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    83. Creature Teacher

    4:4 Accept Be Present Listen Notice Rest Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Unison Tend
    Song: Creature Teacher
    Words & Music ​by Hannah Jeffery
    Lyrics
    Am I tired, am I hungry?
    Do I need to take a break now
    And rest?
    Am I tired, am I hungry?
    ​Do I need to take a breath?

    We are responsible for tending these creatures
    Let the growls and the howls and the cries and the whines
    ​Be our teachers.
    Picture
    Notes: I so completely get the need for these questions, so appealingly set by Hannah Jeffery, to notice our body's basic needs. I love singing the reminder to attend to my creature self, what Mary Oliver calls, "the soft animal of your body" -- to tune into what it loves, what it complains about, how it responds to what's going on. This time of coming into a new year, perhaps with a plethora of complex people interactions, seems a particularly appropriate time to reset and reconnect with the awareness and presence of our own creature selves.

    Songwriter Info: Hannah Jeffery (She/They) is a songstress, composer, song-leader and mama living in the Upper Valley of Vermont (Abenaki land). Her creative venture, Deep Well Song, is a gathering vessel for people to come together in song, prayer and playfulness, to turn toward and embrace all that it IS to be human on Earth. The songs Hannah carries, catches and teaches are songs of the heart and soul, that touch joy, grief, gratitude, heartbreak, righteous anger, beauty, love and praise and connect us to each other, ourselves and the Beloved Mystery. Hannah leads song at the UU church in Norwich, Vermont and in the newly forming Well Song Choir. To learn more and get involved please check out their website and Patreon and be in touch!

    This song is free to share but Hannah always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.

    Links: 
    www.deepwellsong.org
    deepwellsong@gmail.com
    www.patreon.com/deepwellsong
    Hannah singing this song herself

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:09 
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:17

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Aeolian, unison

    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!
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    76. I Am Listening

    4:4 Accept Empower Friendship Listen Notice Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Call & Response Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Layer Tend
    Song: ​I Am Listening
    ​Words and Music: Patricia Norton
    Lyrics:
    Are you crying to be heard?
    I am listening.
    Are you dying (needing) to be known?
    I'm attending to you.

    I am listening,
    when you're crying.
    I'm attending
    ​when you're dying.
    Picture
    Notes: After being sick for several weeks, I was lying in bed and trying to come to terms with the fact that I still felt crummy. I was trying to listen to my body, and this is the song that came into my head. The melody is pretty closely related to a Happy Birthday song which I learned from Liz Rog, but I don't know the origin of the song, and neither did Liz at that point. If anybody happens to know it, I'd love to learn! The song can be sung just as the first part, in which case I think "needing to be known" is more satisfying to sing, but when I added the second part it suddenly made sense to me to use the word "dying." It feels to me like a song that spans caregiving from infancy to deathbed. I'm moved by what a powerful feeling it is to be heard and seen.

    Songwriter Info: That would be me, so both of the websites below have stuff...

    Links: 
    abreathofsong.com
    juneberrymusic.com

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major (Ionian), call and echo with second harmonized 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!
  • Published on

    75. Easy Does It with Guest Heather Houston

    4:4 Be Present Calm Celebrate Empower Flex Flow Notice Release Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Unison Tend
    Song: Easy Does It Now
    Words & Music: Heather Houston
    Lyrics
    Easy does it now
    Slow it down
    Feel the sound
    As you breathe, sing, freely now
    Tune, croon, swoon…
    Picture
    Notes: Heather says, “I love so easily," and “What’s next? And I just open up…” and “Silence is a part of the singing.” Trust me, this is a person you'd like to get to know a little better -- how can we all access that kind of love and openness? In our conversation, Heather and I dig into how she actually works with singers privately and in groups, finding the heart voice, ways back in when you've dropped your chanting/meditation practice, why to love humming... and more, including, of course, her favorite soup! Heather shares this beautiful song which warms up the voice and invites us into physical awareness and connection with a released sound.... and her love of the act of singing is contagious.

