CircleSing | Los Angeles

These sessions are the heart of what we've been building here at Gaia - warm, welcoming spaces for spontaneous singing & harmonizing, led with joy, passion, and kindness by skilled CircleSong facilitators.

WHAT IS CIRCLE SINGING?

A spontaneous vocal jam, sung by all of us and led by a facilitator in the middle of the circle who invents parts, teaches improvised harmonies, and shapes the music as we flow from meditative moments to vibrant dance parties and everything in between! 

CircleSinging is:

• playful
• creative
• collaborative
• joyful
• imperfect
• improvised
• finding the flow
• a full body exploration
• welcoming to all ability levels

CircleSinging is done all over the world in many different forms, and, while popularized by musical legends such as Bobby McFerrin and Rhiannon of WeBe3, it dates back to the earliest forms of human singing.


WHO IS LEADING THIS CIRCLESINGING SESSION?

This session will be facilitated by the marvelous Matt Goldstein!

Matt Goldstein (he/him) is an award-winning vocal arranger, music educator, singer/songwriter, and facilitator who cultivates community through collaborative creation. He has enjoyed a vibrant career as a professional in the a cappella world, performing with and music directing for The Vassar Devils and Hyannis Sound, and composing award-winning vocal arrangements for over 80 ensembles around the world. He has taught workshops & courses in circle singing, vocal improvisation, ensembleship, and arranging at programs and schools across the country, including A Cappella Academy, NACC, and NE Voices. He now teaches private coachings and lessons for creative flow, improvisation, and vocal arranging, directs a community pop/rock choir called Rock Voices, and pours so much love & creative energy into… you guessed it…. Gaia Music Collective!

Gaia Music Collective began as a seed in Matt's mind in the spring of 2021. Finding himself missing the community, collaborative play, and collective musical expression that had been such a rich part of his life up until graduating, he planted that seed with his amazing community of musical friends in Brooklyn, NY. What began as a vocal improv jam with 6 friends in a living room grew - day by day, human by human, song by song - and with tender care and nourishment has flourished into the bountiful, thriving community that it is today. Matt currently serves as Gaia’s creative director and lead facilitator, and has been immensely inspired by the incredible kindness, creativity, and connectivity that flows forward from this community.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A CIRCLESINGING SESSION?

We begin with some easy singing games and a check-in to get to know everyone a little better. From there, the evening will follow a series of guided singing games and exercises as the group explores rhythm, movement, melody, and harmony. We practice the art of saying YES to what is happening in the moment - expressing ourselves, listening to our voices and bodies, and making stuff up.

DO I HAVE TO BE AN EXPERIENCED SINGER?

Nope! This playful, intuitive approach to singing meets you wherever you're at in your vocal journey, and allows professional artists, former choir kids, and shower singers alike to bond, collaborate, & create beautiful vocal music as a spontaneous vocal community.


WHAT GENRE OF MUSIC DO WE SING?

That's the magic of improvisation - the music we make is entirely dependent on the ensemble of humans gathered together on that particular day, and whatever musical stylings and instincts pour out of us! We will follow whatever journey the music takes us on.

WHAT IF I’M A BIT NERVOUS?

We hear you. Singing in front of people can be really vulnerable, and we take pride in honoring where everyone is at. While we will encourage you to be brave and try new things, you are also always encouraged to listen to your body and draw your own boundaries, and are invited to pass or sit out and watch if a particular game or exercise isn't for you. You never have to do anything you don't want to do!

CircleSinging is a mistake-free, low-pressure, safe space to play and explore. The space we craft is one where we give each other permission to let go of the rules, restrictions, judgments, and fears of other group singing settings and just SING.

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RESPECT THE SPACE!

This is a beloved venue and we want to honor them! Please be considerate of the space.

LOW-PRESSURE PARTICIPATION

Gaia Music Collective events are participatory, but low-pressure. You'll be invited to sing along and make music with us, but we encourage you to draw your own boundaries and engage at your own pace - we pride ourselves in creating a judgment-free community where you can express yourself however feels right!

LATE ARRIVALS

We ask that you arrive no later than 30 minutes after start time, after which we close the doors (lovingly) in order to preserve the intimacy and trust of the musical container we’re building. Thank you for understanding!

CANCELLATION POLICY

Tickets are refundable up to 24 hours before the event, after which we are no longer able to offer refunds. This policy helps us keep these events financially sustainable for both our community & our team. If you RSVP but are no longer able to come, please let us know so that we may offer your spot to someone else! We want as many people to be able to experience these gatherings as possible, and since capacity is limited, each spot is precious.

For more info, contact us at [email protected].

MEDIA CONSENT

Because we want to share what we’re up to with people who can’t join us in person, there may be photographers and videographers present — by attending, you consent to being a part of that media, some of which may be posted online! If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at [email protected].

NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS

Gaia is funded by sliding scale ticket donations, with a “no one turned away for lack of funds” policy. It is of the utmost importance to us that these events remain affordable and accessible - we never want money to be a barrier to making music together. If a ticket scale is financially prohibitive to you, feel free to donate outside of the scale at whatever amount is sustainable for you, or to email us at [email protected] for volunteer opportunities or assistance!

OUR MISSION

Gaia Music Collective is an NYC-based creative community seeking to foster a more connected world through collective music-making. Founded in June of 2021 in a living room in Brooklyn, this project was born out of a desire to create accessible, inclusive, playful spaces for people to explore connection, expression, healing, & release through collaborative song - spaces where folks feel empowered to make music free of judgment or expectation, and to make new friends as our full, beautiful, authentic selves.

We believe that communal music-making is a fundamental human practice, and this project seeks to build spaces for folks to nurture their relationship to music, whether they're shower singers, professional musicians, or anything in between.

All are welcome in this community. Gaia seeks to foster spaces of belonging for humans of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, classes, religions, abilities, national origins, languages, and musical experiences. All we ask is that you bring an open mind, a desire to connect, and a willingness to leave judgment of self & others at the door.

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Host or Publisher Gaia Music Collective