Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Matthew Cantor in Los Angeles

‘So healing’: can singing Miley Cyrus with strangers cure our spiritual malaise?

An illustration of a diverse group of people singing together while floating among oversized sheets of music
‘Feeling my actual body resonate with the sound of my voice … in community with other people who are doing the exact same thing, is just an incredibly powerful experience,’ said Asher Blank, a Gaia organizer. Illustration: Debora Szpilman/The Guardian

We met in a former synagogue, a vast room with hardwood floors where the sound could echo freely. All were strangers, many former choir nerds, united by a love for group singing. Our goal was to learn and perform, in a single day, a classic of our time: a song from the Hannah Montana movie.

The event, near downtown Los Angeles, was a one-day choir hosted by the Gaia Music Collective – a three-hour gathering where more than 100 people rehearsed a choral arrangement of the song and sang it three times, with ourselves as the only audience.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.