About SingFREE!
Building confidence, wellness and connection through song and community service.
MUSIC HEALS!
SingFREE! is an 8 part, in-person, musical wellbeing and youth choir experience for middle
and high school students throughout Southern California.
Students gather for (8) Harmony, Service and Performance Circles, after school or saturdays,
to connect voice and sounds with deep reflection, breathing, traditional call-and-response, movement,
and community service, to awaken inner resilience, de-stress, and explore cultural music traditions.
HARMONY CIRCLES
During the first (4) Circles, choir members will explore musical and emotional harmony, while progressing through
SingFREE!'s (5) Core Values:
Creative Expression, Cultural Humility, Self-Care, Collective Affirmation & Community Service.
Choir members will:
- Learn to sing joyful and empowering music
- Explore instruments, cultural healing sounds, songwriting, and journaling
- Reflect on and embrace diverse identities, strengthening connection & belonging
SERVICE CIRCLE
SingFREE! Community Service
During the (5th) Circle, SingFREE! partners with local businesses or neighborhood councils
to share the healing power of music with neighbors through community service.
Choir members Sing while…
a. giving out groceries, clothing and hygiene supplies
b. doing a neighborhood clean-up
c. caroling door-to-door
d. volunteering at a community garden
(1 community service offering per program cycle)
PERFORMANCE CIRCLES
The remaining (3) Circles will bring their learning together as SingFREE! choir members and facilitators
collaboratively produce a medley of performance pieces, reflecting their growth and self-discovery throughout the program.
SingFREE! culminates with an interactive, joy-filled performance for families, friends and neighbors.
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*For School Administrators and Youth Organizations:
This expanded learning program is aligned with CA Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards and supports Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Priorities, making SingFREE! an appropriate investment of district and site-based funds.
Additionally, SingFREE! is inspired by the principles of mindfulness, psychological safety, music therapy, trauma-informed practice, service learning and culturally responsive education, creating a safe, joyful and affirming space for students from diverse backgrounds to connect, heal, and grow together.
OUR (5) CORE VALUES
1. CREATIVE EXPRESSION
We use our imagination, song, and lived experiences to creatively express our true thoughts and feelings.
2. CULTURAL HUMILITY
We are curious and welcoming, while exploring and celebrating our diverse identities.
3. SELF-CARE
The healing sounds of music nurtures our wellbeing and helps us navigate life's challenges.
4. COLLECTIVE AFFIRMATION
We recognize and nurture the inner gifts we all have as a collective.
5. COMMUNITY SERVICE
We take care of our neighbors and positively impact their lives by giving back through music.
OUR FACILITATORS
RUDY RICHARDSON
Co-Facilitator/Musical Director, SingFREE!
Career Pianist, Singer, Songwriter, Music Teacher & Choir Director
For the last 30 years Rudy has enjoyed traveling the globe as a professional musician in pop, jazz, soul and spiritual music. He also translates his love of music into arts education as an effective tool for strengthening youth development and the family unit.
Rudy has found a direct link between music mentoring and self-awareness, self-efficacy and academic improvement, and applies these concepts to the character building and musical workshops he currently offers pre-school, middle and high school youth in Los Angeles, CA.
Rudy is the Assistant Program Director at the Girls Club of Los Angeles, and has a BS in Youth Development and MS in Organizational Management & Leadership from Springfield College.
DR. SHANI BYARD-RICHARDSON
Co-Facilitator/Wellness Director, SingFREE!
Healthcare & Arts Education Leader, former Violinist, Filmmaker and Dancer
Dr. Byard spent 12 years, early in her career, leading afterschool and expanded learning programs throughout LAUSD, LBUSD, LA County Office of Education (LACOE), and community organizations serving homeless, incarcerated, high school drop-out, and emancipated foster youth/young adults, exposing them to visual, performing arts and media literacy, as a means of healthy identity development.
Dr. Byard was introduced to the violin, meditation, ballet, modern & African dance at the age of four.
She is currently an Empowerment Coach & Inclusive Leadership Consultant who enjoys integrating mindfulness into leadership development for youth, working parents, executive leaders, and organizations navigating change and overwhelm. Dr. Byard earned her EdD in Educational Leadership for Social Justice at Loyola Marymount University.