Song: The River
Music by: Coco Love Alcorn

Notes: Coco is entering a long and challenging journey with an aggressive cancer diagnosis. She’s hopeful and grounded, but as an independent musician, she doesn’t have access to benefits like employment insurance or sick leave. With her treatment schedule, she’s had to cancel every concert, every tour, and even postpone the recording of her new album. She also had to pause her local choir until further notice. This means she’s facing at least a year ahead with almost no income — while focusing all her strength on healing. Supporting her directly through buying her music, or donating to the GoFundMe will make this time easier. In the meantime, you can sing this song of Coco's, bringing river healing energy into the world!

Songwriter Info:
“Coco is the ultimate musical spark plug... an electrical connector through which the creative energy flows. In my 30 years of touring around the world, I have never seen another performer able to bring people together like Coco does.” ~ James Keelaghan - Artist Director, Summerfolk and renowned Canadian singer/ songwriter
The first thing you notice about Coco Love Alcorn, is the voice. It's a rich, dynamic, supremely soulful instrument – hailed by the press as extraordinary, beautiful, and stunning – that has a way of touching your heart and making you care. 
As a performer, Alcorn is always in the moment, joyful, and genuine. She combines diverse musical influences including jazz, R&B, pop, folk, and Gospel. Her playful and witty character, love of improvising, and willingness to engage fearlessly with the audience has made Alcorn an established presence on the Canadian music scene. 
Born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and now based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Alcorn’s career has spanned more than 20 years, 12 (9 solo) albums, cross-Canada tours, collaborations, festival appearances, award nominations, and notable success in TV and film licensing. And it took someone with a spirit like Alcorn's to navigate this path. 
"Throughout my career I have explored across many genres, collaborations and projects, taking a winding path to get to here,” she says. “But I’ve loved every step of my journey and trusted my inner curiosity to take me where it wanted to go.” 

Sharing Info: Please support Coco directly if you are sharing this song, either by buying the music on her website here: https://cocolovealcorn.com/store or supporting her GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SupportCocoThroughCancer 

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:49
Verses taught slowly: 00:11:55
First run through: 00:15:50
Start time of reprise: 00:20:53

Links:
Coco teaching the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgmg1K7BFxo&t=133s 
Coco's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SupportCocoThroughCancer
Lisa Littlebird teaching tracks: https://thebirdsings.com/the-river/
Sheet music for The River: https://cocolovealcorn.com/store 

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, verses & chorus, harmonize

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
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Notes: I keep singing this to myself... so grateful that Kaitie caught this song-morsel that provides so much release. This idea that life keeps rearranging, sometimes feeling awkward -- but that's not the end -- I get to keep moving through that... for some reason I can hear this so much more easily when it's coming in a song. Kaitie isn't done with this song -- she is still listening for the harmonies -- which means you're getting it at this sweet moment of openness and exploration -- how will you harmonize it, or will you stay with the melody, singing the reassurance into your bones? The songwriter conversation that follows ranges across the Ubuntu philosophy origin and how/why it applies to choirs, caring for a group, straight talk about singing in groups when not everyone's on pitch, what we can learn from small children, musings on flexibility versus predictability ... and more!

Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (she) is a Bay Area-based songleader, teacher, writer, cartoonist and performer. Passionate about creating joyful experiences through music, Kaitie uses simple yet luscious harmonies to build bridges within communities and bring people together in song. In early 2020, Kaitie's Living Room Choir moved online, and that fall her first child was born. Living Room Choir continued online, and in 2021 Kaitie added Simple Harmonies: Songs for Babies & Their Grown-Ups. Nowadays, Kaitie is still leading online but also exploring pandemic-conscious opportunities to sing together in person. Her dream, pandemic-willing, is to host a vibrant, in-person, intergenerational choir for babies, children and adults of all ages to sing together. ​

Links: 
To contact Kaitie directly: [email protected]
To learn more of Kaitie's songs: https://thelivingroomchoir.com/original-music/
To sing with Kaitie: thelivingroomchoir.com
Kaitie's cartoons: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
For cartoons & things for sale: https://society6.com/kaitietywarren

Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrisette MORISSETTE,ALANIS - Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Amazon.com Music
Simon Webbe: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/simon-webbe/78729485
more about the Bird/Cat/Dog idea for community reengagement
Ubuntu and Bishop Desmond Tutu... here's an article about ubuntu by Desmond Tutu’s granddaughter

​Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:11
Start time of reprise: 01:00:53

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major (Ionian), melody with optional harmonies
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Judi is wishing for sunshine, then some rain; moonlight and starlight -- for herself, and for all of us... and when we get to sing this song of hers, we get to wish it for ourselves -- and each other. Every little wish for me and for we.... such a good feeling to remember our social connection, how natural it feels as humans to care for each other. I love the way each part you can sing in this song builds to a natural ending note... and those notes, stacked on each other, create a sweet, surprising chord. I also find the silence intriguing -- lots of space in these layers; chances to listen to the other voices. It's a little bit like remembering there are other people in the room with their own lives and stories and sorrows and delights, and there's space for them, too.... and maybe, combined, we're even more intriguing and colorful than alone? I particularly appreciate this song as I tentatively explore gathering more frequently with real, live people now... and I am surprised by the intensity of the experience. Disclosure: Judi has been my mentor and teacher and friend since 2015.... I asked her nicely (pleaded) to create a pocket song for the podcast. So I think this counts as a bespoke song?!

