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    231. Road Trip: Kingston Three-fer

    Song Learning Time Stamps:


    Lifted

    Intro: 00:04:42

    Start of teaching: 00:09:40

    Start of reprise: 00:47:37


    Present Moment, Sacred Moment

    Intro: 00:14:01

    Start of teaching: 00:20:03

    Start of reprise: 00:48:30


    I Am Grateful Deep Down

    Intro: 00:31:56

    Start of teaching: 00:32:45

    Start of reprise: 00:49:04

    Lyrics:


    Lifted

    by Wendy Luella Perkins

    something’s been lifted

    and now I know

    been carrying so much

    so much on my own


    in circles of friendship

    story and song

    in circles of earth, sun, moon

    we keep rising with the dawn


    Present Moment, Sacred Moment

    by Steph Drouin

    Part 1

    Present moment, cha-cha

    Sacred moment

    Ah-ah-ah, ah-oh-wa!


    Part 2

    We are living in a

    Sacred moment

    Ah-ah-ah, ah-oh-wa!


    Part 3

    Present moment

    Only moment

    Sacred moment

    This moment

    Ah-ah, ah-oh-oh-oh-wa!


    I Am Grateful Deep Down

    by Paul Barton

    I am grateful deep down, deep, way down deep.

    Image description

    Notes: Our first road trip stop is Kingston, Ontario in Canada, where I got to meet up with three delightful songleaders – and we sang SO many good songs over the weekend! It was impossible to narrow down to one, so this episode is a three-fer, and you get three very different songs, one from each songleader. You hear us playing; making up harmonies on the spot, trying to get the words in the right order – this is an unrehearsed, “what-can-happen-when-you-put-four-people-who-love-songs-into-one-room?” kind of moment. We had such a good time doing it and hope you get to catch our joy as you sing with us.



    Song 1: Lifted

    Music by: Wendy Luella Perkins


    Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins founded SOULFUL SINGING (singing meditation for all) in 2002. An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, she shares "short-on-words, long-on-meaning; easy-to-learn, hard-to-forget" songs in the oral tradition. Soulful Singing fosters depth and uplift, resonance and healing, connection and community. 


    Enjoy singing in community? Had a fourth grade teacher who told you to mouth the words? Dedicated shower singer? Shy about singing out loud? Love to belt it out? Committed chorister? Everyone is warmly welcomed into the circle of song. Wendy Luella strongly believes that connecting with our singing voices has beneficial effects on many, many areas of life, including enhancing our capacities to trust ourselves and to learn and grow with others. 


    Back in March 2020, Wendy Luella, who is based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada responded to the call of our times by taking Soulful Singing online "for a couple of weeks until this whole pandemic thing blew over". She has been singing via zoom every single morning at 9am, and Thursdays at 6pm (ET) since then. EVERYONE is welcome to attend these gatherings. More than 200 of her original Soulful Singing songs are available on tiktok @wendyluellaperkins. She is also working on an online song library of her original songs. Find out more at info@wendyluellaperkins.com. 


    Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Wendy for recording and/or performing permission. When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Wendy for permission and rates.


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Intro: 00:04:42

    Start of teaching: 00:09:40

    Start of reprise: 00:47:37


    Links:

    Wendy's website: www.wendyluellaperkins.com

    Soulful Singing with Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com


    Nuts & Bolts: slow 4; major, unison, harmonies optional



    Song 2: Present Moment, Sacred Moment

    Music by: Steph Drouin


    Songwriter Info: Steph Drouin (she/her) is a community song leader, singer, songwriter, and Expressive Arts Therapist based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. For over a decade, she has guided people of all abilities into easeful, joyful, and healing singing experiences. She has helped sow the seeds of community singing throughout Toronto and across Ontario with groups such as Sing for Joy, and in 2019 founded her own social enterprise, Fiercely OK.


    Through Fiercely OK, Steph offers weekly in‑person and online song circles with her partner, Paul Barton, as well as special events with visiting artists such as Coco Love Alcorn and Luke Wallace - all in the spirit of nourishing a vibrant, connected singing community. Her most recent project includes co‑creating Kingston Pop Choir with Paul.


    Informed by a lifelong relationship with anxiety, Steph writes and teaches songs that help people embrace their full, messy humanity and stay connected to their sense of being OK. She is known for her warm, playful presence and her ability to create spaces where people feel safe to show up exactly as they are.


