New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Bobbi Marcus PR & Events Inc.) ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and
America SCORES are pleased to announce that female hip-hop artist Psalm One will embark on a nine-city tour for the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @
America SCORES, a mentorship program that provides a platform for songwriters to easily connect and give back to their local communities by engaging and inspiring elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods.
The tour kicks off on
September 26th in Milwaukee and stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New York, Boston, concluding in her hometown of Chicago. In each city, Psalm One will spend three afternoons collaborating with
America SCORES students to write and record an original song. 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. Psalm One is the second artist to embark on a multi-city tour. In 2010, critically-acclaimed Philadelphia-based band The Great Unknown completed a five-city tour, which resulted in the first commercial release of songs from the program.
Rapper Psalm One (born Cristalle Bowen) is the only woman signed to the prestigious and fiercely independent record label Rhymesayers Entertainment. While studying chemistry at the University of Illinois, she self-released her debut CD Bio:Chemistry in 2002. She signed with Rhymesayers in 2006 and embarked on a world tour in support of her first commercial release The Death of Frequent Flyer. In 2010, she self-released a trilogy of free albums through her website (https://regularblackgirl.com) entitled Woman at Work, and most recently released Get In The Van 3, the third installment in her Get In The Van music series dedicated to getting on the road. She is currently working on her next album with Rhymesayers, slated for release in 2012.
A seasoned writer with a soulful and vulnerable style, her songwriting is multi-faceted and ultra-cultural. Her life has revolved around music and education, but rarely have the two meshed in such an exciting way.
Fresh off an appearance on MTV's MADE, she is taking her mentoring skills on the road to work with inner city school kids. In each of the nine cities, she 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, which is distributed to each of the schools involved, as well as to music industry influencers.
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" at:
https://www.ascap.com/playback/2009/09/action/SONGWRITER_RESIDENCY.aspx
Listen to "Fly Imaginary Cars" at: https://www.ascap.com/playback/2010/07/ACTION/American_Scores.aspx
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
To listen to songs, view photos, watch videos and find out more about the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @
America SCORES, please visit: www.ascap.com/Songwriter-Residency.