Songwriter Info: Judi (Donaghy) Vinar

“The incredible thing about Judi is that no matter what style she happens to be singing, it sounds as though she doesn’t do anything else”…Rick Carlson – Pianist

A member of the Twin Cities music scene since 1989, Judi has sung with the Wolverines, JazzMN, St. Croix Jazz Orchestra, The Girls, and numerous shows under the production of Lori Dokken.  Judi tours worldwide with Vocal Master Bobby McFerrin as a member of his latest band “Gimme5”. By day Judi is a freelance Vocal instructor and Choral Director for Unity Minneapolis.  She has been a faculty member of Bobby McFerrin’s “Circlesongs” workshops since 2005. Also an award winning songwriter (JAZZIZ), Judi’s songs have been recorded by Debbie Duncan, the Girls, Paula Lammers, and Three Hits & a Miss.

To find Judi’s recordings on ITunes or Youtube, search under Judi Donaghy. 
To learn more about upcoming events or join her mailing list, go to www.judivinar.com.

Links: 
Judi's website: www.judivinar.com
Judi singing "I Can See Clearly Now" with Bobby McFerrin (just one of my favorite videos ever)
[email protected]

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:44
Start time of reprise: 00:13:02

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mostly minor... except for that one crucial note. Layer song.

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: This song by Alexa Sunshine Rose has been a huge resource for me as I’ve gone through big transitions and grief this spring. I think that’s in part because it is so direct and short -- it settles inside me without worry or fret. And then the potential complexities of possible harmonies keep me interested, as well as the way it feels inside as I sing. You might start by humming one of the drone notes… then maybe humming with the melody. Eventually, when the words start pushing inside you, wanting to come through, let them appear in your mouth. Feel how your tongue moves against your teeth, how the air moves against the roof of your mouth, the way f and v vibrate against your lips. So my invitation to you: let singing this song be a physical experience that draws you into your body -- how does it feel?

Songwriter Info: Alexa Sunshine Rose describes herself as a singer-songwriter, mother, artist and mystic who has dedicated herself and her life's work to being a clear channel for peace on earth. Her songs are prayers, which bridge worlds; the inner and outer, the mind and heart, chaos and calm. She has been touring and teaching across the West Coast and Hawaii since 2009. I met her on Zoom through the amazing songcarrier Aimée Ringle during the pandemic, and knew immediately that more of her voice in my life would only be a good thing.

Links: 
Alexa Sunshine Rose's website
One of Alexa's video recordings of I Release Control
Alexa on Bandcamp (buying her music here means more of the money actually goes to her)

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, Harmonized over drone

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Song: Navigate the Current  Words by Saro Lynch-Thomason  Melody based on the traditional Irish tune ​known as "Star of the County Down"

Notes: There's a freedom in not waiting for a cure. Traditional music is a way to connect to your spiritual ancestral community; it can affirm your experience and there's the "big expansion of empathy that is happening when we sing." Ornamentation and pronunciation of words in oral tradition. We don't create in isolation. How Saro's mom conveyed joy in singing, and what Saro would love "every human being on the planet to understand about disability." The broad umbrella of disability. Speaking with compassion to our bodies, and how that relates to justice work. Why singing is too important to be left to the professionals. Need I say more? This conversation with Saro has left me mulling over so much, and learning "Navigate the Current" has touched me deeply. Here's a chance to dig into what authentic expression feels like...
​
Songwriter Info: Saro Lynch-Thomason is an award-winning ballad singer, song leader, folklorist, and documentarian from Asheville, North Carolina. Saro has been studying and teaching traditional song and balladry from the British Isles, Appalachia and the American South for over a decade. Saro believes that old songs help modern learners access history, folklore, and (most importantly) compassion for the experiences of others, and she uses in-person teaching, film documentary, podcasts and more to convey these lessons. She holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and a Certificate in Documentary Studies.

​Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:23
Start time of reprise: 01:03:26

Links: 
www.sarosings.com
www.patreon.com/sarolynch,
Music at sarolyncht.bandcamp.com,
TikTok and Instagram at @songspeaksaro
Sign up for Saro's newsletter to be the first to hear when the class info is available...
​​Tim Eriksen Soul of the January Hills -- the link goes to Bandcamp, because if you buy the album there, the artist receives a larger % than any other source. Learn more about Tim Eriksen here: Tim Eriksen (timeriksenmusic.com)
Michael & Carrie Kline at ​Talking Across the Lines (folktalk.org)

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Aeolian (minor), ballad form
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: I didn't actually write this as a community singing song; I wasn't expecting anyone else to want to sing it. I wrote it because I was finding a way to comfort and strengthen myself through the process of sorting old journals... being placed back in some difficult times, times when I wasn't really able to treat myself compassionately. Going over to the piano and creating this song helped me listen to and love my younger, struggling self -- I really felt like I was catching myself. I shared it with a dear friend, who responded so strongly and positively, I began to share it with others, including eventually my Pocket Song singers... and now here.... because it seems I'm not the only one who gets to go back and tender gentle care to a previous self...
  So, you know how I say, "coming to you straight from my home in Vermont," with my voice just the way it is today? Well, I've got to admit with this episode, I fudged that... I couldn't loop the piano part (long story), so rather than record it live with my looper in one take, I had to layer the recordings to get you the whole song... which meant I could re-record when I didn't hit a note squarely in the middle, or squeaked or cracked. And it's still not perfect! Sigh.... I'm learning a lot from doing this podcast! Thanks for hanging out with me -- I hope this song can be a good companion to you, too.

