Tags

  • Published on

    231. Road Trip: Kingston Three-fer

    2:2 3 Layer 4:4 Be Grateful Be Present Dawn Earth Friendship Gratitude & Trust Joy Mantra Moon Praise & Wonder Road Trip Scale: Ionian (Major) Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Layer Song Form: Unison Sun

    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:

    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

    190. In the Spring with guest Yuri Woodstock

    4:4 Beauty Birds Dawn Joy Light Scale: Ionian (Major) Seasons Song Form: Round Songwriter Conversation Sun Uptempo
    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
  • Published on

    156. We Got All The Love with singer Tom Norton

    4:4 Abundance Be Grateful Celebrate Change Empower Enough Friendship Hope Joy Love Prayer Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized
    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

    137. Kick Up Your Heels!

    4:4 Abundance Be Present Celebrate Empower Gather Generosity Grow Heart Hope Joy Light Love Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Round Uptempo
    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
    ​
    Join the A Breath of Song Mailing list
    (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share) 
    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!!!!)
    (https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html)
    or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!    ​
  • Published on

    135. What Would it Take with Guest Meg O'Dell Chittenden

    6:8 Be Present Belonging Flow Gather Generations Grieve Heart Home Joy Love Peace Release Ribbon Scale: Minor Sea Song Form: Harmonized Water
    Song: What Would It Take
    Music:     Meg O'Dell Chittenden
    Lyrics:

    What would it take to let yourself
    Fall, fall in love with life completely
    What is the place that softly calls you
    Home, home, back to yourself so ease-fully

    All of these days are made of what we sow
    Gather in and then let go
    Beneath these waves of joy and grief and woe
    The sea moves deep and slow

    Picture
    Notes: Meg tells us where she goes "to integrate, to reorient around what matters most to me, and connect with the world around me and that sense of source within myself." We talk about "the good, the beautiful, and the true," and she doesn't shy away from the awkward questions I have about those words in today's world. Meg and her two children, Clancy and Celia, teach us "What Would It Take?" with its intertwining harmonies, and then later we talk about the experience of singing in harmonies and how it connects to boundarys and group awareness. Meg says, “My pathway with the voice…is about repeatedly coming back into connection with myself…and the possibility of joy.”

    Songwriter Info: Meg loves helping people access their innate capacity for healing, connection, and joy. She is a somatic coach, supporting individuals and couples in growth, transformation, and healing. Because she's always found the voice, and especially singing in harmony with others, to be a particularly powerful pathway for connection with ourselves and the world around us, she delights in serving as a music teacher, song leader, and vocal mentor. She hosts an annual adult and family singing retreat on the coast of Maine called SongWeavers. In addition, Meg is an Adjunct Professor for Antioch University's Graduate Program for Waldorf Teachers and for the Center for Anthroposophy's Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program. Her sources of inspiration include the small, misty mountain that overlooks her home and singing with her children, Clancy and Celia.

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

    Links: People of the Dawnland, Wabanaki confederacy and Penobscot people: https://matlt.org/wabanaki-people-of-the-dawnland/
    Spell Songs: The Lost Words: https://www.thelostwords.org/spell-songs/
    The Spell Songs: Blessing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBBF99UNkQ
    Blue Hill Mountain: https://bluehillheritagetrust.org/blue-hill-mountain/
    SongWeavers of Maine: https://www.singwaldorf.org
    Antioch University, Masters for Waldorf Teachers: https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/waldorf-education-med/
    Heidi Wilson: https://heidiannwilson.com/
    Sarina Partridge: https://sarinapartridge.com/
    Nicholas Williams: https://www.kehlerwilliams.com/about
    Bennett Konesni: https://www.duckbackfarm.com/
    Bagaduce Music lending Library: https://www.bagaducemusic.org/
    Waldorf Education: https://www.waldorfeducation.org/waldorf-education
    Meg’s Somatic Coaching: https://www.singwaldorf.org/work-with-meg
    Tinder Hearth pizza restaurant: https://www.tinderhearth.com/
    Joni Mitchell - Blue: https://jonimitchell.com/music/album.cfm?id=5
    Kongero- Swedish Folk'appella group: https://kongero.se/

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:45
    Start time of song after teaching: 00:34:56
    Start time of reprise: 01:16:40

    Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, minor, 3-part harmony

    Join the A Breath of Song Mailing list (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share)
    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 (https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html)
    (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    134. Calling Us In

    4:4 Be Present Beauty Belonging Earth Gather Generations Grieve Grow Harmony Heal Home Journey Joy Light Listen Moon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Sun Trust Wisdom
    Song: Calling Us In
    ​Music:     Meg O'Dell Chittenden
    Lyrics:

    May our path lead us towards one another.
    May our song guide us home to ourselves.
    Calling us in. Calling us in again.
    Help us remember how to begin again.

    May our hope lead us towards one another.
    May our joy guide us home to ourselves.
    Calling us in. Calling us in again.
    Trusting our grief that is our gateway to heal again.

    May the sun lead us towards one another.
    May the moon guide us home to ourselves.
    Calling us in. Calling us in again.
    Heeding the voice of the true light within again.

    May this land lead us towards one another.
    May the seed guide us home to ourselves.

    Picture
    Notes: Even though I had a runny nose while recording, I practiced showing up with my voice where it is, feeling into the body, noticing the breath... it felt beautiful to be "calling us in," following Meg O'Dell's guidance "home to ourselves." I love the way this melody rocks and rolls through so many comforting words -- I come away with the sense of "true-ing" myself, "whole-ing." I wonder what you will notice as you sing? Make ample use of the rewind button to give yourself a chance to learn some things that I breeze through pretty quickly -- and you can easily find the words at abreathofsong.com if they aren't in front of you here! Enjoy...

    Songwriter Info: Meg loves helping people access their innate capacity for healing, connection, and joy. She is a somatic coach, supporting individuals and couples in growth, transformation, and healing. Because she's always found the voice, and especially singing in harmony with others, to be a particularly powerful pathway for connection with ourselves and the world around us, she delights in serving as a music teacher, song leader, and vocal mentor. She hosts an annual adult and family singing retreat on the coast of Maine called SongWeavers. In addition, Meg is an Adjunct Professor for Antioch University's Graduate Program for Waldorf Teachers and for the Center for Anthroposophy's Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program. Her sources of inspiration include the small, misty mountain that overlooks her home and singing with her children, Clancy and Celia.

    Links: Meg's Website: www.singwaldorf.com

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:45
    Start time of reprise: 00:19:30

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

    Join theA Breath of Song Mailing list
    (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share)  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
    (https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html) (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!