Closing the Gap: WMN and Ableton Certify Nine Women and Gender-Expansive Trainers

This past May, something historic happened in Phoenix.

From May 27-29, Ableton and We Make Noise came together for the first in-person Ableton Certification event since 2020, and the first time Ableton has ever partnered with a nonprofit to make one happen. Held at Arizona State University's School of Popular Music, the event was built around a simple but important goal: getting more women and gender-expansive creators certified.

Why certification matters

Becoming an Ableton Certified Trainer opens professional doors in the music industry. Certified trainers are listed in Ableton's online global directory, gain teaching and content creation opportunities, and join a worldwide community of exceptionally skilled educators. The bar is high: candidates need deep Ableton Live proficiency, at least two years of teaching experience, and relevant industry background.

Of the roughly 375 certified trainers active worldwide, only about 10% identify as women or gender-expansive. That's the gap we set out to change.

Nine new certified trainers

Out of twenty-six applicants, nine were selected to participate in the certification event in Phoenix . Over three days, participants demonstrated their teaching skills and Ableton Live mastery through a series of presentations, giving and receiving feedback alongside fellow candidates and the Ableton team. Dustin Ragland, Ableton's Education Partnerships Lead, guided the group, and all nine candidates came away certified.

Congratulations to:

Alexandria Smith | Ari Weiss | Bethanie Liu | Caro Durán | Cecil Decker | Geo Polk | Häana | Jelie J | Sadie Azersky

Many of these new trainers found their way to the event through the We Make Noise ecosystem, whether through the WMN Hub, a previous WMN Sessions camp, or local chapter involvement.

Sadie Azersky is a Phoenix native who's been part of the We Make Noise community for nearly five years. She started as an intern on the global team, grew into chapter leadership, created sample packs for Splice and BandLab, and most recently joined a WMN Session as a producer. 

On the certification experience, she shared:

"I was so inspired by the other candidates and their different teaching styles, as well as the different ways they use Ableton for their artistry. Dustin created such a supportive and empowering environment for something that felt pretty intimidating to me. Teaching has become something I am really passionate about, and I'm excited to see how this certification can help me support my students."

Jelie Jones, a Denver-based producer and educator who has also created several sample packs  with We Make Noise, spoke to what the experience meant beyond the credential:

"Becoming an Ableton Live Certified Trainer meant showing real-world mastery while still leaving room to keep growing as a teacher. I can see why the Ableton community has spread worldwide – Live draws in curious, generous people who love to share what they discover. For me, it is more than a certification; it is a community of people who care about teaching self-expression through sound."

The road ahead

Nine newly certified trainers is a meaningful shift. It won't close the gap overnight, but the impact will multiply through every student these educators reach. This partnership has shown what's possible when institutions commit to equity in a concrete, structural way.

We're proud to have been part of it. And we can't wait to see what these nine do next.

Resources for building a more inclusive music industry

If you're interested in exploring how to create safer, more collaborative, and more inclusive spaces in music and technology, you can download some of the free resources developed by We Make Noise.

Explore our free reports and resources.

Download The Studio Code, our guide to building safer, more respectful, and more inclusive studio environments:

Because change in our industry doesn't only happen during events like the Ableton Certification Event, it also happens when we transform the culture of the spaces where we create music every day.

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Written by Nan Macmillan