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       Singing for Well Being

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An unusual email resource to tend and befriend you and our community as episodes are released. Artwork by Patty Piotrowski, Patricia's musing, and extras -- questions, occasional transcriptions, links to more community singing resources --- yummmmmmmmm!

Beautiful!!!

So glad you've joined us, listening to your own voice...

A welcome email with a request is winging your way right now. □

12/24/2025 4 Comments

216. I Believe with Guest Singers

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:24
Start time of reprise: 00:19:52
Lyrics:

*Soprano, Alto, Tenor*
I believe in the goodness, 
in the goodness of you, 
and the goodness of me, 
And the goodness of everybody

We were born to love, to love, to love 
We were born to love, to love, to love


*Bass*
Oh! I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe in everybody
We, we were born to love, to love
Picture
Song: I Believe
Music by: Una McCann

Guest singers:​ Rebecca Csuy, Seth Norton, Tom Norton, Marika Tabilio

Notes: You'll hear a wonderful group of singers helping me cover all the ranges of this song: Tom and Seth bring the bass, Marika nails the tenor, Rebecca lines up the alto, and I take on soprano. There's a bit of octave confusion -- where do we find these pitches in our different voices?! And then this fabulous song and groove reminds us to see the goodness -- in you, in me, in everybody. So grateful to Una McCann for living into the teachings of Tara Brach and catching this song that feels so good to have singing in my body! Wishing everyone a week of discovery and festive comradery, whether you are celebrating holy days or simply the close of 2025...

Songwriter Info:
Una McCann is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she works as a choir leader and songwriter.  She has been leading groups in harmony since her school days and has been working professionally with choirs for 15 years.  
Currently the chair of the Natural Voice Network, Una runs 6 Natural Voice style weekly choirs.  She also enjoys running singing holidays and retreats.   
Una is passionate about the power of creativity to transform lives and encourages her singers to improvise, play and explore their own creativity.
Song writing is a part of life that sustains and supports Una.  She writes melodies and words that she needs to hear in that moment and is always delighted when they resonate with other people too.  
I Believe was born out of the wish to always see the best in people even when it’s hard and we don’t want to, and to remember that underneath all of us is someone who just wants to be happy. We all come from love but sometimes we lose our way a bit. 
It was inspired by listening to Tara Brach who creates beautiful talks on topics such as this.

Sharing Info: Please buy sheet music on Una's website (see below) if you plan to share this song as a songleader.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:24
Start time of reprise: 00:19:52

Links:
Una's website: www.unamccann.org
Sheet music for this song: https://unamccann.org/product/i-believe/ 
Una's Instagram: www.instagram.com/unamccann47
Una's Facebook (Una McCann Music): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558408430060 
Tara Brach's website: www.tarabrach.com
Natural Voice Network: www.naturalvoice.net 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 2 layers, one layer with melody & two harmonies

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4 Comments

12/17/2025 0 Comments

215. What A Gift with guest Angela Gabriel

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:55
Start time of reprise: 01:22:01
Lyrics:

What a gift, what a gift,
what a gift it is to sing.
What a gift it is to sing 
right now with you!

What a gift it is to sing with you,
when I’m happy!
What a gift it is to sing with you,
when I’m blue!

Picture
Song: What A Gift
Music by: Angela Gabriel

Notes: What a gift it was to be in conversation with Angela Gabriel -- we talked about how to deal with having been "poked in the voice" -- and the sensation of healthy singing. -- What was "one of the most idea shattering things" Angela has ever done in her life, and how "that butterfly excitement" led her there. How she's gotten to a place where, "I don't shame myself anymore," and a slew of adulting tactics she practices. ("I have a lot of arrows in my quiver.") How community singing can show up in activist spaces, where "it is difficult, but it doesn't have to be somber." How she sets up her own space -- "I actively choose to make it colorful..." and how that helps with healing. "The tremble" when singing for someone who is dying. Percussion and how it that has made Angela's voice distinctive in community singing songs... SO many things I loved in our conversation, not to mention this song!

