It’s no secret here at FletcherPR we think girls rock! This is why we’re so excited to be working with Girl Scouts of America and the Roland Corporation U.S. on a fabulous new initiative, Girl Scouts Rock! Powered by Roland. The project, which recently kicked off in Los Angeles, involves a series of interactive workshops that puts musical instruments into the hands of Girl Scouts ages 8-14 and offer them new opportunities to learn about music, while making some of their own at the same time.

The star-studded premiere workshop included none other than girl rocker Charlotte Caffey, of the groundbreaking all-female rock band, the Go-Go’s. As a female singer/songwriter and mother of a 16-year-old daughter, Caffey was happy to get involved with the project to help provide young girls a greater access to music and music education. Girls and moms alike jammed out to the Rockin' Roland Girls Band rendition of We Got The Beat while Caffey cheered them on. Also in attendance was Disney darling Shelby Spalione, previous lead singer of the all-girl teen rock band KSM and former Girl Scout. Spalione, who says she was inspired by the Go-Go’s, performed for the workshop participants and met many of them as well.

The high-energy project goes on the road this month, crossing the country for workshops to be held in Chicago, New York and Miami. In a recent Billboard Magazine article, Roland U.S. president Chris Bristol states “I want to give young girls a positive, hands-on experience playing musical instruments and making their own music.” The goal of the initiative is to empower young girls through music, while offering them the chance to learn something too.

With the budget cuts schools are facing these days, music programs get pushed further and further to the bottom of the priority list. Having majored in music and worked in the area of performing arts, I know the extent to which music can have a positive impact on peoples’ lives. Seeing the smiles on the Girl Scouts’ faces as they were jumping up and down, getting excited about music brought tears to my eyes. We believe this initiative will have life-long benefits for the Girl Scouts involved and we are so thrilled to be part of it!

Here at FletcherPR, we’re all about celebrating women and their achievements and today’s blog post honors a woman currently fighting to reach the top of her field. Keisher McLeod-Wells is a female boxer causing folks to reconsider their perceptions of this profession. Nicknamed Fire, 33 year-old McLeod-Wells is training to be a super-flyweight champion at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, NY.

Many of the celebrities and personalities marketed to young girls are also young, ranging from pre-teen to early 20s. Some find it difficult to make the transition from teen idol to adult while maintaining popularity. However there is a certain 52-year old who is as beloved today as when she was 16…Barbie.

Apps, short for applications, was the word of the year for 2010. According to a recent story on the popular show CBS Sunday Morning, apps are changing the world as we know it. Apps allow us to use our mobile devices as mini-computers and the development of new apps each day acts as a driving force behind tech companies and how they design devices. Now that apps can also be used on tablets and in cars, they really have the potential to saturate our daily experiences.

Most women are quick to grab a cup of coffee or tea as a pick-me-up, but we are less inclined to enjoy a huge muffin or cookie with it, as much as we might want to. Coffee mega-chain Starbucks has taken a new approach to our dillema with its new petite sweet menu, one that will probably be quite a hit. Eight new petite treats are now available, each just 200 calories or less. By offering adorable treats in smaller servings, Starbucks is reaching out to its female audience, though not blatantly. Studies have shown that women are more likely to indulge in treats while spending time with their girlfriends, i.e. cheat on their diets and splurge a little. Starbucks' new treats gives them the opportunity to have a small treat, without feeling guilty.

Her Voice is always a celebration of women, but today's post is even more special because today people all over the world are celebrating women as well. March 8, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, an event observed since the early 1900's. In some countries it's even a nationally observed holiday.

There's no question that social media is here to stay. If your small business (or large one for that matter) isn't using some form of social media to connect and engage with your audience, you're missing out. It's not too late to join the game, but if you are curious as to how other businesses are currently utilizing social media platforms, maybe the following graphic will help clarify things. Postling allows social media users to manage all accounts from one centralized platform. The data is only representative of Postling users, but it still paints a good picture of how things break down. "Because others are doing it" is not really an arguable reason for using social media. A better reason would be "because others are doing it well."