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  • Published on

    195. Get Up with guest Barbara McAfee

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:43
    Start time of bonus song: 00:47:50
    Start time of reprise: 01:03:55
    Lyrics: 

    Badap, badadada dadap, 
    ba da bada dadap, badadada da...

    If your business is waking up the dead.
     
    Get up, get up, get up - today is a workday. 

    Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. 
    Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight. 


     -- Lyrics from the work of Angeles Arrien and Bob Marley and Peter Tosh
    Picture
    Song: Get Up
    Music by: Barbara McAfee
    Additional vocals by: Lia Falls

    Notes: Barbara McAfee describes herself as "A nice Minnesota girl -- I like things that work!" -- and in her framework of the Full Voice, she has shaped the teachings of skilled choir leaders and the Roy Hart vocal work, as well as her own discovery of her voice into just that -- a framework that works! She says, “I’ve never believed more in the need for people to find their own voice…” and observes the deep courage of people coming to community sings for the first time after vocal wounding. The work of Angeles Arrien inspired Barbara in her own journey, and this song pulls in the grittiness and determination needed to keep waking up. Barbara adds a surprise bonus song in the middle of the episode -- "May It Go Easy As You Go" -- as we talk about singing as a way of saying what's hard to say. So much more in this conversation -- "twisting on a meathook", scheduling "workity-work" things, doing laundry before listening to the muse -- enjoy Barbara's Full Voice, and let it help you find yours!

    Songwriter Info: Barbara lives on the wild and scenic St Croix River about an hour from Minneapolis/St Paul. She is a master voice coach, songwriter, song leader, hospice choir director, long distance swimmer, poet, and author of Full Voice. She feels so lucky to be alive on planet Earth.

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Barbara for recording and/or performing permission.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:43
    Start time of bonus song: 00:47:50
    Start time of reprise: 01:03:55

    Links:
    Barbara's website: www.barbaramcafee.com 
    Barbara's community singing page: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/community-singing.html 
    Barbara's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barbaramcafee 
    Barbara's first TEDx talk about Full Voice: 
    https://youtu.be/Ze763kgrWGg?si=hueWlQGYCqtDrarr
    Song: "May You Go Easy"​ https://soundcloud.com/barbara-mcafee/may-you-go-easy-for-tom
    Lia Falls: https://soundcloud.com/user-860092984 
    Diana Ross: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Ross 
    Full Voice: https://books.google.com/books?id=pETKks1jdKUC 
    Saule Ryan/Roy Hart Centre: https://roy-hart-theatre.com/teachers/saule-ryan/ 
    Rhiannon: https://rhiannonmusic.com/ 
    Daniel Nelson: https://www.facebook.com/singingfortheearth/ 
    Jenna Lindbo: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jenna-lindbo/395790602 
    The story of Inanna: https://tamedwild.com/a/blog/storytime-inanna-descent-into-the-underworld 
    Te Martin: https://soundcloud.com/temartinmusic 
    Lyndsey Scott: https://www.lyndseyscott.earth/ 
    Sarina Partridge: https://sarinapartridge.com/ 
    Heidi Wilson: https://heidiannwilson.com/ 
    Laurence Cole: https://www.laurencecole.com/ 
    Melanie DeMore: https://melaniedemore.com/ 
    Joni Mitchell’s Blue album: https://open.spotify.com/album/1vz94WpXDVYIEGja8cjFNa 
    Jon Batiste: https://www.jonbatiste.com/ 
    Jacob Collier: https://www.jacobcollier.com/ 

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, minor, 4.5 layers

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  • Published on

    189. Hearth

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:53
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:08
    Lyrics:

    Part 1:
    Fire at the center in my heart
    Rise of the night spark fly away
    Smoke twines together in the sky
    Oh how the dark times light my way


    Parts 2&3:
    Fire in my heart
    Praise be to the dark


    Part 4:
    Dreaming in an endless night
    Living in an endless dream

    Picture
    Song: Hearth
    Music by: Yuri Woodstock

    Notes: Yuri Woodstock knows how to start and tend fires -- and this song sings the magic of smoke and spark. He's managed to make it feel dark and joyous, with a sinuous, smoky sound to remember the mystery, the dream of being alive. Next week is a conversation where Yuri brings his high energy take on community singing and how he found his way into the world through a combination of friends and mentors and skills so deeply embedded it's hard to remember how he got them. By the end I was wishing I could visit his song groups -- I may have to plan a road trip!

    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: Free to share!