Songwriter Info: Angela is a performer, a teacher, a facilitator, and a lifelong learner. Her mission in life is to facilitate expressive creative, musical, and vocal experiences and to encourage folks of any age and background to replace judgement with curiosity and open themselves to their unique, creative flow.

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

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:55
Start time of reprise: 01:22:01

Links:
Moira Smiley: Leather Britches: https://moirasmiley.com/downloads/leather-britches-2/ 
“The Truth” – Velma Frye: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/18-the-truth#/ 
Josh Habermann – Santa Fe Desert Chorale: https://desertchorale.org/about/our-people/#artistic_director 
Susan Swaney – choir director in Bloomington UU church: https://www.uubloomington.org/about/our-ministers-and-staff/ 
Kate Munger – Women Singing In Circle retreat: https://www.lamafoundation.org/engage/events/women-singing/ 
Threshold Choirs: https://thresholdchoir.org/ 
Melanie DeMore: https://melaniedemore.com/
Becky Reardon: https://beckyreardonmusic.com/ 
Terri Garthwaite: https://terrygarthwaite.com/ 
Poor People’s Campaign: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/ 
Pam Blevins Hinkle – No Kings Song doesn't seem to be online yet, but her website is https://pamblevinshinkle.com/ 
Online group called “Lumos Transforms”: https://lumos-transforms.mn.co/ 
PetCanvas: https://mypetcanvas.com/ 
Mbira: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbira 
Unitarian Universalist Church in Bloomington, IN: https://www.uubloomington.org/ 
Rhiannon’s All the Way In improvisation class: https://rhiannonmusic.com/2026-all-the-way-in 
“I live my life in a river of grace…” Kate Munger: https://thresholdchoir.bandcamp.com/track/life-grace-trust 
Yes – Fragile: https://www.yesworld.com/discography/fragile/ 
Willow Smith – Empathogen: https://willowsmith.com/products/empathogen-digital-download 
Angela's website: www.angelagabriel.me 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, blues minor, 2 layers and body percussion

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.  https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
0 Comments

12/10/2025 6 Comments

214. Make Good Trouble with Family Singers

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:56
Start time of whole song: 00:09:21
Lyrics:

This is the struggle of a lifetime (2x)
Never ever be afraid to make some noise, and make good trouble.
Make good trouble; necessary trouble.

From the words of John Lewis:
​“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Picture
Song: Make Good Trouble
Music by: Angela Gabriel

Notes: I had the privilege of recording this song together with many members of my familiy -- and something happens on this recording that is very common in community singing -- I started in the key of A minor, and group wisdom decided that the key of A-flat minor, slightly lower, felt better in our collective voice! So you'll hear us readjusting together to reach an agreed sound, and what's cool is we all get there. Rather than rerecord to get an ordinary "perfectly pitched" recording, I decided to stay with the energy of the moment -- that really beautiful feel of connection that we had in that room -- because that's what this song is encourages. We support each other to speak up, to disrupt when needed, to make good, necessary trouble! You'll hear the six-year-old in the room leading some warm ups, and even a blooper at the end (never telling whose phone it was....)

Songwriter Info: Angela is a performer, a teacher, a facilitator, and a lifelong learner. Her mission in life is to facilitate expressive creative, musical, and vocal experiences and to encourage folks of any age and background to replace judgement with curiosity and open themselves to their unique, creative flow.

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

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:56
Start time of whole song: 00:09:21

Links:
Angela's website: www.angelagabriel.me 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3 layers, each harmonized

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support. 
https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
6 Comments

11/5/2025 0 Comments

210. In This House with guests MaMuse

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:56
Start time of reprise: 01:03:15
Lyrics:

In this house, we lead with love.
In this house, we lift each other up.
In this house, we learn to fly with the dove.
Oh, this is the house we've been dreaming of.
Oh, this is the house we've been dreaming of.
So come on over (come on over),
Welcome in (welcome in),
Come on over (come on over).
Let's be friends (let's be friends).
Come on over (come on over).
There is enough.
Oh, this is the house we've been dreaming of.
Oh, this is the house we've been dreaming of. 
Picture
Song: In This House
Music by: Karisha Longaker of MaMuse

