Photo courtesy Mary Joy Hickey
Mary Joy Hickey
Mary Joy Hickey
Mary Joy Hickey has been steeped in music since early childhood. From her first cello lessons to performances with her high school punk band, Nobody’s Housewives, music has always been a passion she wanted to share with the world. When Girls Rock MKE announced its search for an executive director following a decade of running solely on volunteer power, for Hickey, it felt like the stars aligned.
Since the early 2010s, Girls Rock MKE has provided music education for kids and teens of marginalized gender identities in the Milwaukee area with a pair of week-long summer camps. The camps feature day-long programming, including technical instruction on musical instruments and specialized workshops on related skills, anywhere from flyer making to stage presence. Camp participants are sorted into bands and write a song together, culminating in a performance day at Turner Hall Ballroom. Most importantly, Girls Rock MKE creates a safe space for young girls and trans youth to form community, challenge themselves, take risks, gather inspiration and perform in a non-competitive space.
Hickey has been a dedicated volunteer since the beginning of Girls Rock MKE as a primary figure in its development, as well as Ladies Rock MKE, a condensed long-weekend camp for gender-expansive folks 18 and up. Hickey remarked on Ladies Rock, “As Girls Rock took off, we heard so many people saying ‘I wish I had something like this when I was a kid.’ And I thought, why do you have to be a kid?” Learn more about Ladies Rock MKE in a previous article.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Community Engagement
Her volunteering with Girls and Ladies Rock MKE ran parallel to her corporate career. While she enjoyed her employment, Hickey says working a marketing job and relegating her musical interest to solely volunteer activities felt like her life was out of alignment. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 deepened this feeling, as community engagement suddenly became near impossible. “It took everything away, and I had to wonder, is this it?” Hickey recalls.
For many young girls and trans youth, music is a highly gatekept area due to societal and institutional barriers. Socialization of gender frequently herds young musicians towards which instruments they arbitrarily should or should not play. Economic and racial prejudices restrict young musicians’ access to introductory lessons, not to mention the instruments themselves. This can feel counterintuitive to music’s capacity as a countercultural tool. Hickey has felt this constraint on her musical journey firsthand clashing with her profound passion for music. “I’ve been told at gigs that I didn’t set up my drum kit fast enough, that I wasn’t playing my drums efficiently … I’ve even been denied entry to my own gigs. It can feel so isolating.” Hickey believes that music can be healing on a personal and interpersonal scale, and through community-based music education like Girls Rock MKE, it is possible to create a more inclusive music culture in Milwaukee.
Girls Rock MKE guides participants in developing hard skills: how to play the drums, how to set up a mic, how to write following popular song structure. The camps also foster development of soft skills related to music: self-confidence, motivation, organization and teamwork. Above all, Girls Rock MKE teaches music for music’s sake and explores its capacity as a conduit for social change and community-building.
Hickey looks forward to expanding Girls Rock’s programming. She wants to provide continued support after the camp has concluded—ideally, striking deals with instructors and practice spaces to sustain campers’ interest in music by continuing access to music resources. Providing these resources empowers camp participants to keep learning and creating. Additionally, she is interested in increasing program opportunities to fill up the calendar year, maybe an open mic night or additional Ladies Rock camps. Hickey’s dreams for the program are in early stages, though they provide a great deal of hope for the future of the organization.
This summer’s camp sessions run from June 24-30 and July 29-Aug 4. Registration is still open for the June camp, and Girls Rock MKE is always looking for volunteers. Their end of camp showcases are open to the public at Turner Hall Ballroom, 1034 Vel R. Phillips Ave., on Sunday June 30 and Aug 4 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