    Steph completed the Community Choir Leadership Training program and Lisa Littlebird’s Flight School in 2018, and is a graduate of the three‑year Expressive Arts Therapy program at the CREATE Institute. In 2024, she moved back to Kingston to be closer to family and to share her gifts with her home community.


    Sharing Info: Steph says:

    "I encourage (and am trying to remember to practice) a slow culture of learning and sharing songs - taking time to embody the notes, rhythms, and stories behind them, and to build relationships with the people who wrote them. Please take your time and enjoy singing this song, and if you feel moved to share it, please do. You have my permission! 


    Keep it as close to the original as you can to start. If your group wants to play with adding other layers or harmonies later, this is most welcome. This songs invites being in the present moment; whatever comes out being in the moment while singing this song belongs in it! I just ask that the song be taught first as it came to me (and my nephew). If you would like to teach it differently from what you heard on A Breath of Song, please reach out.


    I encourage forms of reciprocity that align with your gifts and context. Here are some I love:

    - Tell me or show me what it was like to share the song with your community. It's fun to see how songs travel! 

    - Come sing with us (Paul and me), in person or online. Learn the songs directly from us and hear their stories. This feels important - it means so much when folks carry the songs with an intimate sense of their origins and intricacies.

    - Song swaps! If you also write songlets, let’s exchange. I love being in meaningful song‑sharing relationships with other song leaders. This kind of reciprocity feels alive and good.

    - Financial reciprocity. If you have room in your budget or are making oodles of money (more than a living wage), we'd love for you to send a little our way. For non-performing groups, folks generally send $25-50 per song or $1 per singer (whichever is greater). Performing or recording rates would be a little higher. For Canadians, e‑transfer works well; otherwise, Wise is my preferred option.

    - Follow and share our work. Join the Fiercely OK mailing list, follow us on social media, and help spread the word to folks who would enjoy what we offer.

    - Patreon. I’ll be adding my songs to Patreon this year, and I’d love for you to join me there as a monthly patron.

    If you have any other ideas, send them my way!"


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Intro: 00:14:01

    Start of teaching: 00:20:03

    Start of reprise: 00:48:30


    Links:

    Join the Fiercely OK Mailing List!

    https://forms.gle/97Y9hQn55HHL1kHP7 

    Website: https://www.fiercelyok.ca/ 

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephdrouin3973 

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiercelyok/ & https://www.instagram.com/therestlessinchoirer/ 

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiercelyOK/ 

    Join our online song circles! The next series begins May 11th, 2026.

    https://www.fiercelyok.ca/online-weekly-song-circles 

    If you're ever in the Kingston-Toronto area, come sing with us in person! We offer weekly song circles and a monthly pop choir in Kingston, and occasional workshops in Toronto.

    I'll be getting my songs up on Patreon this year. There's nothing up there yet, but you can be the first to get updates here:

    https://patreon.com/fiercelyok?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink 


    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, mixolydian, 3-layer song

     


    Song 3: I Am Grateful Deep Down

    Music by: Paul Barton


    Songwriter Info: Known by some as a musical “wizard,” Paul makes clever use of his education in Jazz guitar and experience as a professional musician to help song circles run seamlessly. His songs, infused with his passions for the environment, community, and mental health, are among the most requested songs in the Fiercely OK singing community. His simple melodies carry deep truths right to the heart.


    Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Paul always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved. The best way to support Paul's songwriting is on Patreon.


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Intro: 00:31:56

    Start of teaching: 00:32:45

    Start of reprise: 00:49:04


    Links:

    Paul's website: https://www.paulbarton.ca/ 

    Paul's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paulbartonmusic 


    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, harmonized

     


    Extra links: 

    Lone Wolf by Steph Drouin and Aimee Ringle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFrSkZ-0Hs 

    Thich Nhat Hanh: “Present moment, wonderful moment” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/710946/present-moment-wonderful-moment-revised-edition-by-thich-nhat-hanh/9781952692239 

    500 Days in the Wild https://tctrail.ca/dianne-whelan-documentary/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21899380530&gbraid=0AAAAABzGiwLd2QCJzToHLUN4HbIpFlKx_&gclid=CjwKCAjwtcHPBhADEiwAWo3sJpemebM5-j0FsOefQ1hxcS4-spp7nBB2-QlQnybCRxiX9UxcfU5bQxoCO68QAvD_BwE

