WHY MISSION and VALUES?

A company’s mission and values are the guideposts for their work.

Often, in the rush of the day-to-day, companies, especially small businesses, will forget to create their values or forget to use them as a filter for their decision-making, policies, or processes.

But, taking the time to create your mission and values and make them actionable, even if just internally (how do we demonstrate this in our work?) can be a huge boon. They tell your customers who you are, they tell your current and future employees who you are, and they remind you of who you are when tough issues arise.

I am proud to work with companies to identify their mission and values and I am proud to share mine with you here.

I support companies in the music products industry (and beyond!) to create awesome, inclusive workplaces holistically through workshops, policies, and values alignment leading to a music industry (and world!) where everyone feels welcomed and encouraged to create, work, and thrive.

Music Is Powerful and It Belongs to Everyone

Anyone who has ever played music- or even listened to music!- knows how powerful it can be. It can be a crucial personal outlet, it can build community, and it can share feelings and ideas that lead to change. The music industry not only provides opportunities for musicians who want this experience, but working in the industry, and contributing to this experience, can be powerful, as well. Unfortunately, not everyone has equitable access to becoming a musician or working in the industry. But, my work is based on the idea that everyone should. Music gear and products, in particular, are the tools that musicians use to craft and share their voices. Therefore, creating positive experiences with music gear is particularly important.

People, Companies, and Cultures Can Change

While many individuals, companies (and industries) might seem set in their ways, we are all capable of change. Change is not immediate, and requires time, resources, and intentionality. We all have the potential to learn and do better and this work is always changing and never done. Transformative justice tells us that harm should be addressed in the systems where it develops to prevent it from happening in the future. Hope for a positive future relies on a belief that change is possible at all levels.

Meet People Where They Are At and Bring Them Along

Everyone’s anti-oppression journey is different. We all have unique backgrounds and experiences that led us to where we are today. My job is to help recognize where individuals and companies are at in this process and help them move forward in that journey, starting with a basis of trust. My role is to create an experience that is warm and unintimidating (and maybe even sometimes… fun?!) while helping them see the weight and importance of the work, providing tools and strategies leading them towards action.

Those Who Are Most Affected Are Most Informed

Research shows, and common sense would agree, that the people who experience the greatest amount of oppression have the best understanding of how it works. My work will always defer to those perspectives first. This acknowledges that as a white cisgender woman, I am never the person with the greatest amount of oppression and therefore am never the most informed, though I may be more affected than others in a particular room. As such, my role is to use my experience and privilege to help scaffold folks to the next level of understanding. This also means that my approach might often look less radical on the outside- and this is intentional (see Loretta Ross’s Circles of Influence for more).

This Work Should Be Holistic

My approach is based on that of the socio-ecological model, which states that in order for change to occur, it needs to happen at the individual, relationship, organizational, community, and societal levels. One workshop (or even one workshop series) alone is not capable of making change. However, it can be effective if done in tandem with a whole-workplace initiative, supported by management- where companies use their values as a filter for their work, policies, and professional development (including workshops!). Additionally, holistic work means intersectional work, addressing the whole of each person’s oppressions, experiences, identities, and uniqueness within it.