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    66. We're Not Walking Alone

    4:4 Earth Empower Friendship Heal Journey Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Layer Trust
    Song: We're Not Walking Alone
    Words & Music​ by Ríomas Amini (formerly Shireen Amini)
    Lyrics
    We're not walking alone, we're just walking upon our home.
    ​This is where we belong -- nature sing us a healing song.
    Picture
    Notes: This is the determined, comforting chorus of Ríomas Amini's song, "We're Not Walking Alone". I love 'walking music' -- and this is one of my go-to's when I'm looking for an up-tempo walk. I'll sing the different parts consecutively, and if I can rope a co-walker into singing one of the parts, even better! Ríomas says nature is the "enwrapping companion" that lets their own answers arise. The first verse of this song is, "When we stop trying to force all the answers -- 'cause they never will come from the mind -- they will come from a place that is peaceful; take a walk on the land, they will arise." I love the sense that the land itself is willing to care and tend us, and is, in the deepest sense, our home.
    ​
    Songwriter Info: Ríomas Amini (non-binary human using they/them pronouns) is a queer, Puerto Rican-Iranian, Earth-loving singer-songwriter, performer, percussionist and teaching artist. With a BA in Ethnomusicology from UCLA and a certificate in Sound, Voice, and Music Healing from CIIS in San Francisco, Ríomas has also come to believe strongly in music as a tool for personal and collective transformation. As a songleader, Ríomas loves to share medicine songs with healing and empowering messages, infectious grooves, and soulful melodies, often engaging their participants in rhythmic play and movement while singing. They also offers music classes, facilitation, and coaching for their local and virtual communities through their project Shireen Amini Music Medicine.

    Links: 
    Listen to Ríomas's recording of the whole song from their album, "Break Myself Free": https://youtu.be/UWlLZ_36iVI
    Ríomas website
    Ríomas's community singing website
    Ríomas on facebook
    Ríomas on Instagram (@shireenaminimusic)

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, 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!
  • Published on

    65. Loving-Kindness with Guest Wendy Luella Perkins

    2:2 3:4 4:4 Accept Calm Celebrate Flex Flow Generosity Journey Pain Rest Scale: Aeolian (minor) Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Unison Song Form: Zipper Tend Trust
    Lyrics to all six songs shared in this episode
    ​by Wendy Luella Perkins
    LOVING-KINDNESS TO THE WHOLE
    © April 17-19, 2022 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 5'42"
    In bed with lots of sciatic pain and began singing loving-kindness to my leg, my ankles, etc (as an add on to my body scan)…later on morning walk this was created.

    loving-kindness to my body
    loving-kindness to my mind
    loving-kindness to each and every joy
    and heartbreak of my time
    loving-kindness to my spirit
    loving-kindness to my soul
    loving-kindness to each and every part
    loving-kindness to the whole

    zipper: your body, our bodies, all bodies

    WHEN ALL IS SWIRLING
    ©2004 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 19'31"

    when all is swirling in my heart
    quiet come
    take rest in me

    zipper: busy, worry, hurry, troubled, etc

    WE’RE ALL CONNECTED
    ©2020 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 21'10"

    we’re all connected, bird, cloud and tree
    we’re all connected, earth, wind and sea
    an interwoven, exquisite tapestry
    we’re all connected, breath, you and me

    ​IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A SONG OR TWO
    ©2022 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 35'10"

    it's good to have a song or two
    when the road gets bumpy
    it's good to have a song or two
    on this journey
    ​
    Picture

    ​TRUST IN THE POWER
    ©2021 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 48'28"

    i'm gonna trust in the power
    trust in the power
    the power of love
    i'm gonna trust in the power
    trust in the power
    the power of love

    zipper: song, care, story, etc.

    TO LOVE I DO RETURN
    ©2021 - Wendy Luella Perkins
    timestamp in episode: 55'50"

    to love i do return
    to love i do return
    when my heart breaks open
    to this broken world
    to love i do return

    zipper: song, action, courage, kindness etc.
    Notes: Wendy Luella Perkins sings to telemarketers, tells of her brother choosing her for his show-and-tell, and why she has a tik-tok channel. She talks about auditory memory, singing as refuge, and the reclamation of her voice. She describes the transition from singer/songwriter work into the Soulful Singing in 2002, and the challenges unique to this kind of therapeutic singing which is not professional therapy. We have the awkward conversation about money -- is it possible to make a living as a songwriter without commodifying song, which is a birthright? Patty Piotrowski has created the most appropriate beautiful art in my mind because of the generosity and openness of the bloom.

    Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins has been singing and making up songs since she was a very young child. When she was three years old, her older brother, Tim, took her to school as his Show+Tell item saying, “this is my sister Wendy Lu, listen to her sing!” She's been going strong ever since. As a singer-songwriter, Unitarian Universalist community minister, and founder, in 2002 of Soulful Singing (singing meditation for all) Wendy Luella leverages the power of song to build authentic, healing and joyful communities.

    A prolific writer of folk songs and meditative chants and supportive guide who helps others to create their own songs, Wendy Luella's greatest joy is to bring friends and strangers together in the transformational circle of song. Wendy Luella has produced three CDs of original music, which you can find on her website. As a response to pandemic restrictions and recognizing the need to keep on singing in community, especially in difficult times, Wendy Luella transitioned Soulful Singing to online sessions in March 2020. Soulful Singers from all over have been gathering online EVERY SINGLE DAY since then and once a week on THURSDAY evenings.
    ​
    Everyone is welcome to join Soulful Singing via Zoom. Singing daily over the last 875+ days with wonderful folks from Kingston and around the world has encouraged Wendy Luella to share her original songs more broadly in what she calls her “Song Liberation Project” (The SLiP). She has written hundreds of songs and with The SLiP is sharing them one by one on TikTok. Wendy Luella grew up in rural Nova Scotia, and has lived in Kingston Ontario for over 25 years with her sweetheart and fellow musician, Charlie Walker. She loves waking early, walking daily, eating communally, crafting publicly, sharing deeply, gardening bountifully, laughing abundantly and of course, singing soulfully!

    Links: 
    Wendy Luella's website: https://www.wendyluellaperkins.com
    and tiktok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyluellaperkins
    To email Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com
    To join Soulful Singing every day from 9:00-9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, please click here for information: Wendy Luella Perkins | SoulfulSinging
    (notice you'll need to email ahead of time to receive a link for joining, so don't leave it to the very last minute!)
    Album that mattered: Joni Mitchell, Blue
    Songwriter Wendy Lu wishes more people would listen to: Coco Love Alcorn

    Nuts & Bolts: 
    ​Loving-Kindness: 3:4, major, zipper. Time: 5'42" 
    When All Is Swirling: 2:2, minor, zipper. Time: 19'31"
    We're All Connected: 4:4, major, unison. Time: 21'10" 
    It's Good to Have a Song or Two: 4:4, major, unison. Time: 35'10" 
    Trust In the Power: 4:4, major, zipper. Time: 48' 28" 
    To Love I Do Return: 3:4, major, zipper. Time: 55'50"

    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!
  • Published on

    64. Mourning Dove

    4:4 Be Grateful Be Present Calm Grieve Notice Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Unison Trust
    Song: Mourning Dove
    Words & Music​ by Wendy Luella Perkins,
    ©2020 Wendy Luella Perkins
    Lyrics
    i awoke to the coos of a mourning dove
    a mourning dove
    a mourning dove
    and her sad, sweet song drifted down from above
    drifted down from above
    drifted down from above​
    Picture
    Notes: This poignant song by Wendy Luella Perkins comes from early on in the pandemic -- a time of fear and grieving -- yet also, in the early mornings, the streets were so unusually quiet in the cities that birdsong was clearly audible.  You'll be able to hear the echo of a dove call in the melody, which I teach with extra care so you can feel comfortable and relaxed singing it. This song helps me notice what I'm hearing around me -- and when I notice the sounds around me, I drop into the present micro-second, where all is well. In the next episode, there's a songwriter conversation with Wendy Luella, which includes not one, not two, but four songs that can be personal assistants as we heal, adapt, and grow.

    Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins has been singing and making up songs since she was a very young child. When she was three years old, her older brother, Tim, took her to school as his Show+Tell item saying “this is my sister Wendy Lu, listen to her sing!” She's been going strong ever since. As a singer-songwriter, Unitarian Universalist community minister, and founder, in 2002 of Soulful Singing (singing meditation for all) Wendy Luella leverages the power of song to build authentic, healing and joyful communities.

