Notes: A sweet short song like this brings me deep rewards -- the chance to drop into the joy, the preciousness, the abundance of simply being alive. For me to learn it, Jane sent me "a just rough off the looper" recording -- and it was so, so beautiful! Don't miss the links to Jane's recorded music -- her voice is like flavored butter -- smooth with an extra kick -- and the sense you get of her self that infuses her singing is generous and gentle and joystruck. My version doesn't sound nearly as good as her's to me -- and yet, it was such a pleasure to get to sing the song, and I think it'll work so you can learn the song and take it on into your own life, with your own voice. If Jane ever records it, or you get a chance to hear Jane live, maybe you can sing it along with her!

Songwriter Info: Jane Lewis is a singer-songwriter, workshop facilitator, and community music instigator. She is a strong believer in the power of music to bring people together. When not performing with her folk/roots duo Gathering Sparks, she can be found leading vocal & harmony workshops, Circle Singing, Vocal Meditation, and Women's Music Weekend retreats.

​Sharing Info: Yes — The song is free to use/share, but Jane always welcomes networking support. A financial contribution when folks are able is also appreciated!

Links: 
Jane's Website: http://www.janelewis.ca
Women's Music Weekend, facilitated by Jane: https://www.womensmusicweekend.com
Jane's YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/JaneLewisMusic
Jane's duo with Eve Goldberg: Gathering Sparks YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/GatheringSparksMusic

​Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:59
Start time of reprise: 00:13:29
​​
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian with a twist, 3-part harmony

​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: It's been two years since Maggie Wheeler and I last talked on A Breath of Song. No one doubts these times are difficult. Maggie and I get into the grit here... how do you stave off despair? How do you show up in love? How can we, collectively, change the energy? How do we soothe hearts and souls so we are sustained to do the work? Can we give ourselves the same grace of forgiveness we give others? What happens after exhaustion? How can we stay longer in the space of not knowing? How can we stay longer in a song moment and let it develop? Can staying longer be its own practice?

This song Maggie shares, The Crow Calls, is an opening to the rhythm, the connection of the natural world, and how that can nurture and change us. This song is a reminder, a call, a resource, and incredibly satisfying to sing. As we talked, Maggie described her heart as "cracked open" from two intense back-to-back experiences that had just happened. I was feeling a lot of pressure, with looming deadlines and large to-do lists, preparing for a big trip. Editing the episode, I was struck by how we practiced showing up as we are, releasing expectations, and paying attention to what is present in the moment... and I came away from our conversation with a welcome sense of clarity and commitment about the next right thing -- and huge gratitude for Maggie's generous, genuine way of moving through the world. I wonder what you will hear that resonates or challenges or invites you?

Songwriter Info: Maggie Wheeler is best known in the U.S and internationally for her work as an actress in film, television and voice-over and most notably as the character of Janice on NBC’s hit series Friends. Maggie is a passionate singer, songwriter, choir director and workshop facilitator. She has been teaching her vocal workshop "Singing In The Stream" for over 30 years at retreat centers, universities, communities and schools to provide the experience of creating interpersonal harmony and internal harmony through the powerful act of creating vocal harmony. Maggie directs the 100-voice Golden Bridge Community Choir in Hollywood, an inter-generational, non-auditioned choir now in its 17th year. She is a prolific songwriter with a catalog of powerful and timely songs that have been sung by choirs worldwide. Maggie’s original music for choirs and communities is available on Apple Music and other music platforms. To accompany her CD entitled 'Walk With Me’, Maggie created a songbook available by request through her website www.goldenbridgechoir.com Throughout this time of change Maggie continued the Golden Bridge Choir online producing virtual concerts and videos as well as hosting a weekly online community gathering called Together In Song, bringing together over 4000 people from around the world to join in the healing power of singing. 

​Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share but Maggie always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.

