There’s a proud tradition of names in music. America rode through the desert on a horse that didn’t have one. Bon Jovi knew someone who gave love a bad one. Milwaukee music nonprofit Girls Rock MKE has established its own tradition over 13 years, and that will continue in the future — just not under that name.
The organization announced recently that, having spent the past year collecting input from a variety of sources, it will begin a methodical transition to be known as Let’s Get Loud MKE.
“Reaching our 13th year felt like the perfect moment to evolve,” executive director Mary Joy Hickey said in a release from the organization. “We’ve grown so much since our first camp, and our new name honors the vibrant, diverse community we’ve become. ‘Let’s Get Loud’ captures the joy, power and belonging at the heart of our work.”
For the time being, the organization Hickey leads will still be known as Girls Rock MKE, and the programs it runs will remain Girls Rock Camp and Ladies Rock Camp. Throughout 2026, the new identity will find its way into camp themes, shirts, signage and messaging. Then, on the first day of 2027, Let’s Get Loud MKE will properly launch with a new website, logo and branding.
It’s a gentle rollout that takes into account the attachment members of the community have formed with Girls Rock MKE over the years. Those same people were also the driving force behind the decision to change it. The organization held focus groups and listening sessions, sent surveys, and collected input from its campers, volunteers, donors, partners and even local musicians.
They said the current name was limiting, both in how some people saw the organization and in the music genre embedded in the name itself, and that they wanted something to match “the inclusivity they feel” in the programs. The nonprofit’s goal was to thread the needle between the feedback they received and staying true to their mission “to empower individuals of marginalized identities and diverse experiences through music education and performance.”
Girls Rock MKE believes the new name accomplishes that and emphasized its mission will remain the same. As it pointed out in the announcement, “Our mission has always been bigger, broader and more inclusive than our name.” In a little more than 12 months, those things will come into greater alignment.
For more information about the decision and the organization as a whole, visit the Girls Rock MKE website.