Songwriter Info: Um... I think you can find this on either website. (Different accounts, but basically the same person!) :)

Links: 
abreathofsong.com
juneberrymusic.com

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:51
Start time of reprise: 00:15:12

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Aeolian, 3 layers, one harmonized

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: I came across We Are the Way in 2020 when I was joyfully listening through Annie Zylstra’s online collection in Heartland Harmony – if you love songs and haven’t found her library yet, you are in for a huge treat! Annie had this song, which lifted my heart and became a touchstone song for me in very short order. She explains that Christine Kick was living in her basement during a major home renovation that was taking longer than expected, and she found herself feeling a little shamefaced when friends would ask, “How’s it going?”, as it very much WASN’T… and then she reminded herself to celebrate the difference & distance she had come. We’ve just moved out of our home for 22 years to a new community, we’re unpacking boxes, searching for things in new places, slowly starting to meet new people… I am using this reminder on the regular!

Songwriter Info: Christine has been writing songs ever since she was a kid, growing up singing in choirs, and playing flute, guitar, piano, hand drums, etc. She wrote We Are the Way in 2016. She teaches yoga as a way to harness more energy for life by overcoming our limitations and fears - energy that can then be applied to any passion or pursuit that fills us up! Christine believes that music is medicine, especially singing since it opens the throat chakra which allows energy to flow. Her mission is to inspire others to live their best life possible and show up for their heart's true calling.... and music is part of and parcel of who she is and what she does. When we connected for permission for me to use this song, she was in Costa Rica travelling, and sharing songs. Christine enjoys leading and hosting song circles, kirtans, and music jams.

Links: 
Find Christine's website here: Christine Kick
on facebook as ChristineKick
or Instagram as @acrounicorn

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:32 
Start time of reprise: 00:12:29 ​

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, round and layer
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Penny includes us all into her circle of friends by sharing "First Light" -- a song she wrote for 5 close friends, including her partner. Then we have a rollicking conversation, covering big voices, purposeful singing, what a requiem might do, and a few little questions like, "What has singing taught you about life?" Also, how and why you might say "FTS"...

Songwriter Info: Penny Stone is a musician and activist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She believes that everyone can sing and that every voice is valuable and beautiful. Penny facilitates singing groups and writes accessible music for community groups. She is currently working on a feminist requiem. 

Links: 
Penny's website (with a donation box)...: www.singlouderthanguns.com
Learn and Sing along song videos: www.singlouderthanguns.com/singalong-songs/
Sing this song with with Penny: First Light (learn and sing along) - YouTube
Twitter: @singovertheguns

The lullaby Penny describes that she wrote for the "wee girl": https://youtu.be/aG3OgCWd8c4
How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy:  An Excerpt from How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy | Penguin Random House
Two choices for Jaqueline du Pre Elgar cello concerto:
 Jacqueline du Pre & Daniel Barenboim - Elgar Cello Concerto - YouTube
or with Sir John Barbirolli: Elgar Cello Concerto / Jacqueline Du Pré / Sir John Barbirolli, LSO (ASD 655) 1965 - YouTube

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:57
Start time of reprise: 01:08:42

Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, Major, Harmonized, tune in the middle
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Personally, I dread being trite or dull. And this hard-earned wisdom from the recovery community is so prevalent, it's tempting for me to dismiss it as "too common". Whenever I get obstreperous like that, it doesn't help me at all... just saying. I love the way this song voices my own experience with this wisdom in a way.... does that sound weird? Let me explain. The song seems almost annoyingly simple -- a call and response section with repetition and not many notes, and then two layers that use the same words and repeat the same phrase the same way three times in a row -- and part of me wonders is this going to hold my interest as a song, or am I going to get bored? Yet when you put it all together, it is seductively rich and complex and beautiful -- and I just want to sing it more. For me, it's kind of a hit-me-on-the-head-with-a-hammer similarity to when I hear the guidance itself. "Really, one day at a time??? Really, just keep it simple??? Sounds like a poster." But then if I actually do it, it works. Every time. Hmmm.....  For me, right now is a time of big shifting -- I recorded this two days after my father died, and five days before we leave our home of 22 years to move closer to our granddaughter and family. The excuse to sing this song and even explore a little at the end, off book, eased my day. Thanks for singing with me!

Songwriter Info: Penny Stone is a musician and activist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She believes that everyone can sing and that every voice is valuable and beautiful. Penny facilitates singing groups and writes accessible music for community groups. She is currently working on a feminist requiem. Listen to episode #45 for more about this!

Links: 
Penny's website (with a donation box)...: www.singlouderthanguns.com
Learn and Sing along song videos: www.singlouderthanguns.com/singalong-songs/
Sing this song with with Penny: One Day At A Time (learn and sing along) - YouTube
Twitter: @singovertheguns
​The Serenity Singers of Edinborough

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Minor, Call & response with 2 more layers
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: This song has an Appalachian feel, and a wonderful way of rising and falling, gradually filling you up with the music that it's singing about as you sing it. Matthew says, “Great songs have great ideas in them, too. They are simple but they are not simplistic.” On the podcast, you'll hear me poking around with different rhythms and experimenting with harmonies and interspersing... and I encourage you to explore, too, as soon as you feel comfortable with the song. Let the music do its thing by filling us up, and let's enjoy the feeling of our voices today.

