(LOS ANGELES) "Sing For Myself" - Asher Blank | One-Day Choir

WHAT IS A ONE-DAY CHOIR?

Gaia Music Collective's One-Day Choir series is an opportunity to sing in a choir for one day only. A celebration of song and the connective power of singing in harmony. An opportunity to build community, make some new friends, and raise our powerfully diverse voices as one.

No auditions. No commitment. No judgment or need for perfection.

Just the joy of creating something bigger than ourselves with a room full of beautiful humans!

For each choir, we pick a piece of music to rehearse and sing our hearts out to. In our time together, we'll:

• Play some fun singing games, warmups, and connection games
• Work through the piece section by section
• Break down the lyrics and emotions at play in the song
• Shape some key musical moments
• and Record some casual rehearsal videos of the piece to have for ourselves and share with the greater Gaia community

Whether you're a vocal ensemble veteran or have never sung in a group before, you are welcome here - all experience levels are valued in Gaia Music Collective!

OUR SONG THIS TIME AROUND

This event's featured piece will be "Sing For Myself", an original a cappella piece written by Asher Blank for UChicago's Voices In Your Head. This is an absolutely gorgeous song, crafted with care at a time when many collegiate a cappella groups were focused on doing covers rather than original music. The poetic lyrics ring with themes of self-empowerment and community, speaking to the power that we each carry in our voices. The heartfelt melody and luscious harmonies make this such a treat to sing. This was actually the 2nd One-Day Choir we ever did here at Gaia! Asher has been with us from the beginning, and we’re so excited to welcome him home to lead this precious piece of music.

LEARNING THE MUSIC

Sheet music and vocal recordings of each part will be available as learning resources at least a week before the event, to accommodate multiple ways of learning. These resources will either be included in your order confirmation or sent out in an email!

The intention is for us to come into the gathering having already familiarized ourselves with the parts, so that we can spend our time together really diving into the joys of connection and expression in the music rather than simply teaching parts one by one. That being said, we’re just doing this for ourselves, so there’s no need to stress over it (and definitely no need to memorize it or get it “perfect”, ever)! It’s also often easier to sing in person, when the rest of our part-buddies are singing the part with us. The community is here to support! Our primary intention here is simply to have fun and make some great music.

(If this style of learning isn't your cup of tea, we have other group singing events where you don't need to prepare at all! Check out our CircleSinging gatherings and House Shows.)

LED and FACILITATED BY:

This session will be facilitated by the amazing Asher Blank!

ASHER BLANK (@asherbl_nk | he/him) is a composer of vocal and electronic music. His work ranges from intricate vocal chamber music and textural a cappella arranging to expansive recording projects and heart-centered songs. Inspired by music-makers like Steve Reich, Bobby McFerrin, and Caroline Shaw, his compositions pull from a diverse collection of vocal music traditions in search of new connections. His most recent projects include “the blooming of something freed from itself,” an hour-long written-improvised vocal piece (with Matt Goldstein), and the score for “Home Improvement,” an experimental film by Milwaukee filmmaker Marquise Mays (with Thomas Cabaniss).

Asher lives and works in Los Angeles, leading One-Day Choir experiences with Gaia Music Collective in downtown LA and collaborating with singers and ensembles around the country. He is an alumnus of the University of Chicago a cappella group Voices in Your Head and the internationally acclaimed Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and has taught at the LA summer youth program A Cappella Academy.

PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY:

This venue is ADA Accessible!

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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 and 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!

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

At Gaia Music Collective, we are dedicated to building a community where creativity, collaboration, and care thrive. The values listed here shape how we work together, how we engage with the world, and how we move toward upholding these principles.

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, and 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: 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 and others at the door.

FAQ

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