The National Youth Agency: Comment - Girls rock - it's official

Refreshingly, a lot of the benefit is being felt by girls. Although bands still remain the domain of young men, and I suspect probably always will, there are at last very good reasons for young women to feel similarly inclined.Of course, women have always fronted bands with great success. The difference now is that more and more girls are playing guitar, bass and drums - stereotypically male pursuits. There aren't many female guitar heroes, but that's going to change, and rightly so.

There has been a tidal shift in the way teenagers hear and get into music.

Despite the record company naysayers worried about their royalties, the internet has provided endless ways for young people to absorb, experience and discuss music. That means that more and more once impressionable young people have learned to step away from the dark side espoused by the likes of Simon Cowell. And for girls, there are now guitar manufacturers such as Daisy Rock geared to making lighter instruments with narrower necks for smaller hands in colours such as Peppermint Pink and Awesome Blue.