    A prolific writer of folk songs and meditative chants and supportive guide who helps others to create their own songs, Wendy Luella's greatest joy is to bring friends and strangers together in the transformational circle of song. Wendy Luella has produced three CDs of original music, which you can find on her website. As a response to pandemic restrictions, and recognizing the need to keep on singing in community, especially in difficult times, Wendy Luella transitioned Soulful Singing to online sessions in March 2020. Soulful Singers from all over have been gathering online EVERY SINGLE DAY since then and once a week on THURSDAY evenings.
    ​
    Everyone is welcome to join Soulful Singing via Zoom. Singing daily over the last 875+ days with wonderful folks from Kingston and around the world has encouraged Wendy Luella to share her original songs more broadly in what she calls her “Song Liberation Project” (The SLiP). She has written hundreds of songs and with The SLiP is sharing them one by one on TikTok. Wendy Luella grew up in rural Nova Scotia, and has lived in Kingston Ontario for over 25 years with her sweetheart and fellow musician, Charlie Walker. She loves waking early, walking daily, eating communally, crafting publicly, sharing deeply, gardening bountifully, laughing abundantly and of course, singing soulfully!

    Links: 
    Wendy Luella's website: https://www.wendyluellaperkins.com
    andtiktok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyluellaperkins
    To email Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Ionian (major), unison, 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!
  • Published on

    63. Awaken Me

    4:4 Be Present Celebrate Grow Notice Open Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Layer Song Form: Verse & Chorus
    Song: Awaken Me
    Words & Music​ by Abigail Spinner McBride
    Lyrics
    1. Open my eyes to the miracles around me,
    wake me up, wake me up.
    (2x)
    2. Shake me from my sleep and stir me from my dreaming.
    wake me up, wake me up.
    (2x)
    ​
    Chorus: Awaken me. (4x)
    Picture
    Notes: Abigail Spinner McBride has one of those stories -- a choir director once told her, "Don't sing, honey, because no one wants to hear your voice." This year she was chosen as Best Female Vocalist of the Year 2022 at the International Pagan Music Awards. I love me a story that says that though we may have had messages like that in the past -- interactions that shut us down either with dismissal or by sky-high expectations -- those messages say nothing real about us or our potential. Our excitement can be to wake to our own voices, come out of a dream state and notice what is actually real, around us, right now. I love this song for its high energy of opening and possibility.

    Songwriter Info: Abigail Spinner McBride has been creating pagan chants in the Earth-Spirit community since the late 1980s and is deeply involved in transformation and transmutation work through drumming, chanting, fire circles, and magic. She is a High Priestess of the Family of Fire, a musician, dancer, and massage therapist, based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:08
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:45​

    Links: 
    Fire of Creation album (with Awaken Me) on Apple Music (2007)
    ​Abigail's facebook page (you don't have to be a Facebook member to look at this)
    The Vegas Vortex: a website of the transformational fire work that Abigail offers

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Mixolydian, 2-layer song with harmonies, verse & 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!
  • Published on

    62. Let Me Be The Love

    4:4 Be Grateful Be Present Generosity Grow Heal Ribbon Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Layer
    Song: Let Me Be The Love
    Words & Music ​by Karly Loveling,
    ​quoting John Rio Casey
    Lyrics
    ​Doin' my best to be the Love my deepest heart is dreamin’ of

    With every breath I take, Let me be the Love

    Letting my cup overflow
    Picture
    Notes: Compassionate presence and meditation facilitator, John Rio Casey, said, “Doin' my best to be the love my deepest heart is dreamin of,” and Karly set this longing unforgettably. One of the ways I choose songs for these podcasts is that they let me soak in words that I want to believe, that I want to inhabit. What I love about this song is the transition from working hard to be this Love my deepest heart can dream of to understanding that I actually AM the Love already -- with every breath I take -- and all I need do is let it overflow. As it gets to the end and focusses on "Letting my cup overflow," you can either keep singing one of the earlier lines, if that resonates with you, or join me in one of my harmonies, or create your own harmony that feels yummy. I hereby give you full free permission to sing every "wrong" note possible! :) I know that it's through leaning into the notes that don't sound right at first that we get to the ones that feel best!
    ​
    Be one of the first to know as new episodes are 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. Click here.

    Songwriter Info: Karly Loveling brings songs to life, singing what she needs and loves to hear; playing with, writing, and leading songs online and in-person in what we call Eugene, OR, the ancestral land of the Kalapuya peoples. Online she enjoys the brain-bending and bridge-building of learning how to use sign language as she sings, thanks to beloved singer, Dawn Song. In-person, she enjoys being surrounded by harmonies, lively rhythms, and humans who do their best to be the Love.

    ​    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:36
    Start time of reprise: 00:10:17

    Links: 
    Listen to and support Karly by buying her album and learning her songs at https://karlyloveling.bandcamp.com/music
    Sign up for Karly's newsletter to stay up to date on news and events: https://singingheartharmonies.com
    Join the Online Sing & Sign most Tuesday's from 10:30-11:45am Pacific time at     https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81680823837

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Aeolian (minor), 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!