Buzz Roll

Hit Like A Girl’s new “Hit Like A Girl LIVE” show is the latest expansion of the organization’s ongoing effort to showcase and support female drummers, percussionists and beatmakers. The weekly live stream takes place every Tuesday at 1:00pm EDT/10:00am PDT on the @hitlikeagirlcontest Instagram page and is hosted by HLAG Director, founder of Tom Tom magazine, drummer and advocate for the female drumming community, Mindy Abovitz.

Hit Like A Girl LIVE features exclusive interviews and Q&A sessions with some of today’s top female drummers and drum industry executives. Upcoming guests include Lucy Landymore (The World Of Hans Zimmer), Marla Leigh (The Frame Drum Academy), Sarah Hagan (Zildjian Artist Relations), DeArcus Curry (Janelle Monae) and more.

Tune in Tuesdays at www.instagram.com/hitlikeagirlcontest and visit www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com for more information.

Hit Like A Girl congratulates our Week 8 winners (clockwise from upper left): Mihaela Naydenova (18-39), Tang Yu Chiao (<13, Saralyn Chernishuk (13-17) and Michelle Pickering (40+).

Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by many of the world’s top drummers. You can view all the truly amazing entries we received this year at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com. Stand by for the 2020 HLAG finalists to be announced on May 13!

As the final round of the 2020 Hit Like Girl contest draws nearer, the celebrity judging panels for the Drumset category have been announced.

<13: Bunga Ardina Putri • Lindsey Raye Ward • Faith Benson • Emily Moon • Jen Hoeft • Lucy Landymore • Holly Madge • Aicha Djidjelli • Glen Sobel • Andrew Marshall

13-17: Kristyna Sibinska • Val Sepulveda • Sam Landa • De’Arcus Curry • Caitlin Kalafus • Jess Bowen • Cherisse Osei • Hayley Brownell • Jojo Mayer • Brendan Buckley

18-39: Amanda Dal • Didi Negron • Anika Nilles • Hannah Welton • Hayley Cramer • Yissy Garcia • Sarah Tomek • Meytal Cohen • Emily Dolan-Davies • Stanton Moore • Ryan Seaman • Charles Streeter

40+: Penny Larson • Fer Fuentes • Vera Figuereido • Dena Tauriello • Lauren Calkin • Samantha Maloney • Emmanuelle Caplette • Natalia “Moty” Miranda • Satnam Ramgotra • Nick D’Virgilio

Read the bios, backstories and professional credits of these world-class drummers as well as the judges for the Chinese, French, Mexican, Indian, Japanese and Southeast Asia contests at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com/judges.

The judging panels for the 2020 Hit Like A Girl Beatmaking contest will be announced soon.

Shown in photo (clockwise from upper left): Emmanuele Caplette, Didi Negron, Anika Nilles, Aicha Djidjelli, Senri Kawaguchi and Jess Bowen.

Adding to an impressive line-up that already includes many of world’s top drummers and beatmakers, the roster of judges roster for the 2020 Hit Like A Girl contest now includes Stanton Moore (Galactic), Emily Moon (Starbenders) and Meytal Cohen (YouTube legend).

To see the complete list of international and regional judges, visit www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com/judges.

Hit Like A Girl congratulates our Week 7 winners (clockwise from upper left): Céline Le Vu (18-39), Katie Forster (13-17), Aiwen Voth (<13) and Roslyn Owens (40+). See these outstanding drummers’ entries at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com.

Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by many of the world’s top drummers. Hit Like A Girl’s Week 8 Winners will be announced on April May 4.

Hit Like A Girl congratulates our Week 6 winners (clockwise from upper left): Milana (<13), Taylor Setterstrom (13-17), Jennifer Townes (40+) and Lisa Chepkovskaya (18-39). See these outstanding drummers’ entries at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com.

Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by many of the world’s top drummers. Hit Like A Girl’s Week 7 Winners will be announced on April 27.

Hit Like A Girl congratulates our Week 5 winners (clockwise from upper left): Karen Newell (40+), Giovanni Takaki Bottai (13-17), Drummer Subin (18-39) and Katie Rose Hong (<13). See these outstanding drummers’ entries at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com.

Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by many of the world’s top drummers. Hit Like A Girl’s Week 6 Winners will be announced on April 20.

As we reach the halfway point of the 2020 Hit Like A Girl contest entry period, we send our congratulations to the Week 4 winners (clockwise from upper left): Claudia Paige (40+), Juanita Peláez (18-39), Isla Sanderfer (<13) and Yuuka Aoki (13-17). See these outstanding drummers’ entries at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com.

Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by many of the world’s top drummers. Hit Like A Girl’s Week 5 Winners will be announced on April 13.

Congratulations to the Week 3 winners of the 2020 Hit Like A Girl contest for female drummers, percussionists and beatmakers (clockwise from upper left): Gwen Shaluella Firmansyah (<13), Emese Torok (18-39), Sheila Klotz (40+0 and Rinay (13-17). See these outstanding drummers’ entries at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com.

Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by many of the world’s top drummers. Hit Like A Girl’s Week 4 Winners will be announced on April 6.

