Jodie Blackshaw: ColourFull Music

Did you know that as late as the 1970’s, most of the world’s orchestras were populated by men?

To change the gender ratio, blind auditions were created. Soon after, blind auditions also included the removal of shoes. As a result, women began to successfully secure orchestral positions and the male:female ratio changed.

It took a concerted effort to encourage this change and today, a blend of male and female orchestral performers is considered normal.

ColourFULL Music, along with other groups, is making a concerted effort towards another kind of “new norm” – wind band concert programs that represent a diverse selection of composers.

To program ColourFULL Music is to populate concert programs with works by ColourFULL composers, i.e. composers of varying gender, colour and age.

To help generate this “new normal” we have invited conductors we know and trust to create ColourFULL concert programs. These programs will inspire your imagination and they are there to be used in whatever way works best for you.

In programming ColourFULL Music we will forge a new future for wind band music, one FULL of colour, FULL or equality, FULL of tolerance, FULL of respect.