Songwriter Info: Matthew Myer Boulton is an author, teacher, filmmaker, and proud papa of Jonah and Margaret. A graduate of Northwestern University, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Chicago Divinity School, he has served on the faculty of Harvard Divinity School and seminaries in New England and the Midwest. He's also the Creative Director and Producer of the Salt project -- which is where I uncovered his bio!

Links: 
The original Butterflyfish recording can be found here: Christian Music for Children by Butterflyfish (saltproject.org) 
  You can buy sheet music here, too, or use the contact button to ask permission to use the song further.
A shout out to Matt Myer (no relation), whose youtube video introduced me to the song: Music (We are going ) - YouTube

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Major,  harmonized

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:23
Start time of reprise: 00:12:32

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Creativity is so often the process of connecting disparate things in a new way. Juliana Murphy crafted this sweet, reassuring wish for safety, wellness, and fearlessness by combining a text from a modern-day fable of awakening with a folk song that came with disturbing, murderous lyrics. She adjusted both and ended up with a song that to me, at least, sits easily in the voice, and lightly on the spirit. I can send this wish to myself, family members, friends, or strangers. I don't take "awakened" to be a politically-angsty, aggressive kind of "wokeness", but rather an eyes-opened kind of awareness and presence that lets me register the world immediately around me. As always, you get to take this song and make it your own now -- what is it that you wish for yourself and those around you that is actually already true? How much fear can we release as we sing?

Songwriter Info: Juliana Murphy (she/her) comes to the circle with a lifelong love of singing and a library of original and collected songs that connect us to ourselves, nature, and the cycles and rhythms of being a human on this planet. She brings a deep desire to sing a more beautiful, inclusive, loving, sustainable, and delightful world into being. Juliana co-leads the Tucson Community Song Circle and is a graduate of the Littlebird Songleader Flight School for community songleading.

Links: 
Juliana's blogpost about this song, with her recording: ​Be Safe, My Love — juliana murphy
Juliana's website: https://www.julianamurphy.com/waking-lullabies
Instagram: @wakinglullabies

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major,  harmonized
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: As we prepare to leave our home of 22 years and shift to a new kind of community for us, let me tell you, this song is proving useful! As I sort belongings, as inspections get scheduled... and spring begins to rise, and world news swirls, and how to responsibly bring people together is still confusing and uncertain... something sweet, short and simple that I can repeat to myself, exchanging the words "It's all falling apart! I can't do this!" with "I am the calm in the eye of the storm..." is a huge gift I give myself with tenderness and with strength. Carole Marie wrote it in the early days of the pandemic, when even yoga practice felt overwhelming -- she could sing this to herself on her mat and take a breath. I think it is aging well, holding that kind of unpanicked settling effect that lets us function through it all. And while I sincerely hope you don't need this song right now, if you learn it this week, it will be snugged into your heart for any moment in the future when it becomes useful!

Songwriter Info: Carole Marie Downing is a songleader, music guide, and facilitator committed to sparking joy and creating connection in times of transition and change. She leads 'Simply Singing', a monthly community song circle and facilitates workshops and retreats integrating music with writing. As a music guide, she teaches introductory ukulele and guitar with a passion for supporting beginners to trust and nurture their innate musicality. Carole Marie lives in Portland, Oregon and finds inspiration for music and life in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Links: Find Carole Marie in any of these places!
Website: https://www.tunetojoy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TunetoJoy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tunetojoymusic/

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Major, 2-layers, one harmonized
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Okay, I procrastinated on recording this episode for the longest of any song yet... I respect Moira so much, and I desperately wanted to share her song in a beautiful way that convinced you to love it, too. I felt like I wasn't good enough, and I got a good run of the whole imposter syndrome going, yada, yada, yada. But you know what shifted? I remembered why this podcast exists -- to share songs that help me heal, adapt, and grow, so you can sing them, too. And this song is one that I've sung to myself over and over in the middle of troubling times to help me release and let go. When I sing this into myself, I can see more clearly which actions might be mine to make next. And when the world is in turmoil, this is what helps me navigate a way forward. None of us (myself included) need to have a stunning voice for a song to be a companion... and I'm grateful to Moira for this gift. Please notice, I haven't shared the entire song here, only an excerpt... check out the links below to hear the whole song, and buy the music on her website for yourself or to share with others. Next episode: a conversation with Moira Smiley herself, who turns out to be absolutely lovely and generous -- we talk creativity, how rest is part of the job, how her voice has protected her, and more...​
​
Songwriter Info: As a composer, Moira Smiley is known worldwide for choral arrangements like Bring Me Little Water, Silvy and originals, Stand in That River and How Can I Cry. Her music is sung by millions of singers worldwide. She’s credited with helping to bring body percussion into the choral mainstream and is in demand as a commissioned composer, writing multi-movement pieces including Time In Our Voices and In The Desert With You for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, evening-length secular liturgy, The Song Among Us and Tis A Fearful Thing for Craig Hella Johnson’s Conspirare and CVAE, Vonnegut Requiem: Light Perpetual for Voces Novae, Loud My Soul for Ad Astra Festival and I Have A Voice for ACDA Women's Choral Consortium. The European premiere of Time In Our Voices was performed by the voices and mobile phones of Ars Nova Copenhagen under the direction of Paul Hillier.
  In 2018-2019 Moira released the album and choral songbook, Unzip The Horizon as companion to her ‘The Voice Is A Traveler’ solo show. In 2021 she released the all-vocal social-justice centered album, In Our Voices with four powerful singers of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. She continues composing and improvising in collaboration with artists in film, video game production, theater and dance, and her work can be heard on feature film soundtracks, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 70 commercial albums.
  “Moira Smiley is a marvel—an omnivorous singing and composing chameleon with a voice that can wail or caress at will!” -- Grant Gershon - artistic director, Los Angeles Master Chorale
  “Moira Smiley is a brilliant musician – an innovative composer and arranger, and a heartbreakingly beautiful singer. Her music transcends (and expands) boundaries.” -- Billy Childs - multi-grammy-winning composer/pianist
  “I’m so thankful I’ve had the privilege of performing and recording with Moira. She embodies the endless creative potential of the voice, and… (has made) a deeply moving body of work.” -- Merrill Garbus - Tune-Yards

