Connect
INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: ANDREW ASH
With so many of us taking our barre3 practice into our homes these past few months, the online instructors have become familiar faces—friends we invite into our living rooms to help us move, breathe, and destress. In our Instructor Spotlight Series, you’ll get to know the instructors beyond their energy-boosting choreography and motivating mantras.
Today, we bring you our chat with Andrew, Producer, Instructor Trainer, and beloved online lead. Read on to learn about his first job at barre3, his growth journey over these past several months, and the song that’s filling him with joy these days.
Most people in the barre3 community know you as the always-smiling, eternally optimistic online workout lead. Can you tell us about yourself beyond barre3?
Hahaha! “always-smiling” is my default mode, so even beyond barre3 you will find me with a smile on my face. I live a pretty simple life with my boyfriend and two cats. When I’m not playing house or doing work for barre3, I’m a singer/songwriter, mostly pop music. I’ve recorded some songs the past two years, and I’m getting ready to shoot my first music video in the fall; I was supposed to film it in March, but…COVID-19. The hope is to release an EP by the end of this year or the beginning of 2021. Stay tuned!
How did you first get connected with barre3?
In 2013 I moved back to Portland from Los Angeles, and I really needed a job. A career in the fitness industry was something I was interested in exploring, and lucky me, my sister’s best friend from high school worked for barre3, and she helped me land a front-desk job at the studio in Lake Oswego.
Leading online workouts is only one of your roles at barre3. Can you talk a little about your other roles?
My official title is Producer and Instructor Trainer. Aside from leading workouts online, in-studio, and via Livestream, my main gig at barre3 is to help produce all the online workouts. I scout out and develop new talent, I help choreograph the workouts, I curate the music we use, I mix all of our playlists, I am the director on filming day, and I mentor our online Lead Instructors and Supporting Instructors. I don’t do this work alone, though. Christa joy plays a big role in all these areas, along with our Production Director, Alex.
Music is a big part of your life—both in barre3 and outside of it. Has it always been part of who you are?
Yes! Music has always been my calling. I remember my choir teacher in kindergarten asking me to sing a solo in one of our schools performances, and after that, all I wanted to do was sing. It wasn’t until junior high that I started really diving deeper into music, though, and I really geeked out over researching musical artists and the stories behind their music. In high school I always took part in the musicals, and I was a member of the Show Choir. I recorded my first song when I was 18, and I’ve been writing, recording, and performing ever since. At barre3, I expressed my interest in music early on, and about a year or two in, I was asked to help curate music for the studio and online workouts. I now just focus on music for the online workouts, and I have a lot of fun doing it. I could research new music for hours and hours—actually, I have!
Can you tell us a bit about your process for choosing the songs that make it onto the barre3 playlists?
This is always very difficult to describe because a lot of it is just based off of how a song makes me feel. A song can have a great beat and lyrics, but if it doesn’t make me move in my seat, or induce an emotion, it doesn’t make the cut. Music is super subjective, though, and something I’m constantly trying to get better at is not just approving music that only I want or like. There are certain technical things that will always help me decide if a song is going to work or not (for example, beat per minute, energy, style), but I’m starting to step outside the box a little more to make sure that our clients—and instructors—feel like they can hear themselves in the music we play.
Let’s talk a bit about the wild ride of these past several months. First of all, how are you doing?
I always hesitate to answer this question, because I know many people are struggling right now, and I don’t want to come off as tone deaf or unempathetic. But in all honesty, I’ve been doing really well. I started cooking more at home, I learned how to make a cake….or two….or ten, the lack of traffic on the freeway has been AMAZING, at the beginning of the pandemic I started working on new music, and on a more serious and important note, the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the Black Lives Matter movement, has made me take a really hard look at my implicit bias, and white privilege. I was not a great ally, I ignored a lot of things to keep myself comfortable, and I am taking the uncomfortable steps that NEED to be taken, and should have been taken long ago, to create mutual liberation for all. I can’t keep being sick of seeing injustice but do nothing about it. I still have a ton of learning to do, I know I’m gonna mess up at some point, and I’m trying my best to be OK with that as I grow.
How has your own barre3 practice changed since the world turned upside down?
