Women Making Music A Mother & Daughter's Call to Action
Melissa & Kayla McKinney By Peggy Ratusz
Photo by Elliot Schwartz
A
ll over the world there are diligent, passionate, nurturing, collaborative women and persons identifying female, making music their business. Some work behind the scenes, some spend half their career-time teaching, and half performing on stages. Whether she’s a booking agent like Asheville’s Ellie Schwarz and Louise Baker, or Echo Mountain Recording Studio’s Manager and music entrepreneur Jessica Tomison, or a venue owner like Hendersonville’s Kelly Cubin with Southern Appalachian Brewery, the divine feminine pours over our city like mother’s milk. All over the world there are diligent, passionate, nurturing, collaborative women and persons identifying female, making music their business. Some work behind the scenes, some spend half their career-time teaching, and half performing on stages. Whether she’s a booking agent like Asheville’s Ellie
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Schwarz and Louise Baker, or a venue owner like Hendersonville’s Kelly Cubin with Southern Appalachian Brewery, the divine feminine pours over our city like mother’s milk. There are literally hundreds of features and articles in prominent to humble publications, validating the conundrum and continued disparity between the sexes within the music industry when it comes to positions, pay and promotions. And still our sisters persevere for equity, pave the way for generations to come, and train and mentor the enlisted. Even within this pandemic, we witness these seafarers at the helm, mapping new and shifting courses. For the past few months it’s been my honor to celebrate with you readers, the plethora of talented and tenacious ladies of the arts and music, who continue to navigate uncharted waters, keep their crafts afloat and flex their muscle during this storm. It’s that fun-
damental commitment that motivates the mother and daughter we feature this month. When Melissa McKinney gave birth to her only daughter, Kayla, she was working the clubs and recording in Charlotte, NC after moving there from her hometown of Princeton, WV. Fast forward some years, and we find Kayla and Melissa splitting their time between Princeton and Asheville, making music and changing young lives through mentoring, teaching and counseling, together. Mom started Stages Music School in West Virginia in 2008 which she still owns and operates today, albeit remotely. Melissa explains that “Our students are encouraged to help others and to make a positive change in the world. We are a family at Stages and we hope that everyone who walks through the door, feels loved and accepted.” At Stages, Melissa teaches guitar, piano,