Links:
www.moirasmiley.com for all info including sheet music, practice tracks!
https://moirasmileysubscription.com/ to support Moira monthly for as little as $4/mo.
https://www.instagram.com/moirasmiley/ for up-to-date personal and music pics
https://www.youtube.com/c/MoiraSmileyMusic for official music videos, song and body percussion tutorials and live performances
A beautiful recording of a quartet singing the full Stand In That River, part of "The Mt. Tom Sessions".
Moira's own recording of Stand In That River with VOCO.

Nuts & Bolts: ​3:4, Ionian, harmonized melody

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Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: I find I keep returning to Emily Roblyn's song after learning it many months ago... I find myself singing it when times are really sweet -- and when they're really hard. It helps me remember I don't need to try to clench the almost painfully beautiful, wonderful times, because they won't last forever no matter how hard I hold -- and it helps me trust that the difficult, heart-aching times will pass. And as I sing, I can feel my voice vibrate in my body, and it brings me into awareness of my own body. Now, I'm no sage or wise woman -- but I know that this kind of embodiment is good for my whole being, and I'm grateful for any song that gets me there! Lots of juicy harmony options, or a lovely melody that rises and falls like the waves.... you sing what feels good in you today.

Songwriter Info: Emily Roblyn is a Canadian born singer, choir leader and composer, who has made her home in Devon, UK where she has been leading choirs, workshops and singing retreats for over 18 years. She is a member of the Natural Voice Network and believes deeply in singing being a powerful tool for healing, change and connection. Her warmth and enthusiasm for sharing the blessings of singing together shines through in all her teaching, and her beautiful original songs are favorites in choirs across the UK.

Links: 
Visit Emily’s website and join her mailing list to be kept up to date with her new musical offerings. www.emilysinging.com
Or contact her directly to buy the license to teach any of her songs by emailing [email protected]
Hear Emily herself sing this song, plus another verse here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVmM52zcCPk

​Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:16
Start time of reprise: 00:15: 38

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Minor, 2-layers -- one harmonized 3-ways.
​
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Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

​
Notes: I love the bloom of trust I can feel inside myself after singing Ian Carrick's "Lead With Your Heart, Friends" for long enough to let it settle inside me. I find myself relaxing, trusting that my heart knows the way already, that the day can unfold and I can follow it without worry or fret. It's a generous gift of a song, and I'm happy to share it forward... including all my mess-ups and squidgely tuning (highly technical term right there!) I figure the point of this podcast is for YOU to do the singing and take this song away with you, make it your own, let yourself sing it when YOU need to hear its message; let the breath and the vibration take you where you want to go!

Songwriter Info: Ian Carrick is a songleader, musician and songwriter based in his hometown of Bend, Oregon. He aspires to be a sort of modern-day bard, telling stories of the land, tending the heart of his people, singing for life with rhythmic refrains and refreshing harmonies. Ian has been honored to lead singing for students of all ages, educators, homeless shelter residents, recovering addicts, corporate groups and grief ceremonies. He is thrilled to have released his first album as a songwriter and is excited to carry the ethos of community singing into the conventional realm of performance music.

Links: 
https://www.iancarrick.net
Original songs by Ian for singing together can be found both at https://soundcloud.com/iancarrick
and https://www.openhubsinging.com/song-library
Listen to Ian himself sing this at Lead with Your Heart
Ian made a sing-along-able album of family-oriented music in 2023 - Check out Earthlings streaming wherever you listen!

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian, round

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:38
Start time of reprise: 00:11:30

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Whether or not you have snowdrops blooming right now, who doesn't recognize the promise we sometimes can sense in a bloom? The cycle of blooming, falling, disintegrating, resting, reforming, growing, blooming... this song has a beautiful criss-cross of lines, so the first line burrows into the second line, while the second line starts low and grounded, then rises hopefully above the first. The third line lets you sing out a sort of commentary and affirmation of the first two. I take time teaching the first part, especially, so you can feel really confident as the song develops...

Songwriter Info: Jenny is a community singing leader and songwriter with a passion for using song to bring joy and build communities and friendships. She runs a-cappella harmony singing groups in Knaresborough and has two young children aged 7 and 4. She also writes beautiful, soulful and easy to teach songs often inspired by and celebrating her love of nature.

