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  • Published on

    241. Sing Your Roots with guest singers

    3:4 Be Grateful Belonging Calm Earth Heal Nature Roots Scale: Minor Song Form: Round

    Song: Sing Your Roots

    Music by:  Eileen Hazel


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Start of teaching: 00:02:44

    Start of reprise: 00:13:13


    Guest Singers: Becky Peterson, Karen Chickering, Molly Moerdyk


    Lyrics:


    Sing your roots into the soil, deep within the earth


    Sing of sea and sky and land, all that gave you birth


    Sing a song of earthly praise,

    sing it to the stars


    Sing your truest inner song, remember who you are




    Image description

    Notes: There's a slightly strange sound quality in this one, as something weird was going on with my mic when recording... maybe we were so rooted and grounded singing this that we changed the electricity in the room?! I invited three friends over to sing Eileen's round with me, and a little delightful chaos ensued... pick a place to start singing the song, with one of us or in between us, and see what happens. I wonder how we would all be if we felt that sense of deep rootedness, combined with a rise to the stars?

     

    Songwriter Info: After many years of singing, composing, and performing, Elieen discovered her deepest love in community singing. The joy and deep connection found in singing together deeply fed her soul. Since 2023, Elieen has been facilitating community song circles in the East Bay. She especially loves co-facilitating with other song leaders and cultivating spaces that feel joyful, welcoming, and harmonious. In the last few years, Eileen's connection to the Muse has opened in new ways. The songs flowing through her are now largely created for community singing—meant to be shared, experienced, and sung together. The songs she creates emanate from a place of spirit, drawing inspiration from her profound connection to the natural world, and to our communities. Visit her website (eileenhazel.com) to see what’s coming up.

     

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

     

    Links:

    Eileen's Website: eileenhazel.com

    Bandcamp to buy music: https://eileenhazel.bandcamp.com/.

    More music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/eileen-hazel

    Eileen's own recording of Sing Your Roots: https://soundcloud.com/eileen-hazel/sing-your-roots

     

    Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, minor, round

     

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  • Published on

    239. My Body is Perfect

    4:4 Abundance Acceptance Sing Be Grateful Belonging Empower Gentle Heal Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Call & Response

    Song: My Body is Perfect

    Music by:  Kaitie Ty Warren


    Song Learning Time Stamps:


    Start of teaching: 00:02:54

    Start of reprise: 00:14:00



    Lyrics:


    Your body is perfect

    (my body is perfect)


    Just the way it is

    (just the way it is)


    Your body is perfect

    (my body is perfect)


    Just the way it is

    (just the way it is)


    Image description

    (feel free to sing "your body is perfect" or "my body is perfect" according to the needs of the moment.)

    This song is a good zipper song. Here are some suggestions:


    my health is perfect

    my timing is perfect

    my offer is perfect

    my singing is perfect

    my voice is perfect

    

    Notes: Kaitie started quite a discussion around our house with this song. What is perfect? Who gets to decide? And why is it so darn comforting to be told you're perfect, anyway? But when I first sang this song with Kaitie at Heather Houston's Global Summit many months ago, I was struck by how much better I felt after singing it to myself -- and I have continued to sing it through a flare of pain that I'm still seeking answers for and is constricting my way of life -- and I continue to find it comforting! Maybe you will, too? Next week, I get to talk with Kaitie directly about all kinds of things, including the ways we're trying to move away from the harm done by white colonial cultures and toward a vibrant, inclusive kind of presence that hums with life and generativity.


    Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (any pronouns) grew up on Tongva and Ohlone lands, by the ocean and often dreams in fishes and songs. She is a songwriter, songleader, writer, collage artist, cartoonist, minister, and performing artist. She is the founder of Living Room Choir, Be Heard! Voice for Parkinson's, and East Bay Song Fest, all on Ohlone lands in the Bay Area CA. She has a background in theater and music. She goes by Mama to the most awesome little songleader. KaitieTyWarren.com for more; follow on Patreon and socials @KaitieTy.

     

    Sharing Info: Kaitie's songs are available for free to humans for the sole purpose of using it with their choir(s) and song circles. For commercial and for-profit uses, please contact Kaitie via LivingRoomChoir.com. This is not for AI training or use.

