ROLE
Founder, Director of Experience + Innovation
TEAM
Board of Directors
Executive Director
Founder, Director of Experience + Innovation
Creative Coordinator
Booking Coordinator
4 Committee Coordinators
Up to 11 interns
TIMELINE
5.5 years
"Alexi is incredibly hardworking, an excellent communicator, and a visionary. When she has an idea, she does everything she can to make it come to fruition. Her organizational skills are fantasic, and make projects we've worked on together run smoothly...Her creativity and positivity were always prevalent in her leadership, and she made the work we did together meaningful and fun at the same time."
Rachel Glago
Executive Director of MidWay Music Speaks
MidWay Music Speaks
Empowering the Next Generation of Musicians
Entrepreneurship
Startup
Market + User Research
Strategic Planning
Vision Developement
Digital Strategy + Design
Brand Building
Growth Strategy
I launched my professional career as an entrepreneur by founding MidWay Music Speaks, a nonprofit startup and 501(c)3 organization funded by Jesse Eisenberg, National Endowment for the Arts, Sweetwater, and Secretly Group. Focused on empowering women and non-binary musicians, we operated with a startup mindset and developed innovative solutions to increase inclusive and equitable engagement in the music industry.
5.5
Years Running
250+
in the Voluneer Database
600+
in the Donor Database
40X
Budget Increase in 4 years
Overview
Gender inequity remains a persistent issue in the music industry - women and nonbinary musicians remain significantly underrepresented on stage, behind the scenes, and even in algorithms. From festival lineups to sound engineering roles, systemic and social barriers continue to limit access, visibility, and opportunity.
With MidWay Music Speaks, I set out to create an alternate reality - one where gender equity and intersectional feminism were embedded at the core. What began as a grassroots festival (MidWay Music Festival) evolved into a nonprofit startup dedicated to advancing equity in music through education, empowerment, and community. While our focus was on uplifting women and nonbinary artists, inclusivity was central to everything we did. We empowered musicians of all genders, and experience levels to find their voice and amplify others.
Through combining inclusive performance opportunities, mentorship, education, and equitable booking practices, we reimagined what the music industry could be: accessible, collaborative, and community-driven.
Problem 1: Early Exposure + Encouragement
Women and nonbinary youth often lack access to diverse musical experiences before social norms shape their interests and ambitions. Many are steered toward “acceptable” roles, like vocalists or singer-songwriters, rather than instrumentalists, rappers, producers, etc.
Hypothesis: Empowering young people to explore a wide range of genres and musical roles early on—before gendered expectations take hold—can expand their sense of possibility and self-efficacy.
Problem 2: Barriers to Entry and Visibility
Breaking into the music scene often requires insider access, networking, gear, and confidence. Women and nonbinary artists are underrepresented in lineups, behind the board, and in decision-making rooms, making entry points intimidating or inaccessible.
Hypothesis: Providing access to performance opportunities, mentors, and industry reps (e.g., from Sofar Sounds, Secretly Group, local talent buyers) helps remove these barriers and create real pathways for advancement.
Problem 3: Lack of Representation in Leadership + Mentorship
Artists of all genders—especially boys and men—are rarely exposed to women and nonbinary people in expert, leadership, or technical roles in music. This reinforces narrow ideas of who belongs in those positions.
Hypothesis: Normalizing women and nonbinary people as leaders and mentors across all aspects of music helps shift perceptions, inspire future generations, and rebalance the narrative of who holds expertise.
Problem 4: Gendered Gaps in Collaboration
Many music scenes remain socially and creatively segregated by gender. Without intentional intervention, collaboration opportunities between genders can be limited by bias or discomfort.
Hypothesis: Facilitating mixed-gender musical collaboration in a safe, inclusive environment fosters empathy, creativity, and shared growth across identity lines.
Problem 5: Exclusion of Adults + Late Bloomers
Much of the programming for women and nonbinary musicians targets youth, ignoring those who may be exploring or returning to music later in life.
Hypothesis: By offering programs that include all ages and experience levels, we can empower a wider community and reinforce the message that it’s never too late to find your voice.
Root Causes led to Real Solutions
Authentic efforts to address gender inequity in music are often dismissed as niche or performative, making it difficult for mission-driven initiatives to gain traction in mainstream spaces. In many cases, well-intentioned programs inadvertently created exclusionary environments - framing the issue as “for women only,” rather than inviting people of all genders to be part of the solution. I believed that true change required inclusivity and an understanding of the root causes holding these artists back.
While conceptualizing MidWay Music Speaks, I used mixed-methods research (ethnography, interviews, market research, competitive analysis, concept testing) to identify several core problems that our organization would need to address in order to have a real and lasting impact.
View the initial discovery phase in the MWMF Case Study.