Links: A license to teach the song along with the score and learning/ part tracks are available for £5 by sending an email to Jenny at [email protected]
You can also find more of Jenny's songs at her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jennycookmusic/ (you don't need to belong to facebook to look & listen)
Jenny singing Brighter Days herself in a beautiful video with Patty's art, among other lovely snowdrops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1HBLiURzqI

Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, Ionian, 2 layer, one harmonized

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:39
Start time of reprise: 00:14:01
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: Lisa Forkish shares her song, Hymn to Loving, and talks about song titling, songwriting away from keyboards, deconstructing binaries, singing as a pure, liberating expression of the self, learning to love and be tender with our voice... and the surprise of connections through Zoom. Now, maybe that's all immediately appealing to you, or maybe it sounds complicated and brain-challenging! Let me tell you, Lisa has a gentle, welcoming presence and wide-open curiosity and questioning that makes this conversation a pleasure to eavesdrop on -- and whether her views raise questions for you, or drop easily into your pocket, I hope you will find useful connections through Lisa's explanations and in the links to help you follow up on whatever sparks your interest. She talks a lot about what she experiences as healing in voice work... and a tiny bit about her experience with the movie, Pitch Perfect, and her role in popularizing and opening up the collegiate acapella world.

Songwriter Info: Lisa Forkish (she/they) is a queer singer-songwriter, community-builder, artivist, song-healer, and self-described "Love Warrior," infusing all she creates with fierce authenticity and heart. For the past 20 years, Lisa has been using song as both an expressive art and a tool for building connection. For Lisa, facilitating music spaces is much more than a job; it is a sacred calling. Lisa breathes humanity into their music and teaching with infectious joy and compassion, aiming to heal the wounds of music elitism and not-enoughness through an embodied, trauma-informed and heart-centered approach. For Lisa, Love is paramount and closeness is the antidote to cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacist delusion and cultural disconnection. Lisaʻs mission is to utilize music for personal and collective healing and liberation. 

Links:
Lisa's website: lisaforkish.com
Lisa's singing offerings: wesingthebody.com
adrienne maree brown (principles of emergent strategy): https://adriennemareebrown.net/
Holistic Resistance (Black-led movement facilitating racial justice and other work to heal oppression): https://www.holisticresistance.com/
white supremacy culture (what exactly does that mean?): https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/
Rev angel Kyodo williams (radical dharma): https://angelkyodowilliams.com/
On Being podcast (Krista Tippett interviews with various people): https://onbeing.org/
Brene Brown (wholehearted, daring living): https://brenebrown.com/
Rhiannon (vocal art as vehicle for change; improvisation): https://rhiannonmusic.com/

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, verse followed by layer
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: What does it take to allow you to fall to rest, deeply & completely? Rest is such a necessary component of healing, and sometimes can be tricky to come by -- unless I'm the only one awake at 2 in the morning sometimes, with my head spinning fruitless circles? Feeling completely safe -- completely loved -- is one of the things that lets me rest, slows the adrenalin responses, and lets my body and mind heal. This song does that for me... whew!!! The composer, Elizabeth Norton, points out: "Please note that there is no "you" verse. This is because Rev. Dr. Parker was very clear that this is a widening circle of Love and compassion that embraces all." We are each at the center of this song.

Songwriter Info: A life-long church musician, Elizabeth (Beth) Norton has served First Parish in Concord, Massachusetts as Director of Music Ministry since 1994, leading a dynamic adult choir and guiding a vital and varied music ministry for singers and instrumentalists of all ages and stages. She has led UU singers on concert pilgrimages to Eastern Europe, building musical bridges with Unitarian churches in Transylvania (Romania), Hungary and the Czech Republic. Beth received her bachelor’s degree with a major in music from Smith College and a master’s degree in choral conducting from Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. As a composer, she has written several songs, chants and choral anthems that are currently available by contacting [email protected]. Beth says she had the great wisdom to marry into the Norton family in 1986. Her husband, Peter, is Tom Norton’s brother. Thus, she has the great good fortune (again, her own words!) to claim Patricia Norton as her sister-in-law and friend! Beth and Peter have two adult sons, who live in southern Vermont and near Boston Massachusetts. Beth and her family share a love of music, hiking, skiing, and birding. She usually has a knitting project on hand.

Links:
The score can be accessed through the UUA "Worship Web" here: https://www.uua.org/worship/words/music/there-love
Hear a roomful of people singing There Is A Love (and catch a glimpse of Beth!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlY7Yf-l8rU

Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, major, round
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes: "Hope lingers on"... I love singing this to myself as a reminder that a pandemic is not the only thing lingering around. There are so many beautiful recordings of this piece online, I encourage you, like always, to use this podcast as a way to learn the song, and then if it speaks to you, follow the links and sing along with gorgeous professional recordings! Sometimes, honestly, it makes me uncomfortable to put my voice with loops out there when there are such polished renditions available (that honestly might sound better!) -- but then I remind myself that I'm not here performing for you... I'm here sharing a song that makes a difference to me when I sing it to myself -- and maybe it will do that for you, too? Planting songs for wellness...   
  Next week I'm hugely excited to share a songwriter conversation with the composer of this song, Lissa Schneckenburger. We talk about some of the differences between voice and violin as instruments, music as a way of distilling learning and helping heal from trauma, how not to lose heart as a change-maker, touring on a bicycle and more.