    Present Moment, Sacred Moment movement video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZedwiqraNQ



    Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:

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    https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html

  • Published on

    215. What A Gift with guest Angela Gabriel

    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
  • Published on

    196. I Am Blessed

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:31
    Start time of reprise: 00:21:53

    ​Lyrics:


    I am blessed, yeah, I am blessed
    Even when I′m here feeling like a mess
    This life has shown me all kinds of stress
    And also opened up my heart like the greatest treasure chest

    I have grown
    Yes, I have grown
    And I'm finding my way home
    Yes, I have grown
    And I′m finding my way home

    Picture
    Song: I Am Blessed
    Music by: Desirée Dawson

    Notes: Ok, so there's a bit of mess in this episode -- the reprise happens twice, because I couldn't get my Loopy app to turn off when I wanted it to -- but we just get to sing it again, so it turns into a good thing! Desirée's song really helps me remember how blessed I am, with my mess, my stress -- the way it all opens my heart, like a treasure chest. Great body percussion part for all you rhythm-hungry folk, plus oohs for the Supremes fans. I take some time picking it apart so you can find some of the intricacies...

    Songwriter Info: As a recording artist, songwriter, producer, facilitator, and yoga teacher, Desirée is driven by a passion for collective liberation. She is a two time SXSW music video winner and was nominated for a Juno Award for best adult contemporary album of the year in 2022. She has had multiple viral moments on TikTok and Instagram with her most popular video being for her song I Am Blessed. With her powerful voice as her main instrument, Desirée often accompanies it with her baritone ukulele, body percussion and other musicians. She has a passion for harmonizing and singing with others. She blends folk, soul, pop, Americana, and old-time country influences into her creations, though she often labels her music as 'singer-songwriter' for simplicity.

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Desirée for recording and/or performing permission. Desirée says, "Donations are encouraged and welcome but I do not want money to be a barrier for people to share and learn the song."

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:31
    Start time of reprise: 00:21:53

    Links:
    Desirée's website: www.desireedawsonmusic.com
    IG: https://www.instagram.com/desireedawsonmusic 
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desireedawsonofficial 
    Desirée singing I Am Blessed on Bandcamp: https://desiree-dawson.bandcamp.com/track/i-am-blessed-loop 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, melody, harmony, 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
  • Published on

    171. Gratitude with Family Singers

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:45
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:57

    Lyrics:

    In this moment, all I need to do
    is sink more deeply into gratitude.
    Picture
    Song: Gratitude
    Music by: Kate Munger

    Notes: Recording Kate Munger's song for you was SUCH a treat for me!!! 15 members of our extended family gathered in a living room, and sang together about sinking into gratitude.... mmmm-hmmmm!!! You'll hear 5-year-old Claire proclaiming she is right here, and then the beautiful gathered sound of Beth, Peter, Will, Elyse, Edward, Carolyn, Patrick, Ruth, Tom, Rebecca, Forrest, Kathi, Claire, Seth and me. One of the most beautiful things about the whole experience was that the song itself kept reminding me to be present -- to soak into the moment.

    Songwriter Info: Kate Munger has been passionate about community singing since she was 8 years old at Girl Scout Camp and has led community singing now for over 45 years. In 2000 she founded the first of now 200 Threshold Choirs around the world. Today at 74 she is retired from running the Threshold Choir and has returned to her passions of writing songs for medicinal use and singing at the bedsides of people who are dying, in coma and with folks who are incarcerated. She is a popular speaker among palliative care, choral singing and prison reform professionals and is a gracious, skillful musical host and choral director whose joy is reminding us that we are singing beings, bringing community singing back to "the community.” Kate knows that this work is deep and serious and she offers a fresh, lively, sometimes irreverent, always relevant perspective.

    Sharing Info: Kate encourages the sharing of this song and its message; any donation that is generous, affordable and personally significant would be most welcome.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:45
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:57

    Links:
    Kate welcomes emails to kateamunger@gmail.com

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, mixolydian, 3-part harmony

    Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
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    Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.
    https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
  • Published on

    156. We Got All The Love with singer Tom Norton

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:35
    Start time of reprise: 00:17:09

    ​Lyrics:

    We got all the love
    to change our world.
    Halleluia!
    We got all the love,
    all that we need,
    blessed be.


