We are excited to feature inspirational women working in music and technology who are driving culture and transforming the world.

March marks Women’s History Month! This month we honor and celebrate women’s contributions to society and culture. With female empowerment on the rise, women in music and tech are claiming their space and inspiring future generations. Creating a more talented, inclusive, and better world for everyone.

At SUBPAC, we want to showcase powerful female voices who are making a positive impact in our creative communities and beyond! So all this month, we will be featuring incredible individuals who are doing just that. From women in our office to leading ladies across the globe, we will highlight a few who empower and inspire us. Not just this month but 👏 every👏 single👏day! 👏

Let’s start with Q+A with SUBPAC’s own, Jackie Green, Vice President of Engineering. It’s an honor to have Jackie on our team. 

A. I absolutely DO have a favorite music memory. I was a guest soloist scheduled to play Mozart’s Concerto in D major for flute. Three weeks before I was to play, I broke both joints in my left index finger (playing football on a beach…) I was unable to practice. I was also concerned about whether my finger would be able to bend to play once healed. So, I took my flute to the hospital, and the doctors designed a splint that set the immobilized finger, but in exactly the shape I needed to hit the key. I still couldn’t play, so I rehearsed with the orchestra by standing in place and imagining every little detail of my playing – the breath, the sound, how my fingers moved. I did this virtual practice for three weeks – until the concert. The night of the concert, I took off the splint. I stood on stage, and when I wasn’t playing, I kept my finger in my mouth to keep it warm and flexible. But when I played – it was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had playing. It was in COMPLETE flow. I was actually standing outside myself, seeing the audience and listening to the most beautiful music coming out of the flute! It was like a dream. When I was done, the conductor (who is now a really famous conductor at the Metropolitan Opera) exclaimed that that was one of the single best performances he had ever heard. It was a magical night, and I can still feel it when I think about it. It’s shocking to me to realize what we are capable of doing when we really use our brains.

A. Leslie Ann Jones and Lisa Roy (who unfortunately passed away unexpectedly earlier this year, so sorry for the present tense). They are both top of their game when it comes to audio and the music industry. Although one might think these women are different from an outward glance, I appreciate the differences. I also really appreciate the commonalities. They are both incredible professionals. They are consistently able to focus and execute despite the chaos and pressure that audio – especially live audio – can put on a person, and they do it without any differentiation. That’s a little hard to explain, but it is a quality that I attempt to model and one that I highly value in others. The sound is just about the sound; the job is just about the quality of the job. The output is what counts, not the person who is doing it or anything about the person except their integrity and ability. Not age, gender, orientation, nationality, college degree, what clothes they wear, who they work for, whether they are “famous,” not anything. Just a fundamental respect for those who share in doing this work we love. It’s no surprise that a person who is immensely successful in the music industry is a talented “listener” – right? Well, these women take listening to an art form, aligning their work, so the process brings incredible results.

A. I keep my hobby as part of my daily life. Raising, training, and sometimes riding horses guarantees I spend several hours a day in motion and outdoors (no matter the weather). Stacking hay bales, carrying 50-pound bags of feed, 10-gallon water buckets, mucking stalls, etc., takes care of the physical exercise. But the mental benefit is even more significant than the physical one. There’s nothing like having to communicate with a 1,000-pound animal without being able to use words, learning the value an animal places on being heard and understood, learning how to be in partnership across a species barrier, and understanding how using force or strength to make a point will often result in exactly the opposite of the desired outcome. These things definitely calm my mind and show me that there are great tools that we have at our disposal if we want to work in harmony with others. Feeling the respect and love from other beings and knowing that my “busy life priorities” are unimportant to these creatures that love and respect me – what could be better for my mental health than this daily reality check?

A. Maybe a little bit of answer #3, definitely my upbringing, and a whole lot of respect and support from my colleagues. I grew up with both horses and music. Both activities rely on focusing on harmony and performance without pressure. If you approach others with positive expectations and respect, that tends to be what you get back – just like when I’m training a horse. I had a few unpleasant experiences, but in general, what I expected and what I gave is what I got back. I have been lucky to work with some really incredible artists, and when this boiled down to the art – there was always a shared joy and respect. I love what I do, and I think that is recognizable by others. When support lagged, my own personal confidence and commitment to excellence (that’s from my upbringing) stepped in and allowed me to push through obstacles. What amazing people we have the opportunity to share with – and I am delighted that I see more and more women making music and tech their own. 

A. Training my 1st baby racehorse 😉 who humbles me but also lifts me up every single day. And, of course, I feel as though I am on a new quest – one I didn’t know I would be undertaking. I felt something new when I listened to my X1 sample. I simply have to find out what that is and how to make it even better. I have to help share this with the world.