Songwriter Info: Lissa Schneckenburger is a fiddle player and singer whose roots are in folk music in Maine. She lives in Brattleboro, Vermont, now, and says, “To me, music creates community. Music is what people sing along to, dance to, fall in love to… music brings people together." Giving concerts on her own or as part of the trio, Low Lily, as well as supporting other musicians with practice challenges (and jokes) through her website, Lissa consistently does her part to build community. Her solo album, Thunder In My Arms, is a tender, powerful collection of songs about attachment, parenting, and trauma. We talk about its origin and development in the next episode's conversation.

Links:
Lissa's website: lissafiddle.com
Low Lily's recording of Hope Lingers On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv9R60CSQ54
The totebag with the chorus lyrics: https://lissafiddle.com/store/hope-lingers-on-tote-bag/
Learn more about Thunder in My Arms :  https://lissafiddle.com/store/thunder-in-my-arms/
Vancouver Youth Choir singing Hope Lingers On:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0bmhcvPwTI
A combination of a college and middle school choir made one of the infamous virtual choir videos of Hope Lingers On:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=506zikTDSMs

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian, 3 verses & harmonized chorus
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes Heidi McCurdy used an ancient interval, the fifth, to create a song that invites awareness of resonation and connection across time and space. On the next episode, Heidi comes on A Breath of Song herself to share another song, and talk about her beginnings as a shy singer, experimenting in the car, what expressive arts therapy is, and how you might take a song and extend it further. I love the way this song invites me to turn inside and outside, to feel the inner resonation reaching out, for the song to be a drop and a bubble... and at the same time makes me smile with a little bit of a 50s-sounding riff!​

Songwriter Info: Heidi McCurdy is a singer, songwriter and sound healer with a passion for teaching, sharing and creative collaboration. Having cultivated her own intimate relationship with the Muse, Heidi is a believer in the profound medicine and magic of Music – its power to heal, transform, elevate and connect us all. She draws from a diverse tapestry of soul, jazz, folk and new age influences for her unique blend of Global Soul original music. Her songs have received awards and have been featured on TV and Canadian radio, and she has performed at jazz, wine and music festivals throughout Canada and Europe as well as local venues. She is known for her warm, soulful voice, and her love of tuning into the music of the moment through improvisation. Her lyrics resonate with the beauty of dreams, a vital connection with nature, and our collective power to create positive change. Recently she has been exploring songwriting styles designed specifically for song circles, singing meditation, and encouraging vocal expression. As well as creating and performing, Heidi also leads transformational voice programs and community song circles. Guided by the Muse, she specializes in helping others to free their authentic voices and wild, creative spirits.

Links
Heidi's website: www.heidimccurdy.com
Heidi on facebook: www.facebook.com/heidimccurdymusic

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Minor (Dorian in the 2nd part harmony), both layer options and harmonies.
​
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

​Notes: Kathleen says she caught this comforting song while lying on a huge rock next to the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, crying her heart out over a relationship that was transforming.  A beautiful oak tree was growing out of the rock, and as the song was born her sorrowful feelings washed through with the sound of the river, and she was left feeling whole, and at peace with the way things were. She also shared this story with me, "One time I sang the song in a show with a group of women drummers. Their teacher, a lovely African man, also played with us in the concert and rehearsal. After I taught them in the rehearsal and we had played it for a while, the African drummer told me that the song felt like an African song to him. That was one of my happiest moments, since I have for so long felt inspired by African diaspora music. And I did not really feel like I wrote that song... it just came through as a whole as I cried by the river." 

Songwriter info: Kathleen has been writing, collecting and sharing songs for over 50 years. Her songs were awarded a North Carolina Arts Council Songwriter Fellowship. She currently leads the Bodies, Voices & Spirit Choruses in North Carolina and Maine, and is also a Dances of Universal Peace leader. She's a student of the Heart, and she facilitates The Work of Byron Katie.

Links:
Kathleen's blogpost & recording of Ancient Green with guitar, bass, piano, and drum. (So much fun to sing with!) 
​https://www.kathleenhannan.com/song-blog/songs-for-our-journey-26
Kathleen's online presence: www.kathleenhannan.com
Kathleen's chorus: https://bodiesvoicesandspirit.weebly.com/
Kathleen's song blog, which is searchable by title, subject or excerpts from lyrics: https://www.kathleenhannan.com/song-blog

Kathleen's most recent CD is Seen & Unseen: Songs from the Light of Midlife
Purchase CD here: https://www.kathleenhannan.com/seen--unseen-cd1.html
Lyrics are here: https://www.kathleenhannan.com/lyrics--credits.html
Photos from the recording process: https://www.kathleenhannan.com/photos.html

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian (major), round with possible harmonies, or optionally could be taught as a layer song

​Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes In 2018, Lyndsey made a quick facebook recording of Well Held, and she said, “This little ditty tapped me on the shoulder, came through intact, and has basically been hanging out in my lap…” That's very much how this song is for me -- it just gently rumbles around in my head, letting me know that even while there is part of me that is anxious or jittery or grieving, there is another part of me singing this song -- it  has my back, can remind me to breathe, and reassure me to pay attention to this very moment, in which all is well. Such a relief!
​  Here's Lyndsey singing the original song, shortly after its appearance in the world...

