First Fridays 2025: AMPLIFIED – Healing Sounds

First Fridays 2025: AMPLIFIED!

The 2025 First Fridays season turns the volume up on sound and music as we examine our relationship with the aural world and how it affects our bodies and our lives.  Join us as we amplify unique voices, enriching perspectives, and dynamic music in the vibrant and stimulating setting of NHM after-hours. 

March 7  |  Healing Sounds

Featuring live music from VÉRITÉ and Kelcey Ayer, DJ sets from Les The DJ (Inside) and Que Madre (Outside), a discussion in the new Commons Theater with AZA Allsop, MD PhD, Assistant Professor at Yale and Howard University and Director of the Center for Collective, a healing hosted by Dr. Yewande Pearse, a sound lounge featuring sound bath micro-sessions from Tesha Smith of Blessed and Abundant Healing Co., an art activity at the Sounds Artsy! Creative Station, and more!

If you are interested in learning more about 2025 First Fridays series, click First Fridays 2025: Amplified!
 

Our Featured Discussion! 

Discussion  | Commons Theater |  6:30–7:30 pm  

Healing Sounds:  What is the real science behind sound healing? How do vibrations affect our bodies? Look into the experience of sound baths and music therapy for meditation and relaxation. We investigate how brains are tuned by music and mindfulness for mental health treatments.
*Seating is limited. Please arrive early.

OUR MODERATOR

Dr. Yewande Pearse is a neuroscientist turned science communicator, bridging the gap between science and culture. London-born and now Los Angeles-based, she is the founder of Nyewro, a science translation and communications company. Driven by the belief that science isn't just for scientists and has the power to connect people and communities, Nyewro's mission of "Broadening where science belongs" brings science into art galleries, music venues, and cultural institutions. She serves as an advisor to the California Science Center and is a Community Fellow at The Center for Diverse Leadership in Science at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

OUR GUEST

AZA Allsop, MD PhD is an artist, neuroscientist, and psychiatrist who researches social cognition, music mindfulness, and psychedelics. AZA went to college at NCCU, and received his training from the Harvard-MIT MD PhD program,  where he was also an Emerson scholar at Berklee College of Music. He completed clinical training in psychiatry at Yale. He is an Assistant Professor at Yale and Howard University and Director of the Center for Collective Healing. He has co-founded several companies that combine arts, science, and community building to drive social change.
 

We aim to make NHM an exciting, educational, and enjoyable experience for everyone. If you have any questions about your visit and the accessibility services we offer, contact our Call Center at 213.763.3466 or email info@nhm.org

Images from past First Fridays:

Live Music and DJ Set In the Nature Gardens Stage! 

VÉRITÉ  | Nature Gardens | 9 pm

VÉRITÉ is an independent artist who has always created outside of traditional structures. A prolific and "spellbinding" (NPR) songwriter, producer, and performer, she’s garnered hundreds of millions of streams with her self-released albums, EPs, and singles, while seamlessly bending norms to shape new worlds.

Kelcey Ayer  | Nature Gardens | 8 pm

Kelcey Ayer is a Colombian-American artist based out of Los Angeles, mostly known as co-founder/singer/songwriter of Local Natives. Ayer left them in 2024 to pursue a solo career, resulting in his first single, “Don’t Look Down”, having dropped at the top of this year, and plans for many more songs to come. 

DJ Que Madre  | Nature Gardens | 5–8 pm

DJ Que Madre! Hailing from East Los Angeles, Que Madre is more than a DJ —she's a vinyl virtuoso and proud mother whose musical roots trace back to East LA's lowrider oldies and soul.  A fixture in LA's scene, Que Madre spins hip hop, R&B, cumbia, banda, reggaeton, and global beats at multiple residencies citywide. She is the resident DJ at the renowned First Fridays with “I Love Micheladas,” where you can catch her playing your favorite corridos & banda hits. Follow her on Instagram for updates on her monthly DJ gigs and experience her magnetic mixes that redefine the LA sound.  Please welcome DJ Que Madre! 
 

Sound Central Station with DJ and Pop-Up Experiences!

Les The DJ | Level 1 Foyer | 5–10 pm

Les The DJ a.k.a. Les Talusan is a DJ, whose musical practice immerses people in the joy of community-powered discovery. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, and now based in Washington, DC for over 20 years, Les continues to find inspiration behind the decks in the U.S. and abroad. Fueled by their own story of resilience, liberation, and courage as an immigrant, parent and survivor, Les brings to the center the songs long cherished, remembered, and celebrated by people of the global diaspora.

Pop-Ups | Level 1 Foyer | 5–10 pm

Meet sound practitioners Blessed and Abundant Healing Co. and The Sound Healing Studio.  Don't forget to visit the Amoeba Music pop-up shop!

Sound Lounge featuring Sound Baths and other Sound Experiences!

Sound Bath with Tesha Smith of Blessed and Abundant Healing Co. | Level 2 North American Mammal Hall | 6 pm and  8pm

*Two 30 minute micro-sessions at 6pm and 8pm.  Limited capacity.  Please come early to save a spot.  No late entries.

Tesha Smith of Blessed and Abundant Healing Co. is a certified Breath Work, Tai-Chi, Sound Bath and Yoga Teacher and has been helping others be well for over 8 years. She has been featured in the LA TImes as one of the top Soundbaths, been a keynote speaker twice at the Mindfulness Expo and has several Fortune 500 clients including Savage Fenty, Fabletics, The US Federal Reserve Bank, Liquid IV, L’Oréal more. With a degree in Psychology her love for the human psyche, the mind and ancient healing practices inform her teachings and techniques.  She found meditation when she started experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression. She searched for ways to feel better and was able to heal herself and others with the power of movement and sound. 

More Sound Knowledge to Explore!

Sound Exploration Talk | Commons Theater | 5:30 pm 

Join our knowledgeable Museum Education Specialists in a series of talks exploring Sound!

March 7:  Give a Hoot: Finding Harmony Between Nature and Noise
How do other species experience sound? Are millions of years of evolution enough to combat a world filled with noise pollution? Join a Museum Educator as we learn how sound can be both an advantage and a disadvantage for navigating this planet as it gets louder every day.

Presented by Becca Prater (she/her) / Museum Educator at NHMLA and La Brea Tar Pits. She studied wildlife ecology in Oklahoma and then moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to explore all of California’s beautiful ecosystems. She loves hiking, crafting, and marveling at little mushrooms.

NHM's Research and Collections | Otis Booth Pavilion Ground Level | 5–10 pm

Explore the work and collections of NHM with specially-curated displays. 

Sounds Artsy! Creative Station | Otis Booth Pavilion Ground Level | 5–10 pm

Hands on art activity for the entire family!

Food Trucks and Pop-Ups

Enjoy a diverse lineup of food trucks offering a range of cuisines, along with cocktail and refreshment bars. 

Featuring: The Tropic Truck, Baby's Badass Burgers, Go Beyond the Bowl, and Cakes by Chante.