Notes: Today we get “right in the river, totally listening, totally all in” with MaMuse, the duo of Sorah Nutting and Karisha Longaker, whose description of songcatching is what I just quoted. I came out of our conversation thinking about so many things -- how we see and appreciate those we love, kindness as our common wealth, danceable songs, being led by feeling and what's insanely fun, and especially house rules for how we be in the world... which comes from "In This House." I was singing harmony with them by the time we sang the song the second time, so you'll hear me making stuff up... partly because of the big, beautiful permission Karisha and Sorah give each other and us to celebrate creativity. I hope you feel that extra space and encouragement, too, after you sing with us!

Songwriter Info: MaMuse (“Ma” as in Mamma; “Muse” as in the one who inspires) was born out of a collaboration between songwriters Karisha Longaker and Sorah Nutting. 2008 was a year of great alchemy. Fires erupted in Northern California, a great wind of inspiration blew through, catalyzing a series of songs written from the soil and rivers, ash and heat of Chico where these two musicians met.
In the early days these troubadours toted instruments around town by bicycle and shared their songs at farmers markets, community gatherings, small cafes and festivals. Not too long after, these two voices became iconic to the Chico community, representing idyllic values of friendship, community, love for nature and care for Self and World. The love spread, sisterhood held strong through two decades of LIFE: children, relationships arriving and dissolving, making home in many new places. 
MaMuse songs such as “We Shall Be Known” and “Hallelujah” have sprouted wings and are now sung at the bed sides of birthing mothers, round campfires, at weddings and funerals... All places where people are gathered to celebrate and to mourn. These are songs born of the Folk lineage; songs for all of us.

Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Karisha and Sorah always welcome financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:56
Start time of reprise: 01:03:15

Links:
Show info, bookings and newsletter signup: www.mamuse.org 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mamusemusic 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaMuseMusic 
Patreon: www.patreon.com/mamuse
Download and contribute to recorded music funds: mamuse.bandcamp.com 
Song Village in Santa Cruz: https://www.songvillage.net/ 
Kirtan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtan 
ReMuse: https://mamuse.bandcamp.com/album/remuse 
Patrick/FunkPharm who produced ReMuse: https://www.instagram.com/funkpharm/ 
Tidal as a subscription platform: https://tidal.com/ 
Community Choir Leadership Training in Canada: https://www.communitychoirleadership.com/ 
Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion duet competition October 2012: https://www.prairiehome.org/shows/47951.html 
Arnaé Batson: https://www.eomega.org/people/arnae-batson 
Scott Elliot Ferreter (guitar and bass): https://www.scottelliottferreter.com/ 
Trying Time album: https://open.spotify.com/album/3BSIiZwg5MdqY6OuVLRMdR 
Nathan Dittle (keyboard/piano): https://www.instagram.com/redbeardthecat/ 
Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder: https://open.spotify.com/album/6YUCc2RiXcEKS9ibuZxjt0 
Blue by Joni Mitchell: https://open.spotify.com/album/1vz94WpXDVYIEGja8cjFNa 
Aimée Ringle – Human and Tender: https://aimeeringle.bandcamp.com/album/human-and-tender 
A Breath of Song conversation with Aimée Ringle: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/160-o-spirit-guide-me-to-those-i-need-with-guest-aimee-ringle#/ 
Melanie DeMore: https://melaniedemore.com/ 
A Breath of Song conversation with Melanie DeMore: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/175-one-footlead-with-love-with-guest-melanie-demore#/ 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, harmonized, call and echo

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.  https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
0 Comments

7/2/2025 0 Comments

195. Get Up with guest Barbara McAfee

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:43
Start time of bonus song: 00:47:50
Start time of reprise: 01:03:55
Lyrics: 

Badap, badadada dadap, 
ba da bada dadap, badadada da...

If your business is waking up the dead.
 
Get up, get up, get up - today is a workday. 

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. 
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight. 