Songwriter info
Born and raised in Rantoul, IL, Lyndsey is no stranger to the strange, plain beauty of small town spaciousness. After studying painting at the University of Illinois, she fled to St. Louis, MO for a decade of community art & rambunctious collaboration, letting kids nurse back the creative soul that art school stole and letting the south side streets be the hard knocks school of social justice. One healing crisis, two superhero bike tours, a yoga teacher training, and a permaculture design course later, she followed insistent gut-tugs to move back and rekindle the Home fire, with these new treasures in tow. Led by the embodied inquiry: "What does earthspeed, restorative culture feel like from the inside?" ~ for 7 years, she practiced weaving a hyperlocal web with Song, gardens, circles, and art, as well as creating a small yoga studio and doing healing work with her blood family. During the pandemic, she closed the yoga studio, moved, taught art at the local juvenile detention center, and began gathering online groups to dismantle internalized scripts of patriarchy and white supremacy through community singing, study, & story-sharing. Now she’s asking in (covid-safe) travel motion:: if “grief and Love are sisters”, what rituals and pathways are needed now to tend this unique cultural threshold wisely and grow our bandwidth for building Beloved Community?

Songwriter contact
You can find Lyndsey lots of different ways online:
Her website: lyndseyscott.earth
At her Patreon Account 
On Facebook: We Belong Community of Song
​On Youtube - "Song as Prayer" channel 
On Instagram @lila.gaia
​And a website! 

Nuts & Bolts 4:4, melody with optional lower harmonized layer, Aeolian (natural minor)

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Take 2 has arrived!  After listening, Tembre realized I was sharing an early, unfinished version of this song, which later evolved into a version she loves and shares. Tembre said, "As I remember when Rolling River was complete for me when the extra parts/delayed harmony was created , it was a special moment, as I felt this song was complete in that moment and it is loved.  I love the simpleness of the melody, as the other parts are added, it slowly becomes something that is resonant, full and fluid. " So here we have the version of Rolling River Tembre loves and would like shared...  I'm wondering if, for those who heard the first, mistake episode, if that's like owning one of those special stamps that was printed backward?​

Notes Rounding, smoothing, softening... I love the way this song invites us to relish the tumbling flow of life and let it comfort and carry us, let it reassure us that we are enough, we are home. There's a rocking, rolling melody, which can be harmonized, and then a lovely descant, or upper line, that responds to the melody. I love the way this song lets me, (not an eager swimmer!), sense the release and acceptance of allowing the water to carry me. Next episode, a conversation with Tembre that includes cold water swimming, how she supports singers who might not be matching yet, finding time to songwrite, what makes Ireland a special place for a songleader, and more!

Songwriter info Tembre de Carteret lives in County Clare, Ireland, and has led a beautiful online singing circle called "We May Sing" during the pandemic. You can learn more about her and the way in which she facilitates, mentors, and builds song communities at her website, www.tembresong.com

Nuts & Bolts The song is in 4:4, in 2 layers, one of which is harmonized. It is Aeolian (natural minor).

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Notes I love the way songsharers around the country during the pandemic dug into music as a way of healing, comforting, hoping. So much new music came out of this time that helps us uncover the wellness that's already there, inside us. Now you might think those songs would all at tempo=comfort, or heartbeat pulse, or something else that soon feels trite. But this song, for instance, has a driving urgency as well as the sense of smiling just a bit, which feels fresh to me... and as it is unexpected, I can hear the message in a new way.

Songwriter info
Elisa S. Keeler is a composer, song leader and retreat facilitator who has taught voice workshops since 2003. She holds degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Ithaca College and a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University with a focus on the therapeutic benefits of singing in groups. Elisa is the founder of Freeing Your Voice program for adults and the Music for Unity and Social Change program for public schools. As a songleader she has worked with Threshold Choirs, the American Association of Choral Directors, religious organizations, community choruses, colleges, universities, and staff community-building retreats. Since 2011, Elisa has facilitated personal and spiritual growth retreats for adults as a co-teacher of the Hidden Treasure Program at Light on the Hill Retreat Center. She lives with her family in Ithaca, NY. 

Songwriter contact
www.elisamusic.com for music, scores and information about workshops and retreats
www.patreon.com/elisaskeeler for Patreon account

Nuts & Bolts 4:4, harmonized song with a bass line, Aeolian (natural minor)
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Notes Heather unified the message and the music in a beautiful way in this song, which helps the singer wind their way back into the present moment. As you sing the melody, you start on the home note, and then the different "ways" land in various places that are NOT the home note... until you get to the word "now", when all the voices together come together the home note. So you come back to where you begin, which is now. If the practice of presence intrigues you, this is a way to embody it, to make it a reality. I find this song both centering and gentle in the way it invites my mind to come back to now... and does it with such lilt and movement that it feels like a joyful process.

Songwriter Info Heather Pierson is a singer, songwriter, pianist, song leader, and performer who frequently tours throughout the United States both as a solo artist and with her acoustic trio. She has released twelve CDs and several singles of her original music, ranging in style from folk to jazz to vocal chants.  Heather’s original community singing repertoire is inspired by the power of song to nurture harmony, community, connection, joy, and peace. She lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Find Heather in any of these places on the web:
www.heartsongsandcirclesongs.com
www.heatherpierson.com
www.patreon.com/HeatherPierson​

Nuts & Bolts 4:4, 3-Layer song with a harmonized 1st layer, Ionian (Major)

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!