Creating Language Together: Who’da Funk It? in Amherst (2012)


Who’da Funk It? is no ordinary group.  Still in high school, this all-female band performs throughout the Pioneer Valley region, eliciting

passionate responses from audiences while delivering powerful, moving performances.  Their strong stage presence and eclectic musical influences attract a broad range of listeners.  The music of Who’da Funk It? draws from funk, alternative rock, ska, klezmer, hip-hop, blues, and more.

Our film tells the story of Who’da Funk It? and how they came together. The group formed in Summer 2009, when they met at the Institute

for the Musical Arts (IMA) in Goshen, Massachusetts.  June Millington, a member of the all-girl supergroup Fanny, and Anne Hackler founded and manage IMA, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women in music.  Through various educational programs, IMA embodies the aims of the equal rights movement and gives every student the knowledge needed to become confident, independent

Band photo: Who'da Funk It, 2012
Who’da Funk It, 2012

musicians.  Who’da Funk It? emerged from this richly empowering context.  Our film reveals various hardships endured by the young all-girl group—the constant pressure to prove themselves at each and every performance and to challenge problematic stereotypes about women in music.  In the end, however, such issues give way to the remarkable music and exciting performances of Who’da Funk It?.