Scale: Ionian (Major) - A Breath of Song

Published on: April 1, 2026

228. All Call This Home

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:06
Start time of reprise: 00:15:28

Lyrics:

Rock dove roosting on a roofline
Willow thicket on a highway island
Dandelion in a sidewalk crack
Muddy puddle with a raccoon track

You are never alone, and
We all call this home, and

You, are, never alone
We, all, are wild animals

-Plainfield, VT April 16, 2025

Song: All Call This Home
Music by: Heidi Wilson

Notes: Heidi Wilson has devoted herself to the craft of songweaving -- and it shows! My groups have all loved this song -- a great mix of almost-rap with sweet harmony swells, and trading back and forth playfully. Once it's in your head, it stays, providing a rhythmic counterpart to walks and a sweet sense of neighborliness with all our more-than-human kin.

Songwriter Info: Heidi Wilson has a passion for sharing songs in service to community and the wild world; songs that celebrate the seasons, bring groups together, offer thanks, muster courage, and make room for healing. She is drawn to the potent and surprising journey of deep-listening and collaborative emergent music making. Heidi has been leading community singing groups in Vermont for the last 15 years and currently sings with the vocal trio Heartwood.

Sharing Info:
Heidi says: "I’m on an ongoing journey figuring out how to share songs (that feel like generous gifts from the world) while also making a living as a songweaver. I am happy for the songs coming through me to be shared! If people are singing them in informal, community, or ritual settings that’s awesome, sing away! If people are sharing them in a setting where they are making a bunch of money or there is a budget for educational/repertoire materials and they are able to pass some of those resources my way I appreciate that. I would feel good about that reciprocity coming in the form of a one time donation (venmo: @Heidi-willsing) or by joining me on Patreon and supporting my songweaving work at any monthly level. And if you are interested in recording any of these songs let’s talk!
Looking for recordings of more songs? I mostly share music through Patreon, an online platform to support artists. On my Patreon site I’ve posted 80+ songs. Each post has downloadable practice recordings of the harmony parts. And through Patreon I also link to a spreadsheet where the songs are organized into categories, so you can listen through and find just the right song for Spring, or Gratitude, or Trees."

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:06
Start time of reprise: 00:15:28

Links:
Website: www.HeidiAnnWilson.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/HeidiWilson
Heartwood Trio: www.heartwoodtrio.com

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 3-layers

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Published on: March 18, 2026

226. Life's Dance

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:19
Start time of reprise: 00:16:33

Lyrics:

Part 1:
I/Come/We dance the circle of life,
day into night into day,
Into the center and out again,
learning the steps on the way.

Part 2:
Come dance with me,
singing all the way,
Learning the steps along the way.

Song: Life's Dance
Music by: Tarren van Ettinger

Notes: This dance of a song loosens me up every time I sing it -- both with the original two parts from Tarren, and then I snuck a third part in when I was singing it on my looper, and I was having so much fun with it, I added it too! Learning the steps as we go -- in and out of the circle, day into night into day, confident, then confused, and back again -- I am grateful for the way this song makes a sweet dance of the whole kit & kaboodle!

Songwriter Info: Tarren is an AuDHD, agender singer/songwriter from Davenport, IA, formerly from Alaska. They have been writing songs actively since 2015, when they wrote their first song at the Village Fire gathering in Decorah. They take inspiration from everything from literature to personal experiences. Tarren lives with their animal-trainer partner, a dog, bird and rabbit, and the occasional foster-critter.

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

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:19
Start time of reprise: 00:16:33

Links:
Bandcamp: https://tarrenvanettinger.bandcamp.com
Mastodon: https://musician.social/@tarrenvane
Discord: @tarrenvane
Email: tarrenvane@proton.me

Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, major, 3-parts

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Published on: March 11, 2026

225. Walk Me Home with guest Una McCann

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:32
Start time of reprise: 01:28:35

Lyrics:

Oh wind blow away the doubt circling around my head instead
Let me know the blessing of my feet upon the ground

[Chorus:]
(And) walk me home,
(And) walk me home,
(And) walk me home again

(And) walk me home,
(And) walk me home,
(And) walk me home again
.................
Oh moon shine a silver light illuminating all that I would hide
Guide me through the shadows, trusting in the steps before me

[Chorus]
.................
Over and over, your touch at my shoulder, guiding me homeward again
.................
Oh mountain, be kind to me, shelter me from storms that would arise, wise and silent, you show me how to follow through

[Chorus]

Song: Walk Me Home
Music by: Una McCann

Notes: What do you do with anger? Can you set shame gently aside so you can get out of the way of what's coming through you and wants to be voiced? How do you move through times of doubt and grief to do what you are called to do? Una shares with us a beautiful song companion for walking each other home, and we explore these questions and so, so much more in this extended conversation.

Songwriter Info:
Una McCann is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she works as a choir leader and songwriter. She has been leading groups in harmony since her school days and has been working with adult choirs for 15 years.
Una is a proud and active member of the UK Charity The Natural Voice Network, and works in line with the principle that we are all born to sing. She is passionate about the power of song and creativity to transform lives.
Song writing is a part of life that sustains and supports Una. She writes melodies and words that she needs to hear in that moment and is always delighted when they resonate with other people too.
In her spare time, Una enjoys running singing holidays and retreats.

