Vocal Flow Meets The Blues – New York, NY

An intermediate workshop, geared toward musicians who are excited for deeper exploration of musical vocabulary/theory in a warm and connective environment, via collaborative vocal improvisation. This is an interactive playground for reaching/stretching our musical ears into the rich harmony and long-suffering pulse of the jazz blues.

In Vocal Flow Meets The Blues, we will cultivate an ever clearer understanding of the standard 12 bar jazz blues, and invite it to enrich our collaborative vocal improvisation.  We’ll arpeggiate and further deepen our ears’ understanding of the chord progression and groove through patterns and shapes at the heart of walking bass lines, and try on some of the harmonic, melodic, and lyrical shapes and patterns that want to flow over the textures that arise.

This session is limited to 20 musicians ~ vocalizers with some musical skills who are seeking to broaden their fluency in the language of music, connect with new friends through musical play, and co-create vocal magic out of thin air. We will begin by crafting a space of trust and safety, of playfulness and discovery, of curiosity and vulnerability. Then, with our new friends by our side, we take the leap and jump into singing games that explore and deepen applicable understanding of:

• harmony of the 12 bar jazz blues
• motivic development
• song form
• message/intent
• where the blues is coming from
• how the blues broadens our personal expression

These music games will offer some tools for crafting ever richer spontaneous compositions, and center deep listening, trust, flow, and self-surprise. Together, we ask ourselves, “How can I listen more deeply to my inner creativity, to my singing 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 vocal improvisation!

Limited to 20 people.

What does “intermediate” mean?

We would say this session is for vocalizers/musicians that have an ear for chord progressions/ harmony, are relatively confident in holding their own part in rich harmonic and rhythmic textures, and who are excited to connect with others through a hands-on exploration of the music theory of the blues. If you’re willing to be brave and want to grow, then this circle is for you! And, as always, this session is a judgment-free zone where mistakes are welcomed and encouraged. No need for perfection here. Just a space to play.

WHO IS LEADING THIS SESSION?

This session will be facilitated by Tracy LJ Robertson.

Vocalist, educator, and vocal percussionist Tracy LJ Robertson enjoys working in a variety of musical settings. While studying at Berklee College of Music he performed in ensembles of global influence, from Balkan to contemporary Indian, to Latin, to western classical and jazz. He’s since performed and recorded with a range of artists including Bobby McFerrin, Valerie Simpson, Justin Timberlake, Sabrina Carpenter, Andy Grammer, Michael Bublé and Billie Eilish. Meanwhile the acappella community has offered opportunities to tour and educate with groups like Pitch Slapped, Overboard, Vocalosity, m-pact, The Magnets, and The House Jacks. He is also supremely grateful to work and facilitate for organizations like the Urban Voices Project, his newest project – Vocal Bloom, and in more and more spaces where music and improvisation is explicitly supporting/instigating healing and empowerment. Tracy enjoys spreading his passion for life through music and ever deepening appreciation of mother nature.

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 gaiamusiccollective@gmail.com.

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 gaiamusiccollective@gmail.com.

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 gaiamusiccollective@gmail.com 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.