 -- Lyrics from the work of Angeles Arrien and Bob Marley and Peter Tosh
Picture
Song: Get Up
Music by: Barbara McAfee
Additional vocals by: Lia Falls

Notes: Barbara McAfee describes herself as "A nice Minnesota girl -- I like things that work!" -- and in her framework of the Full Voice, she has shaped the teachings of skilled choir leaders and the Roy Hart vocal work, as well as her own discovery of her voice into just that -- a framework that works! She says, “I’ve never believed more in the need for people to find their own voice…” and observes the deep courage of people coming to community sings for the first time after vocal wounding. The work of Angeles Arrien inspired Barbara in her own journey, and this song pulls in the grittiness and determination needed to keep waking up. Barbara adds a surprise bonus song in the middle of the episode -- "May It Go Easy As You Go" -- as we talk about singing as a way of saying what's hard to say. So much more in this conversation -- "twisting on a meathook", scheduling "workity-work" things, doing laundry before listening to the muse -- enjoy Barbara's Full Voice, and let it help you find yours!

Songwriter Info: Barbara lives on the wild and scenic St Croix River about an hour from Minneapolis/St Paul. She is a master voice coach, songwriter, song leader, hospice choir director, long distance swimmer, poet, and author of Full Voice. She feels so lucky to be alive on planet Earth.

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Barbara for recording and/or performing permission.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:43
Start time of bonus song: 00:47:50
Start time of reprise: 01:03:55

Links:
Barbara's website: www.barbaramcafee.com 
Barbara's community singing page: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/community-singing.html 
Barbara's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barbaramcafee 
Barbara's first TEDx talk about Full Voice: 
https://youtu.be/Ze763kgrWGg?si=hueWlQGYCqtDrarr
Song: "May You Go Easy"​ https://soundcloud.com/barbara-mcafee/may-you-go-easy-for-tom
Lia Falls: https://soundcloud.com/user-860092984 
Diana Ross: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Ross 
Full Voice: https://books.google.com/books?id=pETKks1jdKUC 
Saule Ryan/Roy Hart Centre: https://roy-hart-theatre.com/teachers/saule-ryan/ 
Rhiannon: https://rhiannonmusic.com/ 
Daniel Nelson: https://www.facebook.com/singingfortheearth/ 
Jenna Lindbo: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jenna-lindbo/395790602 
The story of Inanna: https://tamedwild.com/a/blog/storytime-inanna-descent-into-the-underworld 
Te Martin: https://soundcloud.com/temartinmusic 
Lyndsey Scott: https://www.lyndseyscott.earth/ 
Sarina Partridge: https://sarinapartridge.com/ 
Heidi Wilson: https://heidiannwilson.com/ 
Laurence Cole: https://www.laurencecole.com/ 
Melanie DeMore: https://melaniedemore.com/ 
Joni Mitchell’s Blue album: https://open.spotify.com/album/1vz94WpXDVYIEGja8cjFNa 
Jon Batiste: https://www.jonbatiste.com/ 
Jacob Collier: https://www.jacobcollier.com/ 

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, minor, 4.5 layers

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.  https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
0 Comments

6/4/2025 0 Comments

192. Freedom Over Fear

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:45
Start time of reprise: 00:16:35

​Lyrics:

I choose freedom over fear in my heart 
I choose freedom over fear in my bones 
I choose freedom over fear in my home 
Freedom in my song
Picture
Song: Freedom Over Fear
Music by: Tembre de Carteret

Notes: Which freedoms do we get to choose? What are the places or times in your life when certain freedoms were not available? Have you ever lost freedoms because of violence or threat? Sometimes it's hard to release fears that may have helped protect us in the past -- and sometimes the feeling of letting go of fear is like standing on an ocean cliff, proclaiming again and again, "I choose freedom over fear!"

Songwriter Info: Tembre de Carteret lives in County Clare, Ireland, and has led a beautiful online singing circle called "We May Sing" since 2020. You can learn more about her and the way in which she facilitates, mentors, and builds song communities at her website, www.tembresong.com

Sharing Info: Tembre says: "This song is free to share with your circle of loved ones and singing group. I just ask you credit me and I whole heartedly welcome any recording/video you do of the song with your group, please send to me."