Sharing Info: Una says: "Please sing these songs; they were born to be sung. If you make money through singing the songs and would like to support me in my work as a song carrier, please purchase songs through my website or drop me an email for more options."

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:32
Start time of reprise: 01:28:35

Links:
Website: www.unamccann.org
Facebook: Una McCann Music
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unamccann47/
Rhiannon: https://rhiannonmusic.com/home
Earthsong camps with John Bowker: https://www.earthsong.ie/about-earthsong
A note in sand or water: https://youtu.be/-CZlrgq8syE?si=VzijHkmvxuPUJ7MD
The first song Una remembers singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfXXj8RoPk&t=32s
Stéphane Grappelli – musicians of the eyes and musicians of the ears: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phane_Grappelli
Una’s Soundcloud – Henrietta!: https://soundcloud.com/unamccann/henrietta
Tara Brach – teachings of kindness and wellbeing: https://www.tarabrach.com/
Natural Voices Network: https://www.naturalvoice.net/
Indigo Girls: https://www.indigogirls.com/
The Roches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roches
Airplane: https://youtu.be/MhVcbRldEfs?si=rubOOaeZ2S8lXF-a (from the Indigo Girls 1992 “Rites of Passage” album – my gift to Una was finding the song she loved!)
Gamelan instrument: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, harmonized (intriguingly, it starts with a descending Phrygian scale...)

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Published on: February 18, 2026

223. The Reach

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:50
Start time of reprise: 00:14:29

Lyrics:

The earth
opened in the spring, opens
in all springs. Nameless,
ancient, many lived, we reach
through ages with the seed.

– Wendell Berry, “Rising”
New Collected Poems
(Counterpoint Press, 2012)

Song: The Reach
Words by: Wendell Berry
Music by: Malcolm Dalglish

Notes: I learned this beautiful round from the amazing Moira Smiley, who connected me with Malcolm Dalglish to request his permission to share on this podcast. I continue to be amazed by the seeds we sow when we befriend and tend each other, unfolding understanding and trust. It's not always easy to reach forward or back -- but these seeds we plant with each other open, even if the winter is long and icy! At least that's where this poem is taking me today. And let me tell you, I practiced deep love and care for all of you whose voices are comfortable in higher ranges than mine! I taught it where I'm comfy -- but I did the reprise where Malcolm actually set the sheet music (nice tenor/soprano range) -- so if you want to buy the sheet music from him and sing along with it, that's where you should head...

Songwriter Info: Malcolm Dalglish is a hammer dulcimer player and composer from Bloomington Indiana, whose many vocals celebrate a love of our natural world. He has set many poems by Kentucky author, and farmer, Wendell Berry.

Sharing Info: Please buy sheet music on Malcolm's website if you plan to share this song as a songleader.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:50
Start time of reprise: 00:14:29

Links:
Malcolm's website: https://oooliticmusic.com/

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, round with optional descant

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Published on: February 4, 2026

221. Heading Home

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:04
Start time of reprise: 00:18:29

Lyrics:

Home, we're heading home,
Home, we're heading home,
With an ache in my bones, and a song in my heart
Home, we're heading home.

Verse:
The birds have paused their singing, and the day is almost done.
The moon reflects a gentle light, and silences the sun.
And now I'm called to my place of rest, where I close my eyes to the night,
And lay my head, before I'll wake in the morning light.

Song: Heading Home
Music by: Ben & Dom

Notes: I read a commentary by Ailey Jolie, saying, "You cannot breathe your way out of patriarchy." She was observing that regulating the body's emergency responses is good to do as a way of caring for ourselves -- but not if it means simply increasing our ability to tolerate a situation that is causing our bodies to cry "emergency." We need to breathe and steady ourselves, as this song of Ben & Dom's does so beautifully -- and the reason is to bring ourselves even more fully into the present, ready to respond effectively to what actually is because we have the capacity to look directly at what is not working. So let this song bring you home to yourself -- whole, rested, and ready.

Songwriter Info: Ben & Dom are a singing duo, weaving their voices around songs old and new. Ben takes the high notes and Dom takes the low notes (most of the time). Their lyrics touch on friendship, nature and what it means for two men to sing together in this modern day.

Sharing Info: Ben & Dom say: "We would love this song to be sung and shared in any circle. It is a parting song suitable for lots of different situations and occasions. If you feel like you want to share the song we have sheet music and teaching tracks available on our website. There is a tiered pricing structure to suit groups of different sizes and setups. If the cost is any kind of challenge for you then please be in touch and we can send you the materials free of charge. "

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:04
Start time of reprise: 00:18:29

Links:
Ben & Dom's website: www.BenAndDom.com
Ben & Dom's Bandcamp: https://benanddom.bandcamp.com
Buy score for Heading Home: https://benanddom.bandcamp.com/
Essay of Ailey Jolie: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16LcZ7iR43/

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

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Published on: January 7, 2026

218. The River

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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.

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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Tags

228. All Call This Home

226. Life's Dance

225. Walk Me Home with guest Una McCann

223. The Reach

221. Heading Home

218. The River