ASA: SUPPORTING WOMEN WORKING IN MUSIC AND SOUND IN BRAZIL

At Lighthouse we specialise in developing talent, and over the years have produced a number of pioneering programmes to support more people to establish and progress careers in the creative industries.

Building on this work, and as part of Lighthouse’s consultancy services, in 2018 we were appointed by the British Council to develop a new scheme to address the underrepresentation of women in the sound and music industries in Brazil.

Our partners were shesaid.so, an international community dedicated to increasing gender equality in the music industry, and Oi Futuro, a leading Brazilian arts and cultural organisation. Together we created ASA (Arte Sonica Amplificada), which was piloted in Rio de Janeiro in 2018.

Offering skills training, industry masterclasses, network building, and access to technical facilities and support, ASA supports women working in sound and music to develop their creative projects and careers.

Since its launch, more than 700 women from 25 states across the five regions of Brazil have engaged with ASA. A thriving community has been formed, new business ventures have been launched, and multiple new collaborations and projects continue to emerge.

The participants are guided and inspired by highly experienced women working in the UK and Brazilian audio and music sectors, who share their creative, technical and business expertise, covering diverse topics including music production and performance, audio storytelling, sound design for screen and immersive environments, developing a personal brand, building audiences and effective networking. You can read more about our ASA contributors under each relevant year below.

Emily Kyriakides, who led the project for Lighthouse says: “ASA has been a joy to work on, combining the experience and knowledge accumulated over many years of delivering talent development initiatives with the new lessons and challenges that come with working in a very different cultural, political and socio-economic context. We’ve learnt a lot from our Brazilian colleagues and the participants themselves, and it’s been wonderful to see the programme go from strength to strength, with many new projects and businesses being born as a result.