There have been a few changes. I’ve taken a break from teaching Livestream for barre3 Portland, to focus more on the barre3 online workouts. We’ve doubled the amount of workouts we’re releasing online, which means something had to give. I should be back to teaching in the fall. As the director of the online workouts, I always do every instructor’s workout before it is filmed, sometimes twice, so actually I’ve been taking more workouts than I had been before the pandemic. I feel awesome!
With so much uncertainty, it can be hard to feel grounded. Do you have any tools or practices that keep you feeling centered?
I just listen to music. Some amazing new songs and albums have been released over the past six months, and it has lifted me up so much. I’m a big fan of Kylie Minogue, and she just released a new single “Say Something” that fills me with so much joy. I blare it in my car, put it on repeat, and sing my little heart out. It has actually brought a tear to my eyes a few times…no joke. I truly feel music.
Have the changes over the past several months changed anything about the way you teach barre3?
The only thing that has really changed is the music I play. I’m exploring more with sound and beats, picking songs I normally wouldn’t pick, and diving into genres outside my comfort zone. I guess I’ve also been a little more aware of my messaging. Making sure I’m using more inclusive language, and pushing people a little bit more than I normally would. I’m in this whole “get uncomfortable!” mode right now.
One day, life will feel a little freer again. What learnings do you hope to carry with you when things are a bit back to normal?
Well, I learned that I spent too much money on eating out before the pandemic, so I’m going to hopefully cook more at home once everything starts to open again. I also learned that it’s OK to slow down once in a while. So, moving forward I need to find more time to take a step back and focus a little more on my wants and needs. It isn’t selfish to fill your own cup.
What do you hope people take away from your barre3 classes, whether online or in-studio?
I hope everyone leaves my class feeling like the weight of the world isn’t as heavy as it was before they walked in or pressed play, and I hope I can make everyone laugh, or smile, because that is my love language. Yes, I hope everyone leaves feeling like they got a successful and challenging workout, but I do care more about how everyone is feeling emotionally.
Thank you, Andrew! Try Andrew’s workouts free with a 15-day trial of barre3 online or find your local studio to get started with barre3 today!
With so many of us taking our barre3 practice into our homes these past few months, the online instructors have become familiar faces—friends we invite into our living rooms to help us move, breathe, and destress. In our Instructor Spotlight Series, you’ll get to know the instructors beyond their energy-boosting choreography and motivating mantras.
Today, we bring you our chat with Andrew, Producer, Instructor Trainer, and beloved online lead. Read on to learn about his first job at barre3, his growth journey over these past several months, and the song that’s filling him with joy these days.
Most people in the barre3 community know you as the always-smiling, eternally optimistic online workout lead. Can you tell us about yourself beyond barre3?
Hahaha! “always-smiling” is my default mode, so even beyond barre3 you will find me with a smile on my face. I live a pretty simple life with my boyfriend and two cats. When I’m not playing house or doing work for barre3, I’m a singer/songwriter, mostly pop music. I’ve recorded some songs the past two years, and I’m getting ready to shoot my first music video in the fall; I was supposed to film it in March, but…COVID-19. The hope is to release an EP by the end of this year or the beginning of 2021. Stay tuned!
How did you first get connected with barre3?
In 2013 I moved back to Portland from Los Angeles, and I really needed a job. A career in the fitness industry was something I was interested in exploring, and lucky me, my sister’s best friend from high school worked for barre3, and she helped me land a front-desk job at the studio in Lake Oswego.
Leading online workouts is only one of your roles at barre3. Can you talk a little about your other roles?
My official title is Producer and Instructor Trainer. Aside from leading workouts online, in-studio, and via Livestream, my main gig at barre3 is to help produce all the online workouts. I scout out and develop new talent, I help choreograph the workouts, I curate the music we use, I mix all of our playlists, I am the director on filming day, and I mentor our online Lead Instructors and Supporting Instructors. I don’t do this work alone, though. Christa joy plays a big role in all these areas, along with our Production Director, Alex.
Music is a big part of your life—both in barre3 and outside of it. Has it always been part of who you are?
