About this Event
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
"Cyndi Lauper's classic ballad "Time After Time" is as timeless and persistent as the love it describes. This new arrangement from Gaia cofounder Matt Goldstein features interlocking heartbeat percussion that reminds us how our own bodies can be powerful timekeepers."
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 event will be facilitated by the brilliant Sofia Campoamor.
Sofía Campoamor (she/her) first started writing songs to make school projects more fun. This lighthearted approach to academics led her to study music at Yale University, where she performed a cappella music around the world as the first woman member of the Whiffenpoofs. School gave way to a music career; in 2022, Sofía’s word game project #wordlesong gained popularity on Tiktok and generated several of the songs for her debut album "if you knew, i couldn't tell,” an indie folk collection that blends her love of intricate vocal harmony with dreamy acoustic soundscapes to tell tales of love, longing and friendship. When she’s not touring or recording, Sofía volunteers for the nonprofit Hear Your Song, leading collaborative songwriting sessions with children managing serious illness and complex health needs. She also enjoys teaching music to kids ages 5 to 80 and singing with the Oratory Choir of St. Boniface. Sofía is so grateful to call Gaia Music Collective her creative home, and loves co-creating with the community at every collaborative open mic, songwriting circle, and choir!
PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY:
- There is an elevator to Memorial Hall and Handicap ramp on the exterior of the building on the North Entrance. The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is partially accessible. The venue offers ramps (including to the Memorial Hall and to the elevator), elevators to upper floors, accessible restrooms, and service animal access. If the front steps are a barrier, please use the accessible entrance near the parking lot.
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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 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 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].
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. 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 and others at the door.
FAQ
Have any questions that haven't been answered here? Check out our Event FAQs!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Downstairs), 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, United States
USD 0.00