MidWay's Core: Purpose and Positioning
My vision for MidWay was simple but powerful: to educate and empower the next generation of musicians while entertaining the masses. It was built as a bridge between inspiration and action - turning "I wish I could" into "I know how I will."
Our mission came to life through a brand rooted in inclusion without exclusion. I strived to create a welcoming atmosphere where all felt safe and included. MidWay's brand was creative, open-minded, playful, and purpose-driven and delivered empowering content, educational storytelling, and diverse music discovery across genres.
View the initial positioning period in the MWMF Case Study.
Scope of Work
What began as just two annual events (Rising Star and MidWay Music Festival) gradually evolved into a multi-faceted ecosystem of programs, experiences, and community-driven initiatives. I worked with cross-functional teams to optimize existing programs while also identifying new opportunities for impact, growth, and engagement.
To support this evolution, I restructured our work into four key focus areas - each responsible for a distinct part of MidWay’s ecosystem:
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Education
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Festival Planning
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Fundraising + Development
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Marketing + Outreach
MidWay's Customer Lifecycle
Our customer experience/journey followed a holistic lifecycle approach: Exposure -> Engagement -> Consideration -> Participation -> Leadership -> Lifelong Advocacy
A few customer-centered strategies designed for long-term connection:
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Touchpoint Optimization + Omnichannel Experience: We ensured every interaction was intentional, welcoming, and aligned with the mission.
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Customer Feedback Loops + Iterative Improvements: After every major milestone, we distributed feedback surveys and gathered insights from staff and volunteers in retros and interviews.
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Pathways to Deeper Involvement: We created natural opportunities for audience members to evolve with us. This allowed us to grow not just attendance, but long-term advocates and ambassadors.
Our Programming
MidWay strived to encourage more women and non-binary people to make music, bring more gender diversity to the stage, provide youth with strong mentors, make the music industry more accessible to those looking for experience, and create a community of musicians from varying experience levels. Our organization existed to educate, empower, and entertain.
Educate.
To encourage women and non-binary artists of all ages to make music and push beyond gender and genre obstacles they encounter.
Empower.
To create a flourishing & growth-inspired community of women and non-binary musicians and artists via year-round promotions, events, performance, and networking opportunities.
Entertain
To book a diverse lineup of women-featured acts from a variety of experience levels throughout the year, create an inclusive atmosphere for individuals of all genders, and encourage the forward movement of women and non-binary people personally and/or professionally via creative expression and nonprofit work.
"MidWay has shown me my ideal career path and given me amazing professional and artistic learning opportunities."
- Rising Star Winner turned Volunteer turned Creative Coordinator
"As a woman who works a day job in the music industry, I'm hyperaware of the inequalities...and MidWay directly combats those."
- Board Member turned part-time Booking Coordinator
"The music industry needs to be diverse and inclusive - we need organizations like MidWay to rework that from the inside."
- MidWay Performer turned Girls Rock Camp Director
"I may be a white male, but as a musician I've never fully been accepted by mainstream audience; was too goofy, misunderstood and therefore, always a bit of an outlier. I love MidWay for bucking music stereotypes and patriarchy at the same time!"
- MidWay attendee turned MidWay Volunteer and Donor
Monitoring Our Impact: User Perception Survey
Recognizing that building our ideal brand perception and inclusivity is a gradual process, we evolved our annual DEI audit into a DEI committee, representing every department and the executive team. As part of this growth, I conducted a user perception survey to monitor our impact and better understand what attracts people to MidWay Music Speaks, why they stay, and where we can improve.
Insight 1: Why They Came to MidWay
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Authenticity: MidWay was consistently described as genuine and mission-driven, not performative.
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Mission Alignment: Participants were motivated to support representation for women, queer youth, and people of color.
Insight 2: Why They Stayed Involved
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Growth-Centered Culture: A psychologically safe environment where collaboration outweighed ego and a sense of belonging was curated.
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Growth Opportunities: MidWay became a source for mentorship, confidence-building, skill development, exploration, and career advancement.
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Emotional Empowerment: Participants felt seen, heard, and valued - even those outside the core demographic.
Insight 3: Opportunities for Growth
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30% suggested more year-round visibility and marketing
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25% requested expanded education and outreach
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15% identified a need for stronger structural support and deeper DEI integration
Growth + Reflections
MidWay Music Speaks grew from just me and an advisor to a team of 40+ in 5 years. Our programming expanded from 2 to 8 annual initiatives, impacting over 300 artists annually and spotlighting rising talent from across the USA.
While the org disbanded in 2021, part of its legacy lives on through Girls Rock Bloomington - originally part of our education department and now an independent nonprofit founded and led by our former Girls Rock Director, Amy Oelsener.
MidWay was my first professional chapter post-college and a true crash course in leadership, systems thinking, and agility. It's where I learned that thoughtful infrastructure, storytelling, and psychological safety can turn ambitious ideas into lasting change.