     

    Links:

    "My Body is Perfect" on Kaitie's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kaitiety/posts/new-song-my-body-137978799

    Kaitie's Patreon: www.patreon.com/kaitiety


    Living Room Choir's Instagram: www.instagram.com/livingroomchoir

    Living Room Choir's Website: LivingRoomChoir.com/song-library


    Kaitie's Website: https://kaitietywarren.com/

    Kaitie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/

    Kaitie's Bandcamp: https://kaitietywarren.bandcamp.com

     

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, call and response, major

     

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  • Published on

    218. The River

    2:2 Flow Heal Night Pain Protection & Presence Rain Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Verse & Chorus Tend Water
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:49
    Verses taught slowly: 00:11:55
    First run through: 00:15:50
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:53
    Lyrics:

    Bass part:
    Dum t-ka dum dum dum k
    Dum t-ka dum dum dum k
    Dum t-ka dum dum dum dum
    Dum t-ka dum dum dum k

    Melody:
    1. The river is a healer, the river is a sage.
    The river knows no end and the river feels no age.
    The river is a leader every single day,
    It's living in the moment and it always finds a way.

    Chorus:
    Water heal my body, water heal my soul.
    When I go down down to the water,
    by the water I feel whole.

    2. The river calls me over, it's calling out my name
    In the day and in the night I hear that river all the same.
    It's calling me over, calling out my pain,
    oh a river gathers tears just like a river gathers rain.

    3. The river is a traveller, always on the go
    A river never worries if it's fast or if it's slow
    River take me to where I need to go,
    Oh and I will just relax and let the river flow.
    Picture
    Song: The River
    Music by: Coco Love Alcorn

    Notes: Coco is entering a long and challenging journey with an aggressive cancer diagnosis. She’s hopeful and grounded, but as an independent musician, she doesn’t have access to benefits like employment insurance or sick leave. With her treatment schedule, she’s had to cancel every concert, every tour, and even postpone the recording of her new album. She also had to pause her local choir until further notice. This means she’s facing at least a year ahead with almost no income — while focusing all her strength on healing. Supporting her directly through buying her music, or donating to the GoFundMe will make this time easier. In the meantime, you can sing this song of Coco's, bringing river healing energy into the world!

    Songwriter Info:
    “Coco is the ultimate musical spark plug... an electrical connector through which the creative energy flows. In my 30 years of touring around the world, I have never seen another performer able to bring people together like Coco does.” ~ James Keelaghan - Artist Director, Summerfolk and renowned Canadian singer/ songwriter
    The first thing you notice about Coco Love Alcorn, is the voice. It's a rich, dynamic, supremely soulful instrument – hailed by the press as extraordinary, beautiful, and stunning – that has a way of touching your heart and making you care. 
    As a performer, Alcorn is always in the moment, joyful, and genuine. She combines diverse musical influences including jazz, R&B, pop, folk, and Gospel. Her playful and witty character, love of improvising, and willingness to engage fearlessly with the audience has made Alcorn an established presence on the Canadian music scene. 
    Born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and now based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Alcorn’s career has spanned more than 20 years, 12 (9 solo) albums, cross-Canada tours, collaborations, festival appearances, award nominations, and notable success in TV and film licensing. And it took someone with a spirit like Alcorn's to navigate this path. 
    "Throughout my career I have explored across many genres, collaborations and projects, taking a winding path to get to here,” she says. “But I’ve loved every step of my journey and trusted my inner curiosity to take me where it wanted to go.” 

    Sharing Info: Please support Coco directly if you are sharing this song, either by buying the music on her website here: https://cocolovealcorn.com/store or supporting her GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SupportCocoThroughCancer 

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:49
    Verses taught slowly: 00:11:55
    First run through: 00:15:50
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:53

    Links:
    Coco teaching the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgmg1K7BFxo&t=133s 
    Coco's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SupportCocoThroughCancer
    Lisa Littlebird teaching tracks: https://thebirdsings.com/the-river/
    Sheet music for The River: https://cocolovealcorn.com/store 

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, verses & chorus, harmonize

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    ​
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  • Published on

    208. Estrellitas

    4:4 Fire Grieve Heal Heart Night Pain Scale: Aeolian (minor) Sky Song Form: Unison Stars
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:39
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:14
    Lyrics:

    ​Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… (bis 4x) 

    Deja, deja, deja que las estrellitas 
    Que las estrellitas, se lleven tu dolor 

    Deja, deja, deja, 
    Ve y enciende el fuego, 
    Deja, deja, deja, tu duda y tu temor

    Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…     (4x) 

    Let it go, let it go, let the little stars,
    Let the little stars carry away your pain.