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:53
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:08

    Links:
    Yuri's website: https://www.weringlikebells.com/ 
    Yuri's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weringlikebells/ 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3-layer, one layer harmonized

    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

    176. An Open Heart

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching, song 1: 00:04:26
    Start time of teaching, song 2: 00:08:51
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:16
    Lyrics:

    Original:
    I wanna let life touch me, 
    wanna let life move me deep, 
    Wanna let life stir me,
    from an ancient sleep. 

    May I laugh all my laughter, 
    may I cry all my tears, 
    may I love the rain as deeply as the sun when it clears. 

    Living my life with an open heart.


    Song 2:
    I'm gonna let life move me,
    I'm gonna let life stir me deep,
    I'm gonna let life wake me 
    from an ancient sleep.
    I'm gonna laugh all my laughter,
    I'm gonna cry all my tears.
    I'm gonna love the rain as deeply as
    the sun when it clears.
    Picture
    Song: An Open Heart/Gonna Let Life Move Me
    Music by: Scott Grace

    Notes: Learning songs in an oral tradition can be a little like playing telephone, as they take on a life of their own, responding to the people singing them, growing, evolving... I learned "Gonna Let Life Move Me" in a song circle, and loved it. Eventually, I wanted to share it with my Pocket Song singers. So I tried to find out who had written it, so I could ask their permission/blessing and send some financial exchange their way.... and it took a quite a bit of searching before I turned up Scott Grace (Kalechstein)'s original song. This one had shifted quite a bit, so I got in touch with Scott directly to ask how he felt about the changes... I quote his generous answer directly in the episode. Enjoy two songs this week, and see which one lands for you!

    Songwriter Info:
    WARNING:  Scott Grace, who has been described as a cross between John Denver, Robin Williams and Dr. Seuss, is wanted by the authorities for creating the peace, as well as defying the law of gravity with levity.
    Contact with Scott is likely to be hazardous to your misery, as he has provoked outbreaks of joy in four out of five laboratory humans. 
    It is alleged that Scott’s work has so threatened to cut into the sales of anti-depressants that pharmaceutical companies have offered him millions to retire. 
    Scott gives keynotes using a stolen identity, a.k.a. the Spiritual Dr. Seuss. His feel-good viruses on YouTube have infected over 2.5 million people with just four of his Seussian videos.
    Scott has been known to practice life coaching without a license, eluding the police by working over the phone, Zoom, or FaceTime. He fancies himself an intuitive, and smuggles wisdom and guidance over the border from beings he calls spirit guides, who are also not licensed, and who have allegedly not filed a tax return in several lifetimes.
    As a front, Scott does do various legal, above the board activities. He has written four books, his latest being Mindful Masculinity.
    Scott also has recorded nine CD’s (remember CD’s?) of his original music. He presents as an inspirational guest speaker and singer at churches, non-profits, schools, and corporate events. As an occasional stand-up comedian in the Bay Area, he has shared the stage with Dana Carvey and Robin Williams. 
    But don’t be fooled. His rampage of Song Portraits, custom-made personalized song-gifts that honor people for their birthdays, anniversaries, or for no reason at all, have been killing people softly with their song since 1987.
    Authorities would very much like your help in apprehending Scott. Try catching him on the web at https://www.scottsongs.com, or on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/skalechstein

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Scott for recording and/or performing permission. Scott says, "This song is my deepest prayer from my heart of hearts."

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching, song 1: 00:04:26
    Start time of teaching, song 2: 00:08:51
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:16

    Links:
    Scott's website: https://www.scottsongs.com 
    Scott's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/skalechstein

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3 layer or unison

    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

    170. Over/Under with guest Lyndsey Scott

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:15
    Start time of reprise: 01:06:15
    Lyrics:

    Over / under
    All the way through
    Over / under
    Back to you
    Over / under
    All the way down
    Over / under
    Lost then found

    I am the love that doesn't leave
    We do this til we free us!
    Feel thru the dark is how we see
    We do this til we free us!
    We are remembering how to grieve
    We do this til we free us!
    You are a part of my family
    We do this til we free us!
    Picture
    Song: Over/Under
    Music by: Lyndsey Scott

    Notes: Lyndsey Scott talks about her radical trust in life, how she perceives energy, the playfulness and generosity of cyclical wisdom. She shares the origin story of this song, Over/Under, and wisdom from her co-creator, Anthony R. Rhodd about gratitude. We were recording the Thursday after the US elections -- as I listen to the focus on how to find resources and energy, I realize how depleted I felt in the moment of recording. And yet talking with Lyndsey buoyed me -- the deep attunement that she practices shines through our conversation -- I feel like I can really feel the truth of "I am the love that doesn't leave..."

