dojo, a New York City beatbox battle, and even a film scoring session aboard the starship Enterprise, to name a few. Along the way, it spotlights artists whose work spans musical genres and industry roles, including composing and songwriting, performing and conducting, audio engineering, producing, and rock photography.
In Music Mavens, 15 extraordinary women reveal how they turned their passions into platforms and how they use their power to uplift others.
Their musical resumes will inspire, but the way each artist lives her life is the real story.

BUY HERE

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing