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 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 single 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
- Record some casual rehearsal videos of the piece to 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 time, we’re singing a new arrangement of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb". This soaring anthem seems to grow riper with age, a fine wine toasting to the power of honest the process over the end result. This song seems to be born to be sung by a choir, and Matt's arrangement is sure to take it to new heights.
I mean... just imagine these lyrics, belted in 4-part harmony:
there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
always gonna be an uphill battle
sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
ain't about how fast I get there
ain't about what's waiting on the other side
it's the climb
This is a song just waiting to be sung.
So let's sing it.
LEARNING THE MUSIC
Sheet music and vocal recordings of each part will be available as learning resources before the event, and our collective goal is to practice the parts ahead of time so that we might come into the gathering with ! This way we can spend our time together really diving into the richness of music-making, rather than trying to teach the parts one by one. We don't need to know our parts by heart by any means (and you defffinitely don’t have to memorize it), but the stronger we are in our parts coming in, the more we'll be able to really dig into the fun stuff!
(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 our amazing Founder and Lead Facilitator, Matt Goldstein and the amazing Asher Blank!
Matt Goldstein (he/him) is an award-winning arranger, facilitator, improviser, songwriter, and educator who is known for his emotive vocal arrangements, soulful singing, heart-forward facilitation, and visionary leadership. After making waves in the a cappella scene as music director of The Vassar Devils and Hyannis Sound, he went on to found Gaia Music Collective, a collaborative music community that is achieving international recognition for its work in creating kind, connective, accessible spaces for musical play and expression. Along with designing and leading Gaia’s viral “One-Day Choir” series, Matt is passionate about leading circle singing, facilitating improvised jams, and cultivating exciting new projects in the vocal music sphere. He currently serves as Gaia’s Artistic Director and Lead Facilitator, while also performing as an improviser and singer-songwriter, directing at A Cappella Academy (a summer camp for talented young singers), leading Rock Voices (a community pop-rock choir), and teaching vocal improv intensives through his private teaching studio, Flow Labs.
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.
RESPECT THE SPACE:
The Pico Uniom Project is a beloved venue and we want to honor them! Please be considerate of the space.
PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY:
- This venue is ADA-Compliant!
🌱 🌿 🌳
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
We want as many people to be able to experience these gatherings as possible, and since capacity is limited, each spot is precious! If you RSVP but are no longer able to come, please let us know at least 24 hours before the event so that we may offer your spot to someone else. Tickets are non-transferable, as we need to be able to gather enough funds to rent the spaces and pay our lovely facilitator.
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 will be photographers and videographers present — by attending, you consent to being a part of that media, some of which may be posted online! Please email us with any questions or concerns 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!
🏡
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Pico Union Project, 1153 Valencia Street, Los Angeles, United States
USD 0.00