    (The word 'love' can be substituted by 'soul', 'joy', 'hope', 'friends', 'prayer', 'cake'...)
    Picture
    Song: We Got All The Love
    Music by: Helen Yeoman

    ​Notes: So many different things going on in this episode! First, in some ways this is a "greatest hit" of the community song world, so maybe you already know it? Helen Yeoman's confident, sweetly harmonized zipper song speaks to what can build and sustain hopefulness -- this knowledge that, in some way, we are exactly where we need to be. I am delighted to welcome onto the podcast my beloved husband of almost 35 years, Tom. He gives us the benefit of his long vocal chords to reach some low notes that are out of my range! Instead of looping this episode, I went back and edited in the alto and tenor parts -- and, oof, the pressure to perfect it, to sing exactly in tune -- I'm not sure I could ever let it go. But here you have the best I could do this week, with the alto panned left and the tenor panned right, soprano and bass in the middle. If it's a song you already know, I hope this gives you great practice; if it's new to you, welcome (and check out the shownotes for other learning options)! Fill in our sound with your voice!!!

    Songwriter Info: Helen is a well-loved choir leader & composer from the UK. her songs are sung all around the world - literally. She is self-taught and calls on every day events as well as global issues for her inspiration. In 2015 she won the esteemed international UK Songwriters Contest in the gospel category. She has four children and lives in Devon, England. Helen runs workshops and holidays in the UK and Europe and is coming to the USA in September 2024.

    Sharing Info:
     When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Helen for permission and rates.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:35
    Start time of reprise: 00:17:09

    Links:
    All of Helen's music can be found at www.helenyeomans.co.uk

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major with raised 4 & 5, 4-pt 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, or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    155. Fear (Come to Me) with guest Joanna Laws Landis

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:38

    Start time of reprise: 01:07:00


    Lyrics:

    Fear, come to me
    Let me hold you, hold you
    You, you are mine
    I re-own you, own you
    Picture
    Song: Fear (Come to Me)
    Music by: Joanna Laws Landis

    Notes: Joanna and I explore the idea of inviting fear to come closer and be held, through song and word. We talk about how gifts of attention can come from wounds, and therefore be mixed blessings. Joanna describes the "field" she tends in a song circle, and what craves special notice when you live and work with the same person. This was recorded shortly before the political change in the USA when Biden chose not to run for office, so you won't hear us talking about the buoyancy that can come from feeling hopeful... but we do touch on navigating grief and fear! We also talk about one of the huge gifts a group singing can give a songcarrier....

    Songwriter Info: Joanna Laws Landis (she/her) is a song-carrier and grief-tender with a deep trust in the transformational healing power of welcome and compassion. Joanna was steeped in song and harmony from her early years: in church, at school and in community choirs. In her late 20s, she discovered the community singing movement and felt a deep alignment with this simple and direct pathway to connection and healing. After collecting a wide library of songs from the midwest to the pacific coast, she has been leading community song circles regularly since 2020. Joanna has recently relocated to the land of her maternal grandmother’s people outside of Asheville, NC where in addition to leading singing & grief-tending, she is deepening her understanding of the body’s innate wisdom for healing with Somatic Experiencing International, and is studying collective trauma integration & facilitation with Thomas Hübl.

    Sharing Info: You are welcome to share/teach the song in community settings, and Joanna always welcome financial support when it is available. Please contact her for recording and/or performing permission.

    Links: 
    Listen on Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/joannalawslandis
    Email Joanna at joannalawslandis@gmail.com 
    Follow Joanna's Grief Tending offerings on Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/o/joanna-laws-landis-amp-will-rogers-30189070512
    Donations gratefully received on PayPal or Venmo @joannalawslandis


    Thomas Huebl trauma integration: Academy of Inner Science https://thomashuebl.com/courses/training-programs/
    Robert Frost - 'Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.' https://quoteinvestigator.com/2021/05/24/poem-tennis/
    Bliss Is Ordinary podcast – the 4th & 5th episodes are with Laurence Cole: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1939735
    Laurence Cole: https://www.laurencecole.com/
    Laurence Cole and Ahlay Blakely are also hostingonline grief circles:: https://www.healingattheroots.com/onlinemonthlygriefcircles
    The Cranberries Everyone Else is Doing it So Why Can’t We?
    Soup: Jook…  A Chinese rice porridge with ginger and garlic & maybe chicken. Here’s a Mark Bittman recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1839-jook
    Lianne La Havas artist – Paper Thin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug3Q9RmFywc

    Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, harmonic minor, 2-part

    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!