    Songwriter Info: Lyndsey Scott is a multimedia artist, songleader, songwriter, and ritualist committed to exploring community singing as a technology of belonging and a strategy for mutual liberation. She currently co-facilitates the yearlong cohort of emergent earth-based ceremonial study with Earthkeeper Wisdom School (Hartsburg, MO), leads song for politicized somatics practitioners in Embodying Racial Justice’s yearlong program, Opening to Freedom (Millerton, NY), and teaches "Community Singing as Collective Power" at the University of Iowa School of Music's Grant Wood Fellow.

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:15
    Start time of reprise: 01:06:15

    Links:
    Lyndsey's website: https://www.lyndseyscott.earth/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lila.gaia/ 
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lyndseyscott 
    We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1664-we-do-this-til-we-free-us 
    What It Takes to Heal by Prentice Hemphill: https://prentishemphill.com/book
    The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/250673/the-wild-edge-of-sorrow-by-francis-weller/ 
    Song Carrier Toolkit by Liz Rog: https://www.centerforbelonging.earth/store/p/song-carrier-toolkit 
    Earthkeeper Wisdom School: https://www.earthkeeperwisdomschool.org/ 
    Rebeccah Bennett, Root Teacher, The InPower Institute: https://inpowerinstitute.com/ 
    The Milk-Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom: https://joannanewsom.bandcamp.com/album/the-milk-eyed-mender 
    Meredith Monk: https://www.meredithmonk.org/ 
    Emma Koeppel: https://soundcloud.com/emma-koeppel 
    Anthony R. Rhodd: https://substack.com/@anthonyrrhodd 
    Woman Stands Shining (Pat McCabe): https://www.patmccabe.net/ 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, unison or harmonized, call & response section

    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

    166. Breathe

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:34
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:13

    Lyrics:


    Breathe, breathe, breathe in
    Breathe, breathe out

    Let it go, let it go, let it go
    Let it go, let it go

    Trust in what's coming
    Trust in your knowing
    It's deeper and wider and holy

    Picture
    Song: Breathe
    Music by: Batya Levine

    Notes: This was the song I needed to sing to help myself through the pre-election moment... building trust in myself to navigate whatever comes next, tap into the energy to work up to the last moment to effect the change I hope for. Batya Levine is an incredibly heart-sourced song composer, and they'll be releasing a new album in December... check out their website and get on the list to know when it appears -- it's sure to be wonderful, and "Breathe" will be on it -- and you'll know it!

    Songwriter Info: Batya Levine (they/them) uses song as a tool for cultivating healing and resilience in their work as a communal song leader, shaliach tzibur (Jewish prayer leader) and cultural organizer. Batya is a co-founder and Director of Programs at Let My People Sing!, and they compose original music made of Ashkenazi yearning, queer heart-medicine, and emunah (faith). Batya is releasing their second album, Yivarechecha, in December 2024 through Rising Song Records.

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:34
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:13

    Links:
    Batya's website: https://www.batyalevine.com

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3-layer

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

    161. Good Friend

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:47
    Start time of reprise: 00:16:25

    ​Lyrics:

    Oh the wind, it is a song
    ​that harbours through the winter,
    Oh the sail, it is a door
    that bids the song to enter,

    And let us sail the sea, good friend,
    And let us sing together,
    The singer lasts a season long,
    While the song, it lasts forever.
    Picture
    Song: Good Friend
    Music by: Jan Harmon

    Notes: Both harbor and freedom, connection and release, seasons and timelessness. Jan Harmon's song, written in 1985, has generous space for harmonies, and impels us singers forward, as though we were the sail catching the wind. I love the feeling of holding and letting go as I sing this song -- it helps me grieve, helps rejoice, helps me open, helps me curl up... I wonder what you will experience as you sing it with me?

    Songwriter Info: Jan Harmon (1940-1993) was a published poet, a writer of short stories and biographical non-fiction, as well as a prolific composer of choral music, topical songs, ballads, rounds, musicals, and instrumental pieces. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan and lived in many places from southern California to Maine.

    Sharing Info: When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Scott at Harmon Publishing for permission and rates: https://harmonpublishing.com/contact.php

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:47
    Start time of reprise: 00:16:25

    Links:
    Song info on the Harmon Publishing website (including a sheet music PDF): https://www.harmonpublishing.com/jan/music/library/good-friend

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, minor, round

    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