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:45
Start time of reprise: 00:16:35

Links:
Tembre's website: http://www.tembresong.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tembre.decarteret 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tembredecarteret/ 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5NOOeWM2w3Og68acT2zPei 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhgwiqOGcvICIjSsJq6iJg 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 3-layer

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.  https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
0 Comments

5/21/2025 0 Comments

190. In the Spring with guest Yuri Woodstock

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:44
Start time of reprise: 01:02:21

Lyrics:


In the spring, among the flowers
Bird song rings in the morning hours
Sun is up and the day is bright
What a time to unleash your light!

Picture
Song: In the Spring
Music by: Yuri Woodstock

Notes: Yuri Woodstock describes himself as the "bossy pirate in the middle of the room" when songleading, and tells a supernatural story of his phone bringing him song advice. He also describes why he thinks his song gatherings have grown so large, why he's now living in a "housey-house" (and what he did before), how literally letting his hair down helped him "tease out the subtle mystery" of what makes him feel most like himself. Fortunately for us, that includes songleading and writing this joyous spring round. You'll learn it with me (and hopefully not mess it up with me when I go a bit wonkers at one point!) We talk about the importance of noticing when you're okay, not giving "the stank-eye" to people who miss notes, and how his brother, Jonah, helps kickstart his songs.

Songwriter Info: Yuri Woodstock is a community song leader based in Asheville, NC, who has run the now 180-member Hark! Community Choir for the past seven years. It is a non-performing, non-auditioned group that sings for joy and connection. He specializes in quick teaches of layer songs and SATB bangers that are easy to learn and fun to sing. Often Hark! feels like a singing dance party.

Sharing Info: Fully free, no donation requested

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:44
Start time of reprise: 01:02:21

Links:
Yuri's website: https://www.weringlikebells.com/ 
Yuri's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weringlikebells/ 
Village Fire: http://www.villagefiresinging.org/ 
Jonah Woodstock: https://www.woodstockbookstock.com/ 
Community Choir Leadership Training – CCLT: https://www.communitychoirleadership.com/ 
Tebe Poem: https://www.omniglot.com/songs/bcc/tebepoem.htm 
The Wild Ashville Community chorus with Susannah Park: https://www.wildashevillecommunitychorus.com/about-1 
Laurence Cole: Let Things Ripen and Then Fall: https://www.laurencecole.com/album/let-things-ripen/ 
Shireen Amini: The Sun Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vLa23Lfe5w 
Bex Lipps: Take Your Medicine: https://music.apple.com/au/album/take-your-medicine-single/1729594936 
Karly Loveling: I’ve Got a Fire: https://karlyloveling.bandcamp.com/track/ive-got-a-fire-2 
Alexa Sunshine Rose: Pool of Love: https://alexasunshinerose.bandcamp.com/track/pool-of-love 
Kira Seto: https://www.instagram.com/kira.is.singing/ 
Heather Houston: https://www.instagram.com/heatherhoustonmusic/ 
“We contain multitudes.” - Walt Whitman: https://poets.org/poem/song-myself-51 
“Shrinking”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15677150/ 
Laurence Cole: “Notice where you are” from "Attention is the Healer": https://www.laurencecole.com/album/attention-is-the-healer/ 
The Strokes: "Is This It": https://music.apple.com/us/album/is-this-it/266376953 
Double syrinx birds – veery or hermit thrush: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/sounds 
The Bowerbirds: “Tuck the Darkness In”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeFTPj8zljQ 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, round

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.  https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
0 Comments

4/23/2025 0 Comments

187. Where Am I Going To?

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:19
Start time of reprise: 00:11:40

​Lyrics:


Where am I going to, what am I walking toward?

I'm gonna breathe

Into the flow, flow, flowing.

Picture
Song: Where Am I Going To?
Music by: Patricia Norton

Notes: I heard adrienne maree brown describe humans as "bags of water" -- humans on average are around 60% water.... like a delta, or the land around a pond or river with its banks, or a bathtub and its water pipes -- we are a way of shaping water -- we are, literally, a flow. This song was born in motion, the kind of walking where the rhythm of your steps and breath becomes the soundscape, and you can release everything else, dropping into the flow.

