ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and America SCORES have announced that Rhymesayers recording artist Psalm One will embark on a nine-city tour (full dates below) for the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES, a mentorship program that provides a platform for songwriters to engage and inspire elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods. In each city Psalm will spend three two-hour sessions with students: co-writing a song during the first two sessions and recording it in a professional studio during the third session. The finished songs will be included on a special compilation CD that ASCAP produces and distributes to each of the schools involved, as well as to music industry influencers. The ASCAP Foundation, a public charity dedicated to supporting music education and talent development, funds the program.Established in 2006, the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES has brought more than 30 songwriters to 12 cities across the country, though Psalm One is only the second artist to embark on a multi-city tour.
Psalm One self-released her debut CD Bio:Chemistry in 2002 while studying chemistry at the University of Illinois, signing with the prestigious Rhymesayers label in 2006 for her first commercial release The Death of Frequent Flyer. More recently she just self-released Get In The Van 3, the third installment in her Get In The Van series, through her website (http://regularblackgirl.com) and is working on her next album for Rhymesayers, slated for release in 2012.
Psalm One knows the value of giving back to the community. A former student of Chicago Public Schools, she has volunteered, mentored and tutored students through Charm Lab, a program she started in 2008. After moving to San Francisco, she worked for America SCORES as a poetry and soccer coach and was invited to participate in her first ASCAP Songwriter Residency. She wrote and recorded a song called “Going Smart” with a group of students, ages 8-11, from Reach Academy. The song, a play on the slang term “going dumb,” showcased the kids’ ability to have a lot of fun and make music in an intellectually responsible way. The following year Psalm One was invited again to participate in the program, this time in her hometown of Chicago where she wrote and recorded a song called “Fly Imaginary Cars” with students from Pope Elementary School.
Listen to “Going Smart”
Listen to “Fly Imaginary Cars”
In addition to the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES, Psalm One will also be working at Rhyme School, a music mentoring program at The Avalon School on Chicago’s South Side. Rhyme School is a partnership between Psalm One’s Charm Lab and the Intonation Music Workshop. Over the course of three months, Psalm will work with student musicians on how to utilize Rap as a part of their musical repertoire.
Psalm One’s ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES tour dates are:
Milwaukee
September 26 & 27: James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School
September 28: Tanner Monagle Studio
Seattle
October 3 & 4: Roxhill Elementary School
October 5: Recording Studio TBD
San Francisco
October 6 & 10: Cleveland Elementary School
October 11: Different Fur Studios
Denver
October 12 & 13: Knapp Elementary School
October 17: Side 3 Studios
Washington DC
October 18 & 19: School TBD
October 20: Recording Studio TBD
Atlanta
November 7 & 9: Carter G. Woodson Elementary School
November 10: Recording Studio TBD
New York City
November 28 & 29: The selected school will be the winner of the America SCORES New York Community Poetry SLAM! Team Competition
November 30: Recording Studio TBD
Boston
December 5 & 6: School TBD
December 7: Recording Studio TBD
Chicago
December 8 & 12: School TBD
December 13:CRC Studios