    Let it go, let it go, let it go,
    Go and light up the fire,
    Let it go, let it go, release your doubt and fear.

    FURTHER LYRICS:

    La tristeza esa, Pa’ las estrellitas 
    La preocupación y el dolor del corazón 
    Deja, deja, deja que los queme el fuego 
    Deja, deja, deja y vuela alto por favor 

    Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…     (4x) 

    Deja, deja, deja, que los queme el fuego 
    Y las estrellitas transmuten tu dolor 
    Deja la tristeza, las dudas, el miedo, 
    Pide a las estrellas que te curen por favor… 

    Outro: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…

    ENGLISH:

    That sadness—give it to the stars,
    The worry and the ache within your heart.
    Let it go, let it go, let the fire burn them,
    Let it go, let it go, and now please, fly high 
    reaching the skies up above 

    Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…     (4x)

    Let it go, let it go, let the fire burn it,
    And let the stars transmute your pain.
    Leave behind sadness, the doubts, the fear,
    Please ask the stars to heal you… 

    Outro: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…
    Picture
    Song: Estrellitas
    Music by: Ana Lucia Divins

    Notes: Singing this song of grief and the lifting of grief connected deeply with my heart this week. No matter what grief is in my heart at the moment, the wordless "O", followed by the shaping of Spanish words for sorrow, doubt, and fear as well as let go and little stars -- letting all the grief light the fire and then the sparks carry it away -- oh, it felt good to sing this. Soft and strong, velvet and spark, ache and motion. I'm grateful Ana Lucia gifted us this song to sing, and excited that once you've learned the core of the song with me, you get to sing all of it with her if you follow the Bandcamp link! 

    Songwriter Info: Music has been a lifelong companion for Ana Lucia Divins, who has witnessed its healing power and the strength of community connections. This journey led her to explore sound and therapeutic music studies. She is a Certified Music Practitioner by MHTP and a Holistic Voice Therapist with the British Academy of Sound Therapy. Since 2022, she has integrated healing music into her offerings, singing by patients’ bedsides and sharing therapeutic music in the community for restoration and relaxation. In 2023, she received the Arts and Science Council Creative Renewal Fellowship and in 2024, the Arts and Science Council Artist Support Grant, enabling her to delve deeper into music’s healing potential and produce new works. Ana Lucia’s exploration of her voice has taken her to national and international workshops and retreats in Greece, Spain, the UK, and Colombia. 
    In the summer of 2024, Ana Lucia and Carlos Crespo, an Ecuadorian guitarist, released their debut healing music album, “Emerging,” in collaboration with other talented musicians. Available on all digital platforms, "Emerging" offers a deeply relaxing and uplifting sound bath of original new-age world music. It is a sonic journey mirroring life’s ebb and flow, from dawn’s gentle awakening to night’s tranquil embrace, remembering the cycles of healing, new beginnings, and transformation.

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:39
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:14

    Links:
    Ana Lucia's website: https://www.adivins.com 
    Divins Music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinsmusic/ 
    Azul Healing website: https://www.azulhealing.com 
    Azul Healing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azulhealing/ 
    Emerging album on Bandcamp: https://divins.bandcamp.com/album/emerging 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, unison

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  • Published on

    198. Loosen

    6:8 Breathe Calm Heal Holy Mantra Pain Release Rest Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Layer Song Form: Round
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:12
    Start time of reprise: 00:16:10
    Lyrics:

    Loosen, loosen, baby
    You don’t have to carry
    The weight of the world in your muscles and bones
    Let go, let go, let go

    Holy breath, and holy name
    Will you ease, will you ease this pain
    Oh holy breath, and holy name, will you ease this pain?
    Picture
    Song: Loosen
    Music by: Aly Halpert

    Notes: Written in 2017, this song by Aly Halpert catapulted its way around songleader circles, shared friend to friend, sung in cars and buses, after dinners, on walks, between dances, around fires, beside rivers and on beaches. I learned it in 2019, and it has accompanied me since through the pandemic, an intense year of many deep losses, over to Europe twice, in groups, with single friends, and alone. Some songs are like sunscreen in summer, a warm coat for winter. You may already know this one; please enjoy singing it with me. It may be new to you -- may it spread wider, carrying its healing, kind reminder to loosen.

