upcoming 2024-25 MUSIC LAB dates (season 8):
September 27 ○ October 25 ○ November 22 ○ January 31 ○ February 28 ○ March 28 ○ April 25 ○ May 23 ○
For all updates, stay tuned to our Facebook + Instagram pages (@gwmuslclab)
3/28: Girls Rock MKE x Women’s History Month Collab
This month at Grace Weber’s Music Lab, we’re celebrating Women’s History Month with a powerful collaboration featuring Girls Rock MKE! Dedicated to uplifting girls, women, & gender-expansive youth through music education & mentorship, Girls Rock MKE is shaping the next generation of artists & changemakers. We’re honored to welcome their Executive Director, Mary Joy Hickey, as our special guest, along with a high-energy live performance from Nail Polish, a band formed at Girls & Ladies Rock Camp. Join us as we spotlight the voices & stories of women in music—this is a Lab you won’t want to miss!
As always, middle & HS students ages 13-18 can also register to perform in our teen open mic (sign ups open until the day b4 Lab or slots are full.) PLUS, we’ll have free food via Ian's Pizza MKE, a live spins from DJ Drip Sweat for our social hour & a teen prize giveaway of GWML gear! 🤩
Join us on Friday, March 28th, in person at Radio Milwaukee: Teen Social Hour at 4pm & Lab goes live at 5. Students RSVP to attend or sign up for the teen open mic today at gwmusiclab.com! 🚀
*NOTE: All Lab attendees, including students, parents, family & teachers, must RSVP online for entry.
*Teen Open Mic slots are limited! Registration open until day before Lab or when slots are full. Clean show tracks & instrumentals for Open Mic can be sent as YouTube/SoundCloud links or mp3s to gwmusiclab@radiomilwaukee.org
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Grace Weber’s Music Lab is presented by HYFIN, a Radio Milwaukee station, & sponsored in part by American Family Insurance, & MPS Partnership for the Arts & Humanities.
Girls Rock MKE Bio
Girls Rock MKE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2013 with the mission of empowering individuals of marginalized identities and diverse experiences through music education and performance. Our music-driven programs develop leadership mindsets and skill sets, foster independent thinking, build self-esteem, and bridge cultural and social divides in a supportive community of peers and mentors who demonstrate it’s okay to be who you are!
Girls Rock MKE currently pursues its mission through two programs: Girls Rock Camp, a week-long music day camp in Milwaukee for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 8-16; and Ladies Rock Camp, an intensive weekend music camp for women and gender-expansive adults. At both camps, participants of all skill levels learn an instrument (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, or vocals), form a band, write a song, and perform their song at a public end-of-camp performance. Campers also attend workshops designed to empower self-leadership, ignite creativity, engage with cultural knowledge and practices, and foster a sense of belonging.
Girls Rock MKE started as an entirely volunteer-run organization offering one camp serving 32 youths. Now entering our twelfth camp season and headed by a full-time Executive Director, Girls Rock MKE is slated to serve over 115 youth campers via two Girls Rock camps and over 50 adult campers via two Ladies Rock camps in 2025 with expanded community programming and partnerships along the way.
Mary Joy Bio
Mary Joy Hickey is the inaugural Executive Director of Girls Rock MKE starting in April 2024 and long-time organization volunteer. A passionate community advocate and musician, Mary Joy has contributed extensively to grassroots community organizing in Milwaukee, focused on promoting women in the arts and music. Mary Joy is a force in the local Milwaukee scene as a multi-instrumentalist, playing in bands since she was 16 years old. She has performed extensively in her music projects throughout Milwaukee, United States, and Europe, and reinvested this experience into the community through leadership with Riverwest FemFest, Girls Rock MKE, and as co-founder of the Ladies Rock Camp program. Mary Joy holds a B.A. in Media Studies from UW-Milwaukee, a master's certificate in Instructional Design from UW-Stout, an M.Ed. in Educational Policy & Leadership from Marquette University, and is currently pursuing a Nonprofit Management Professional Certificate from the UW-Milwaukee. While in graduate school at Marquette, Mary Joy took a special interest in leadership studies with research contributions published in Journal of LGBT Youth and The Handbook for Leadership Education & Impact (in press). Mary Joy was recently honored as a 2025 Milwaukee Magazine Unity Award winner. You can catch Mary Joy playing drums, bass, and guitar in her bands performing regularly throughout Milwaukee and beyond,