Songwriter Info: Patricia loves to walk fast from one spring wildflower to the next -- averages out to a stroll! 

Sharing Info: Please share freely, and let people know about A Breath of Song when you do.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:19
Start time of reprise: 00:11:40

Links:
Flow Singing: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/flow-singing.html 
All of what I'm up to: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/ 
Kindred Voices Retreat: https://kindredvoicesretreat.com 

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, round or 3 layers

Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.  https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
0 Comments

3/5/2025 0 Comments

181. Extraordinary Magic with singer Rebecca Csuy

« PreviousNext »
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:35
Start time of reprise: 00:15:14

​Lyrics:


I see you, I hear you,
I hold this space for you;
and I am a witness
to your extraordinary magic!

(repeat 3x)

I see you, I hear you,
I hold this space for you;
and I am a witness
to the extraordinary magic in you!

Picture
Song: Extraordinary Magic
Music by: Judy Tse

Notes: Judy describes the act of witnessing beautifully -- and this song is one that feels so good to have echoing in my head as I practice holding space for other people... really being present and seeing them fully. That seems to get harder and harder as people get older and make choices we disagree with or are harmful. But wishing them well, looking for the extraordinary magic that is in them, even while being clear-sighted about behaviors -- while not always easy, it feels like a way of being I personally aspire to!

Songwriter Info: Judy Tse participated in the A Breath of Song retreat in 2024! About this song, Judy says: "Being a witness to someone; really being present for a person by listening actively + not trying to fix or 'make better', is one of the greatest gifts one person can give another."

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Judy for recording and/or performing permission. (You can write Patricia at [email protected] to be connected with Judy.)

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:35
Start time of reprise: 00:15:14

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, unison or harmonized

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1/15/2025 0 Comments

175. One Foot/Lead with Love with guest Melanie DeMore

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:56
Start time of reprise: 01:12:05
Lyrics:

Chorus: 
You gotta put one foot in front of the other,
and lead with love, put
one foot in front of the other, and lead with love.

(2x)

Verses (call and echo)
1. Don't give up hope,
you're not alone!
Don't you give up --
keep moving on.


2. Lift up your eyes,
don't you despair!
Look up ahead;
the path is there.


3. I know you're scared
and I'm scared, too!
But here I am
right next to you.

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Song: One Foot/Lead with Love
Music by: Melanie DeMore

Notes: Melanie DeMore both entrances and intimidates people -- she is direct, funny, a fabulous story-teller, and fierce and broad in her love. I have to apologize to listeners for the sound quality of this interview -- we had some microphone glitches on both sides that means despite the best sound studio wizardry I could come up with, there's some distortion, and it's not the usual quality of sound. But the quality of content -- where it counts -- is top-notch. Melanie shares One Foot/Lead with Love, including the story of what sparked its creation. She talks about her family, and how the wisdom and experiences of her parents shaped the way she approaches people who hold different world views. We talk about coyotes, kids, accolades, how she takes care of herself on tour as a "4-star, card-carrying introvert". She sends us out with a charge: “Here’s what you need to do, people out there: keep your head up. Keep your heart wide open. Remember to breathe, and keep doing the work. Sing on.”

Songwriter Info: Melanie DeMore is a 3 time Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director, and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. In her presentations, DeMore beautifully brings her participants together through her music and commentary. DeMore facilitates vocal and stick-pounding workshops for professional choirs, and community groups as well as directing numerous choral organizations across the U.S, Canada, and beyond. She is a featured presenter of SpeakOut!-The Institute for Social and Cultural Change, the Master Teaching Artist for Music at UC Berkeley/CalPerformances; works with everyone from Baptists to Buddhists, and was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. She is Music Director for Obeah Opera by Nicole Brooks and will be touring with the company to South Africa. She is a charter member of Threshold Choir founded by Kate Munger, a mentor to the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and conducts song circles with an emphasis on the voice as a vessel for healing. In her own words: "A song can hold you up when there seems to be no ground beneath you."