    Songwriter Info: Aly Halpert (she/her) is a queer Jewish musician, educator, and activist living on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia, PA, USA. A singer, pianist, drummer, and guitar player, Aly writes songs for building community and visioning different worlds. Aly leads music and prayer for Jewish community, including Let My People Sing, Kol Tzedek Synagogue, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, and Hadar's Rising Song Institute. Her songs have been sung in national gatherings, song circles, and quiet moments of personal prayer, and have moved people all over the world. Her first full-band album Loosen was released in April 2022 with Rising Song Records. Aly believes deeply in the power of music to awaken us to the loss and hope we carry, expand our sense of possibility, and connect us to each other and our collective strength.

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups. Aly welcomes financial and/or networking support, she would like to be contacted re: recording/performing permissions, and she appreciates donations when used by organizations with means.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:12
    Start time of reprise: 00:16:10

    Links:
    Aly's website: https://www.alyhalpert.com
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/alyhalpertmusic
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alhalpal 
    Loosen with Aly on Bandcamp (great opportunity to support her directly!): https://alyhalpert.bandcamp.com/album/loosen

    Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, minor, 2 layers, optional harmony, optional round

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  • Published on

    178. My Body

    4:4 Accept Beauty Belonging Celebrate Empower Heal Love Mantra Ribbon Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Unison With Separate Harmony Line Trust
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:31
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:09
    Lyrics: 

    My body is fly
    My body is beautiful
    My body is bold
    My body is mine
    Picture
    Song: My Body
    Music by: Alexandra Sarton

    Notes: Singing this week brought me into my body in a joyful, appreciative way... our bodies, our existence are such miracles, and this song fully celebrates and owns this. For anyone who has ever felt ashamed of their body for any reason, this is a medicine song, a reclaiming, remembering song. Alexandra Sarton Love, who wrote it, has lived with alopecia since age 10, causing baldness. Maybe you're going through a medical treatment that makes it difficult to feel ownership of your own body? Maybe there's a relationship which leads to doubt about your body's beauty or validity? Maybe media or social gatherings has harmed your connection to your own body? Maybe you're a nursing mom? I don't know what you bring to this song... but I'm sooo glad you're bringing it!  Join me and you bring you, I'll bring me -- let's sing these words together!

    Songwriter Info: In 2011, Alexandra Love was inspired to assemble a 12-woman chorus to sing the harmonies she had written for her solo project, In Curses. She created a festival, The Festival of Light and Sound (April 2012), to debut this project and to bring Beautiful Chorus together for a one-time performance. The ladies practiced each week leading up to the album release. The festival was a huge success and after that night, Love decided to keep the project going. She booked tours for Beautiful Chorus around the country, hosted crystal singing bowl meditations w/ the ladies, lead vocal workshops and more. It was then that BC wrote + recorded songs, and have since become the most successful independent group of their kind. Fusing elements of electronic, choral, deep bass, hip hop and jazz, Beautiful Chorus is unlike any other. They have albums that span from wordless symphonies to full rhythmic songs, w/ sound healing frequencies and love-centered messages. They even have a wordless holiday album, a lullaby album, and a multitude of singable hymns and mantras. Beautiful Chorus is currently residing in Orlando, FL where they are developing a new live experience, hosting spiritual conversations, and preparing for their upcoming full album release, High Frequency Love Music, due out 7/26. Beautiful Chorus is currently made of Alexandra Love and four other members (Patty, Anisha, Yuki and Veronica).

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:31
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:09

    Links:
    Beautiful Chorus website: https://www.beautifulchorus.com/ 
    Alexandra Love website: https://www.alexandra.love/

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, unison with optional harmony

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