Links: 
Find Your Way Home, ABoS Ep 5: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/5-find-our-way-home
Rising Appalachia: https://www.risingappalachia.com/
Song Village: https://www.songvillage.net/
Emile Hassan Dyer: https://www.eomega.org/workshops/teachers/emile-hassan-dyer
Song Village Collaborators: https://www.songvillage.net/collaborators/
Yam and Jessi: Bliss is Ordinary podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bliss-is-ordinary/id1614727245
Ebeneezer Finds a Reason children’s Book: https://ebeneezersneezer.com/
Meredith Scott Lynn & Write Brain Books: https://writebrainbooks.com/view_page.php?pageid=3/
M. Kyle Hollingsworth: https://www.kylecreativeart.com/
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney: https://wimpykid.com/
Karly Loveling: https://eugeneweekly.com/2019/01/17/karly-loveling/​
Together in Song: https://www.goldenbridgechoir.com/together-in-song-video-archive
Flow Singing with Juneberry Music: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/sing-to-connect.html
Rhiannon: https://rhiannonmusic.com/circlesing 
Omega Workshop: 
https://www.eomega.org/workshops/singing-stream?itm_source_h=search&itm_source_s=search&itm_medium_h=tile&itm_medium_s=tile&itm_campaign_h=searchcr&itm_campaign_s=searchcr
Arnaé Batson: https://sivanandabahamas.org/presenter/arnae-batson/
Sivananda Ashram Retreat: https://sivanandabahamas.org/course/songs-of-sustenance-february-2023/
Aimée Ringle: http://www.aimeeringlemusic.com/
Heather Houston: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/
Sweet Honey in the Rock, Live at Carnegie Hall: https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-carnegie-hall-mw0000652837
Aimée Ringle Human and Tender: https://aimeeringle.bandcamp.com/album/human-and-tender
Olivia Barton & Corook - “If I Were a Fish” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx_vMONe3tM
Ahlay Blakely: https://www.healingattheroots.com/about
Golden Bridge Choir: https://www.goldenbridgechoir.com/
Maggie’s Instagram: ​​https://www.instagram.com/maggiewheeler_official/?hl=en
Maggie’s latest album that she was about to record after our interview: https://maggiewheeler.bandcamp.com/album/the-crow-calls
Go​​lden Bridge Choir’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldenbridgechoir/?hl=en
Maggie's Website: maggiewheeler.net

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:15
Start time of reprise: 00:54:54
​​​
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, harmonic minor scale, call & echo and 3 or 4 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: Chloë Rose Vispap-Rich has uncovered such a glorious both/and song for me. The golden beauty of clear boundaries and choice-making -- how we can delineate our lives in response to our deepest inner voice and knowing of what we need and want -- and at the same time, life is full and rich and complex, and we can release into the flow of it swirling around and through us, let ourselves be swept into the dance. Whee!!! The sweetness and gentleness of both clarity and acceptance, in a song that has light and movement. I feel so completely spoiled by getting to spend my time making this podcast.

​Songwriter Info: Chloë is a music therapist from London, England. She is part of the Natural Voice Network and leads a community singing group. Chloë likes to write and share easily accessible but moving songs. In 2020 (during the national lockdown) she wrote and produced a song book called Songs In Harmony , a collection of 10 songs in 2 and 3 part harmony. They are short songs with themes such as connection, going with the flow, absence, love and dreams. Breathe Along With Life is about simultaneously taking control of the path of your life whilst also going with the flow.​

Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Chloë for recording and/or performing permission at thesingingheartchoir@gmail.com

​Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 2-part -- melody and harmony

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 Emma's song ushers in the darkness and turning of the seasons with a lilt that includes a trust that the light will return. There's a softness and acceptance to the song that makes it easier to be present with the turning. Emma says the song "was born on a winter walk during Covid restrictions in the UK. I was finding some comfort in the unruffled flow of the seasons - 'time's soft unfolding'. 21st December is my late father's birthday as well as winter solstice, so this song is dedicated to him - I think he would have liked the words and the structure." 

