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    69. Sing Upon Joy (Livian's Song)

    4:4 Accept Calm Celebrate Grieve Heal Hope Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Layer Tend Trust
    Song: Sing Upon Joy (Livian's Song)
    Words & Music: ​Lyndsey Scott & Livian & helpers
    Lyrics
    Sing upon Joy; Sing upon Grief
    Sing upon the light of a new budding leaf

    What is broke can be mended; What is hurt can be healed
    What is lost can be found; Hidden, revealed
    Picture
    Notes: I love this song for the both-and-ness... both joy and grief; both broken and mending; both hurt and healing, lost-found, hidden-revealed. The song appeared in an including way, too... Lyndsey was tasked with finding or creating moments of beauty and surprise at 2017 Village Fire, and as she sat at a table with the youth, creating art and words to decorate the port-a-potties, she saw what 10-year-old Livian had written -- "Sing upon joy". Lyndsey heard it as a song, and sang the first phrase... then the folk at the table created the interlocking part together. Both music and art, both words and song, both older and younger, both-and, both-and. Next week's episode is a songwriter conversation with Lyndsey -- not only does she share one of the amazing songs from her new album, but we get to talk and explore. My heart feels wider, my brain click-ier, my spirit lighter after every interaction with Lyndsey -- I hope you can join us!

    Songwriter Info: Lyndsey Scott is an artist-goofball-yintennae devoted to priestesSing the Heartland, (literal and figurative).  She weaves community singing to empower earth-based spiritual consciousness, and gathers soul circles that, through Song and sacred listening, decompose oppressive scripts that get in the way of freely living the Love we are. With jams that get you skipping easily between the sacred, sexy, and sssssilly : your inner child, exiled banshee, and wise elder are all very invited to the circle. ​

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:11
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:30​

    Links: 
    The song is free to share but Lyndsey always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
    Lyndsey's website: lyndseyscott.earth
    Everything Lyndsey! https://linktr.ee/lila.gaia
    We Belong Community of Song: https://www.facebook.com/webelongcommunityofsong
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lyndseyscott
    Lyndsey's album on Bandcamp: https://lyndseyscott.bandcamp.com/album/well-held

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major, 2 harmonized 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

    68. Share the Journey

    4:4 Accept Be Present Change Dawn Empower Friendship Gather Grieve Hope Journey Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Trust
    Song: Share the Journey
    Words & Music: Katie Sontag
    Lyrics
    As the dark fades away, here it comes, a brand-new, new day.
    As it leaves, we watch it go, all we learned, all we need to know.
    I believe we will survive. I believe this is our time.
    ​I believe we are alive to share the journey, to share the journey.
    Picture
    Notes: For most of these episodes, I pick the song many months in advance, because what with artwork & permissions, not to mention my own anxiety levels(!), it helps to have things lined up before.... which sometimes means I haven't listened to the song much until I'm ready to record. Then I wonder -- will I still love it? Will I still want to learn and spend time with it, or was it a temporary infatuation? I can tell you unequivocally, I loved coming back to this song! Katie Sontag's "Share the Journey" felt like reconnecting with a wise, deeply beloved friend who loves me back.., you know that feeling of mutual warmth and trust that you can relax into, and at the same time feel empowered and energized by? Ahhhh.

    Songwriter Info: Katie Sontag writes songs that are honest and vulnerable for her own healing and transformation and seeks to inspire the same in others. Based in Eugene, OR, but working on touring the world, Katie's songs will touch your heart and leave you feeling better then when you came. Listening to her music has been described as receiving "a big hug". She is also the lead vocalist and songwriter for her band, "Katie Sontag and the Love Notes" and half of the duo, "smalltime". She is a group song leader and aspiring choral director. Her songs have been adapted for choirs in Portland, Boulder, Austin, and Big Sur.

    ​Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:52
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:39

    Links: 
    Website: katiesontag.com
    email for contact: katharine.sontag@gmail.com
    Patreon: patreon.com/katiesontag
    Facebook: facebook.com/katiesontagmusickatiesontag.com
    Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/katiesontag
    Bandcamp:     https://katiesontag.bandcamp.com/
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatieSontag
    Spotify    : https://open.spotify.com/artist/17B4xx4loeNl48GXD6oyBB?si=9p7YgO6FQQ6s-WjBS1VhOg&nd=1

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

    67. Gandalf's Blessing

    4:4 Empower Farewell Flow Friendship Journey Moon Scale: Dorian Song Form: Layer Sun Trust
    Song: Gandalf's Blessing
    Words: J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings)
    Music​: Joshua Blaine
    Lyrics
    May the wind, may the wind, may the wind under your wings
    Bear you where, bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.

    Not all who wander are lost.
    Picture
    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!
  • Published on

    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!