'Girls Rock Philly' helps females find their vibe

MARQUITA FRISBY put too much pressure on herself to do everything perfectly until she started going to Girls Rock Philly in Fishtown, where she learned guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, and, most important, how to chill.

While the nonprofit after-school program on Frankford Avenue near Norris Street teaches girls how to play an instrument and be in a band, it also creates a judgment-free zone that nurtures self-confidence.

"I used to be, like, a huge perfectionist," Frisby said. "But being in a band, you can't expect perfection every time. Sometimes you mess up. And when you mess up during a show, you just kind of keep going and do something to fill the space.

"I learned that no one knows when I'm messing up except me," she said. "I stopped being so hard on myself. I just keep going."

The "just keep going" lesson may sound small, Frisby said, but it empowered her.

"When you play drums, you have to separate what all your limbs are doing," she said. "Your right hand wants to do what your right foot is doing, but your right hand and right foot have to do completely different things.

"So when I'm, like, separating each part of my body and telling it what to do," she said, "I feel more in control of myself."

Frisby said her music skills helped her coping skills.

"Sometimes I would feel, like, really out of control," she said. "And I would go and play the drums, and all of that would dissipate and I would feel better.

"Girls Rock Philly isn't just about playing music," Frisby said. "It's like, 'Girls Rock! Philly.' It's about girls' empowerment."

Diane Foglizzo, the program director, said Girls Rock Philly, which runs 30 weeks a year plus a summer Ladies Rock Camp, is rooted in its Fishtown/Kensington neighborhood but is open to girls, 9 to 18, from all over the city.

Monthly tuition ranges from $10 to $150, depending on need.

"The core of it is: You learn an instrument, you form a band, you have to write an original song with your band and perform it at the end of the semester," Foglizzo said.

The program uses acting, singing, and just plain noise improvisations to free young girls from hang-ups, and encourage strangers to become friends and musical collaborators.

"We've done 'Morning Scream,' where we all hold hands and, one by one, every single person has to make some sort of scream," Foglizzo said.

"Some people just make a little peep at first," she said. "But by the end of a week, every single girl is making some sort of loud audible voice."

In "Sound Round," everyone is in a circle. "One person starts making a noise by mouth or clapping or stomping," Foglizzo said. "One by one, everyone adds a noise or a melody to keep that sound going."

Girls who make noise together become comfortable making music together, Foglizzo said.

"Being a young girl in the world is very hard," she said. "We set up Girls Rock Philly as a way girls could come together instead of tearing themselves down, and as a space to build relationships instead of feeling lost and alone.

"We are always thinking about how to make girls feel safe in the world."

geringd@phillynews.com

" @DanGeringer