Songwriter Info: Emma has been singing all her life and enjoys all styles of song and ensemble! When her daughter was born in 2018, she began an acapella singing group for local mums, and after joining the Singing Mamas network in 2020, was inspired to start writing her own songs, for herself, for her groups and songsharing colleagues. 

Links: 
Find Emma's album 'Light Returning' on Bandcamp https://emmamutter.bandcamp.com/album/light-returning
You can also find newer songs on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/emmamuttermusic
Contact Emma by email elrfmutter@gmail.com to buy the score (suggested contribution up to £5) and/or purchase the song on Bandcamp if you'd like to share this song as a songleader. Please contact Emma directly for recording or performing permissions.

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Aeolian (minor), harmonized melody with option of a 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: This is song is a taste of Heather Houston's creative, connecting powers -- Episode #75 will feature an intimate conversation with Heather. After she shares another of her songs, we'll delve into why song matters, why voices matter... and a really good soup! Meanwhile, I love this song for noticing the balance of shadow and light -- to me, it's a beautiful song to sing on cusps, like dawn or dusk. Recently, as I've been healing from tick-borne illness, I've hummed it to myself as I watch the shadows and light cross my bedroom wall, encouraging my body to find its way into balance.

Songwriter Info: Heather Houston is passionate about uplifting hearts, freeing voices, transforming lives, and building strong, loving communities through the power of singing. She spreads her magic through her 20+years of international song circle leading, private vocal coaching, and her online offerings - The Art of Mindful Singing, S.H.E. Sings, Singing as Sanctuary, and Sisters in Harmony Song and Chant Leader Training. You can now join her every Monday night on Zoom for a 2-hour Sisters in Harmony Global community song circle with guest artists!

Heather recently released her second solo album, Sisters of the Moon, which features the ethereal voices of her 40-voice women’s choir Yala Lati. Her first solo album, Prayers for the Water is a ZMR Top 10 album. You can find Heather’s music and her a cappella group SIRENZ on all of the streaming platforms and for download on her website.

Links: 
Website: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com
Albums
    Download: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/recordings/
    Streaming on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gw79r7NGOw6WF2bytPW5a?si=E0mvdKMpQ9ObjpRnhViDYQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherhoustonmusic
IG: HeatherHoustonMusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPr_m3bi0-TqhBFvJlD4pFA

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Dorian, 5-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: Ever feel stuck in a really bad place? The hobbits got stuck, and Gandalf blesses the eagles who rescue them. I chose to start this episode with a quote by Cynewulf (9?th century), one of the four Old English poets whose works survive today, because that was a time period J.R.R. Tolkien, (20th century) was deeply influenced by -- and here's Joshua Blaine setting this blessing in the 21st century. This makes for a great "setting-off" song -- and also a song of trust in that wind carrying. As I sing this, I love to feel a connection with something ancient in my own bones. I played with it as I shared it with you, making up extra parts at the end -- please, explore -- let the wind bear you! -- as you sing with me.

Songwriter Info: Joshua Blaine (he/him) is a community songleader, Jewish ritualist & storyteller, and resonant healing facilitator & coach. His work as a songleader began as an inquiry into the state of protest songs after the 2016 election, which sent him out on the road to interview dozens of musicians and song leaders for a project called “Finding Our Voice.” Since then, he’s been a humble servant of song, singing in capitol rotundas, at meetings & marches and around dinner tables across the country. Whether as a songleader, organizer, or resonant healing facilitator, he draws upon the rich tradition of both his recent and ancient Jewish ancestors of seeding resistance and resilience through song. After spending eight years in the heart of Texas, Joshua now resides in Providence on the oceanic lands of the Narragansett and Wampanoag, also known as Rhode Island.

Links: 
The song is free to share but Josh always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
http://linktr.ee/joshuahblaine
Joshua's live recording with a group (and his own Gandalf voice!)

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Minor (Dorian implied), 3 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: 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)
judivinar@gmail.com

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 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)
​
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!