Update: Unfortunately previously announced Week 2 winner Ruihan Yin has been disqualified from the international HLAG contest. Ruihan is from China and had entered both the International and Chinese contest. This is strictly prohibited in the regional contest rules. Congratulations to the new week 2 winner in the under 13 age group, Rebecca Guigui.

Congratulations to our Week 2 winners (clockwise from upper left): Lia Romano (13-17), Vanessa Smith (40+), Patrycja Wojkowska (18-39) and Rebecca Guigui (<13). Winners of the weekly contests will receive a prize package from HLAG 2020 sponsors and automatically qualify for the final round where they will be judged by some of the world’s top drummers. See these outstanding drummers’ entries at www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com. Hit Like A Girl’s Week 3 Winners will be announced on March 30.

Tom Tom Magazine Founder/Publisher, Award-Winning Entrepreneur and Social Activist Mindy Abovitz Monk Rejoins The Hit Like A Girl Management Team.

Hit Like A Girl, Inc. is proud to announce that contest co-founder, publisher of Tom Tom Magazine and champion of female drummers, Mindy Abovitz Monk, has rejoined the Hit Like A Girl management. In 2018, Abovitz Monk was recognized by the Grammy’s as a Change Agent and she is a recipient of the She Rocks Award. Working together with HLAG Executive Director David Levine, Mindy will assume the role of Director and be the voice of girls and women in the contest. Through her company, Tom Tom, she will help expand awareness and support of the rapidly growing drumming community and advocate for female drummers everywhere through the Hit Like A Girl contest, Drum Summit and other related projects for girls and women of all ages, interests and abilities.

“We women and girls are incredibly powerful right now,” says Mindy. “The growth, recognition and celebration of the female drumming community over the past decade is just the beginning. Together, Tom Tom and Hit Like A Girl are on a mission to realize the full potential of this powerful movement.”

Hit Like A Girl® NAMM 2020 Showcase To Feature International Champions Along With YouTube Sensation, Yoyoka Soma.

Scheduled for Saturday, January 18 at 11:00 AM on the NAMM Pioneer Pro Audio Arena Plaza Stage, the Hit Like A Girl contest for female drummers, percussionists and beatmakers is proud to present a showcase of its recent Champions from around the world. The concert will feature Chinese HLAG 2019 Champions Emma (<13), Larissa (13-17) and Vicky (18-39) as well as USA winner Milana and other special guests, including 10-year old, Japanese drummer, HLAG Ambassador and YouTube sensation, Yoyoka Soma, and HLAG 2018 Beatmaking winner, Marcella Fruehan.

Located on the northeast side of the Anaheim Convention Center, between the arena and the ACC North exhibit hall, the presentation is free and open to all NAMM attendees.

Hit Like A Girl® Names De’Arcus Curry As Its Celebrity Spokesperson For 2020.

De’Arcus Curry, former Champion and current drummer for internationally-acclaimed musical artist Janelle Monae, has been selected as the official spokesperson of the 2020 Hit Like A Girl contest for female drummers, percussionists and beatmakers. De’Arcus will appear in advertising and marketing and represent the program at drum festivals and other events throughout the year.

“De’Arcus was our very first Champion back in 2012 and she is well on her way to becoming one of the world’s elite drum artists,” Hit Like A Girl Executive Director David Levine explains. “Along with players like Anika Nilles, Jordan West, Elise Trouw, Helen de la Rosa, Venzella Joy and others— many of whom also participated in HLAG over the years— De’Arcus is part of a new wave of female drummers that are changing the world.”

Hit Like A Girl® Announces 2020 Contest For Female Drummers, Percussionists And Beatmakers.

Organizers of the 9^th annual Hit Like A Girl contest for female drummers, percussionists and beatmakers have announced details and changes for this year’s edition of the international celebration of drumming. The entry period for the drumset and beatmaking categories opens Monday, March 2, 2020 and ends Sunday, April 12, 2020. Participants in multiple age divisions can win $1000s in gear, scholarships, special awards and performance opportunities offered by today’s leading drum and media companies as well as several top educational institutions.

HLAG’s Marching Percussion contest moves to Fall 2020 and the new, year-round, non-competitive “Drum Summit” program replaces the previous World Percussion category. The Concert Percussion category has been discontinued.

Drumset players can enter their performance videos during the six-week entry phase of the contest and participate in weekly contests judged by a team of teachers from the Sabian Education Network. Once the entry period closes, there are two weeks of public voting with the weekly winners and the ten most popular winners in each age group moving on to the final, celebrity judging round.

In the final round, drumset contestants will be judged by a panel of the world’s most popular and influential drummers such as Camille Bigeault, Emmanuelle Caplette, Vera Figueiredo, Sarah Jones, Senri Kawaguchi, Didi Negron, Anika Nilles, Sarah Thawer and Jordan West, along with special guest judges Jojo Mayer and Andrew Marshall (Billie Eilish) and many more. HLAG entries from Mexico, England, France, India, China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia are simultaneously eligible for regional contests with local judges and prizes.

Audio tracks entered in Hit Like A Girl’s Beatmaking category will be judged by “Beats By Girlz”, a world-renowned group of female performers, programmers and educators including BBG directors Erin Barra, Danielle Thwaites, Christin Light and Krithi Rao.

Champions and winners for the 2020 Hit Like A Girl contest will be announced online on May 18, 2020.