Instrumental Flow

Instrumental Flow is an exploration into the magic of improvisational play and collaborative creation.

Part jam session, part co-created composition. Part conducted piece, part free flow. This is a jam where we’re focusing on connection, on flow, on the dance of taking up space to do your thing and offering space for others to shine. Join us as we explore what we can create when we really listen: to ourselves, to each other, and to the music.

WHO IS THIS EVENT FOR?

All are welcome!! Instrumentalists, singers (the voice is an instrument too!), beginners, and experts alike! Everyone will be invited to participate in some way or another, but feel free to choose your own adventure as you decide how deep to dive into the flow.

WHAT WILL WE GET UP TO?

Our facilitator will lead us in a series of musical improv games and exercises that explore creation from a variety of angles, always with the intention of moving towards deeper listening, greater connectivity, and richer musicality.

7:00pm - DOORS ~ The space opens for mingling with our new friends!

7:15pm(ish) - PLAY ~ We’ll begin by messing around on all the different instruments: ones that are known to us, ones that are new, just a bunch of play time.

7:30pm(ish) - CONNECTION ~ We’ll spend some time connecting & sharing as we learn more about our fellow players and what sorts of places we’re coming from / moving towards.

7:45pm(ish) - GAMES ~ All sorts of experiments and adventures exploring:

• rhythm
• melody
• harmony
• groove
• song form
• genre
• duet
• improvised cover songs
• small ensemble composition
• building up to…

9:00pm(ish) - FLOW ~ Free flow, listening in as we follow the music!

These music games will offer us some tools for crafting spontaneous compositions that center deep listening, trust, flow, and self-surprise. Together, we will ask ourselves, “How can I listen more deeply to my inner creativity, to my partners, and to the music itself? What does the music want in this moment, and how might I serve the music?”

What a joy, to dip our toes into the flow of collaborative instrumental improvisation. Come on in, the water’s fine!

WHERE ARE WE HANGING?

This event will be held at the amazing Delight Factory, an arts space in Bed-Stuy that was lovingly designed to host jam sessions just like this! (Check out their monthly Ego Free Jam)

SHOULD I BRING INSTRUMENTS?

Delight Factory has all sorts of instruments and music toys on site to play with: pianos, guitars, bass, drums, mics, percussion, melodica, etc.

We also invite you to bring your favorite instruments and music toys of your own! How many different musical colors can we bring into the mix to paint with?? 

LED & FACILITATED BY:

This session will be facilitated by the amazing Daniel Rudin.

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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