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Melanie for recording and/or performing permission.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:56
Start time of reprise: 01:12:05

Links:
Lady of Peace – written by Melanie for her mom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Clq6DHpNA 
Threshold Choir: https://thresholdchoir.org/ 
Children’s Music Network: https://childrensmusic.org/ 
Bessie Jones: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1BUnRZrkCS0NoTiXefkW6U 
Ella Jenkins: https://ellajenkins.com/ 
Oakland Youth Chorus: https://www.oigc.org/oyc 
Obeah Opera (South African/Toronto) – about Tituba: https://obeahopera.com/ 
All One Tribe collective album: https://open.spotify.com/album/1EEVSonqRIjEB0DapNIRs8 
Melanie's GoFundMe for a home in Taos, NM: https://gofund.me/6be198cb 
Taos pueblo – Tewa people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tewa 
Bebe & Cece Winans – gospel singers: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3WNUkxJcJeliFx9KXWXMgs 
John Lewis: https://civilrightstrail.com/experience/rep-john-lewis/ 
Margaret Nes - visual artist: https://www.ventanafineart.com/margaret-nes 
Something Moving by Mary Watkins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3RTzI4-j64 
Whirimako Black: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dzCFvKwiJQ4w9ViwLzs49 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanie.demore/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butchyg3/ 
Melanie's email: melaniedemore(at)earthlink.net

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, call & echo, chorus & verse, 3-part harmony on chorus

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2/28/2024 8 Comments

137. Kick Up Your Heels!

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Song Learning Time Stamps: 
Start time of teaching:  00:03:37
Start time of reprise: 00:12:34
Lyrics:
Sometimes you just gotta,
gotta celebrate,
kick up your heels and
dance!
​
Sometimes you just gotta,
gotta celebrate,
spread your wings and
lift your hands…


High yo-dn (4x)
High!
Ah ah ah ah
un-day-i-o.

(2x)
Picture
Song: Kick Up Your Heels!
​Music: ​Patricia Norton

​Notes: 
You know how sometimes happiness just bubbles up inside you and it feels like the world is unbelievably sweet? And then maybe, you get a little voice that says, "If you notice it, it's gonna disappear!" Or, "Don't be too happy, it attracts bad luck!" Or any other little fear message that says it's not okay to be purely happy for a moment? This song was my way of letting that go, dancing crazy around my living room and kitchen, lifting my hands high, high and releasing into the glow! On February 24th, 2024, A Breath of Song reached 51.5k downloads and we opened registration for our first-ever retreat... and we sang this song in a crowded Zoom room to celebrate big.

Songwriter Info: In addition to hosting this podcast and an online singing program, Pocket Songs, Patricia is excited to be developing an in-person community singing program in Burlington, Vermont. You can find more details about that at the Juneberry Music site. Patricia believes in singing as a part of vibrant well-being, experiencing wholeness, courage, connection and joy along with brokenness, fear, loneliness, and despair... trusting the whole messy catastrophe! She lives with her long-time beloved, Tom, in a small townhouse close to their daughter's family (the better to play with their grand). Patricia reads widely, and also spends time exploring the natural world on these Abenaki lands, knitting, and reluctantly strength-training.

Sharing Info:  You are welcome to share this song; please contact Patricia directly for sheet music or permission to record or perform. She always appreciates hearing about how the song travels.

Song Learning Time Stamps: 
Start time of teaching:  00:03:37
Start time of reprise: 00:12:34


Links: 
Patricia's Website: https://www.juneberrymusic.com
A Breath of Song on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/juneberrymusic
A Breath of Song on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abreathofsongpodcast

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, aeolian with some chromaticism, round
​
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8 Comments

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Come sing songs to help uncover wellness! We present these companion songs in a relaxed way that makes it easy to learn and join in.
All original art by Patty Piotrowski,
pocket song singer
Logo by Patricia Norton,
aided and abetted by Hannah Gross
All text content (except quotes)
created by Patricia Norton
​©2024 Juneberry Music, LLC

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