Why Community Matters For Artists

Welcome to January.

If you've been on my email list for a bit, you know Peer Open Sings are a regular part of Studio GRC—and I keep coming back to them because I am constantly reminded of how much they matter.

Last week, in one of our small open sings, two of my wonderful Studio GRC singers and I met on Zoom for a very informal and highly productive work session. Each singer selected a song they had only worked on for a short amount of time, sang it through, we talked and did some work, and then they sang it again with the work in mind.

Both of these artists show up at almost every group opportunity, and because of that consistency, we could just dive in—the foundation and trust were already there.

And it was great.

I started giving more thought to why Peer Open Sings are such a positive program and wanted to share my thoughts with you.

Why this setup works:

First—it's fun. I happen to work with amazing people, aside from their talent, so any group setting is supportive and allows room for artistic growth without judgment.

Second—performance prep is both mental and physical. When someone is watching you perform, even just one person in an easy setting, your body can still react with the same nerves and adrenaline it does in front of a big crowd. Setting up safe spaces to test out music and performance skills is really important for your physical and mental performance preparation.

Third—artists need community. Artists spend a lot of time alone—practicing, writing, working on marketing. It can be lonely. But art is meant to be shared, and supportive community is essential.

Studio GRC Peer Open Sings continue to be one of my most favorite parts of my work, and I can't wait to see what my incredible singers do next month.