Yes! Music has always been my calling. I remember my choir teacher in kindergarten asking me to sing a solo in one of our schools performances, and after that, all I wanted to do was sing. It wasn’t until junior high that I started really diving deeper into music, though, and I really geeked out over researching musical artists and the stories behind their music. In high school I always took part in the musicals, and I was a member of the Show Choir. I recorded my first song when I was 18, and I’ve been writing, recording, and performing ever since. At barre3, I expressed my interest in music early on, and about a year or two in, I was asked to help curate music for the studio and online workouts. I now just focus on music for the online workouts, and I have a lot of fun doing it. I could research new music for hours and hours—actually, I have!
Can you tell us a bit about your process for choosing the songs that make it onto the barre3 playlists?
This is always very difficult to describe because a lot of it is just based off of how a song makes me feel. A song can have a great beat and lyrics, but if it doesn’t make me move in my seat, or induce an emotion, it doesn’t make the cut. Music is super subjective, though, and something I’m constantly trying to get better at is not just approving music that only I want or like. There are certain technical things that will always help me decide if a song is going to work or not (for example, beat per minute, energy, style), but I’m starting to step outside the box a little more to make sure that our clients—and instructors—feel like they can hear themselves in the music we play.
Let’s talk a bit about the wild ride of these past several months. First of all, how are you doing?
I always hesitate to answer this question, because I know many people are struggling right now, and I don’t want to come off as tone deaf or unempathetic. But in all honesty, I’ve been doing really well. I started cooking more at home, I learned how to make a cake….or two….or ten, the lack of traffic on the freeway has been AMAZING, at the beginning of the pandemic I started working on new music, and on a more serious and important note, the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the Black Lives Matter movement, has made me take a really hard look at my implicit bias, and white privilege. I was not a great ally, I ignored a lot of things to keep myself comfortable, and I am taking the uncomfortable steps that NEED to be taken, and should have been taken long ago, to create mutual liberation for all. I can’t keep being sick of seeing injustice but do nothing about it. I still have a ton of learning to do, I know I’m gonna mess up at some point, and I’m trying my best to be OK with that as I grow.
How has your own barre3 practice changed since the world turned upside down?
There have been a few changes. I’ve taken a break from teaching Livestream for barre3 Portland, to focus more on the barre3 online workouts. We’ve doubled the amount of workouts we’re releasing online, which means something had to give. I should be back to teaching in the fall. As the director of the online workouts, I always do every instructor’s workout before it is filmed, sometimes twice, so actually I’ve been taking more workouts than I had been before the pandemic. I feel awesome!
With so much uncertainty, it can be hard to feel grounded. Do you have any tools or practices that keep you feeling centered?
I just listen to music. Some amazing new songs and albums have been released over the past six months, and it has lifted me up so much. I’m a big fan of Kylie Minogue, and she just released a new single “Say Something” that fills me with so much joy. I blare it in my car, put it on repeat, and sing my little heart out. It has actually brought a tear to my eyes a few times…no joke. I truly feel music.
Have the changes over the past several months changed anything about the way you teach barre3?
The only thing that has really changed is the music I play. I’m exploring more with sound and beats, picking songs I normally wouldn’t pick, and diving into genres outside my comfort zone. I guess I’ve also been a little more aware of my messaging. Making sure I’m using more inclusive language, and pushing people a little bit more than I normally would. I’m in this whole “get uncomfortable!” mode right now.
One day, life will feel a little freer again. What learnings do you hope to carry with you when things are a bit back to normal?
Well, I learned that I spent too much money on eating out before the pandemic, so I’m going to hopefully cook more at home once everything starts to open again. I also learned that it’s OK to slow down once in a while. So, moving forward I need to find more time to take a step back and focus a little more on my wants and needs. It isn’t selfish to fill your own cup.
What do you hope people take away from your barre3 classes, whether online or in-studio?
I hope everyone leaves my class feeling like the weight of the world isn’t as heavy as it was before they walked in or pressed play, and I hope I can make everyone laugh, or smile, because that is my love language. Yes, I hope everyone leaves feeling like they got a successful and challenging workout, but I do care more about how everyone is feeling emotionally.
Thank you, Andrew! Try Andrew’s workouts free with a 15-day trial of barre3 online or find your local studio to get started with barre3 today!