    Songwriter Info: Heather Houston is passionate about uplifting hearts, freeing voices, transforming lives, and building strong, loving communities through the power of singing. She spreads her magic through her 20+years of international song circle leading, private vocal coaching, and her online offerings - The Art of Mindful Singing, S.H.E. Sings, Singing as Sanctuary, and Sisters in Harmony Song and Chant Leader Training. You can now join her every Monday night on Zoom for a 2-hour Sisters in Harmony Global community song circle with guest artists!

    Heather recently released her second solo album, Sisters of the Moon, which features the ethereal voices of her 40-voice women’s choir Yala Lati. Her first solo album, Prayers for the Water is a ZMR Top 10 album. You can find Heather’s music and her a cappella group SIRENZ on all of the streaming platforms and for download on her website.

    Links: 
    Website: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com
    Albums
        Download: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/recordings/
        Streaming on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gw79r7NGOw6WF2bytPW5a?si=E0mvdKMpQ9ObjpRnhViDYQ
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherhoustonmusic
    IG: HeatherHoustonMusic
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPr_m3bi0-TqhBFvJlD4pFA
    ​
    Kitka (Balkan music) – women's vocal ensemble in Oakland Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble
    Heather’s songleader training starting in Jan Sisters in Harmony Song Leader Training – Heather Houston Music
    Paul Simon Rhythm of the Saints – here’s the title track: The Rhythm of the Saints - YouTube
    Sound of Great Horned Owls -- What does a Great Horned Owl sound like? 
    Lyndsey Scott -- Well Held | Lyndsey Scott (bandcamp.com) (as well as A Breath of Song episodes #69 & 70)
    Samantha Keller and Tamar Fogel -- here with Heather as the trio Dis Moi: Dis Moi – Between Us – Heather Houston Music
    the first song Heather wrote -- Lumin Solare Fiat - Heather Houston (Sirenz) - YouTube
    Sirenz -- the four voice group of Heather, Samantha, Molly Hartwell and Sage Mendez: Sirenz – Heather Houston Music

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, chant
    ​
    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!
  • Published on

    73. Love Flows In

    2:2 Be Present Calm Flow Heal Lullaby Release Rest Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Tend
    Song: Love Flows In
    Words & Music​: Roberta Kirn
    Lyrics
    Take a moment to quiet the mind,
    to settle down deep in the body.
    Love flows in, love flows in, love flows in.
    Like the waves, like the tide, like the everlasting spring,
    love flows in.
    Picture
    Notes: I love that after I sing this a few times, I begin to feel more fluid inside -- as though everything under my skin is softening into a tidal pulse of flow. It's a beautiful song to sing with a drone... the words "the mind", or the "in" from "flows in" join the drone note -- a way of subverting any annoying repeated note into becoming accompaniment for your singing. This podcast isn't about me producing a polished recording -- it's about you singing, you playing, and you having a new song that you can invite into your life... and knowing that hundreds of other people are singing this song, too. Maybe they're on the melody, or the harmony, or maybe they're experimenting like I did today? And when they finish singing, everyone may feel different than when they started to sing... a little more settled, a little more flow, a little more love?

    Songwriter Info: Roberta Kirn is a song leader, percussionist, and dancer who has been living, working, and raising a family on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts since 1989. She is the founder of BeWellSing and The Song Exchange Project, through which she brings singing in community to as many people as she can. Inspired by the teaching of Dr Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Roberta has been leading community singing for over 25 years. She believes, and has experienced, that singing together brings us into deeper connection with ourselves and each other. Raising our voices, having a communal experience of rhythm, melody, and harmony is a deeply healing experience that can be shared across age, gender, race, class, and culture.

    Links: 
    Roberta's Website: https://www.bewellsing.com

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:35
    Start time of reprise: 00:15:13

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Major, harmonized
    ​
    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!
  • Published on

    71. Lullaby My Sweetness with singer Rebecca Csuy

    3:4 Calm Flow Lullaby Release Rest Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Tend Trust
    Song: Lullaby My Sweetness
    Words & Music​ by Patricia Norton
    Lyrics
    Lullaby my sweetness, rock me forever;
    cradle me deep in an ocean of blue.
    Lullaby my sweetness, hold me so gentle;
    this is the song that I sing for you.

    White birds winging above me,
    calling wild and calling free.
    White thoughts, wheeling away now;
    loose and alight and afloat on the sea.
    Picture

    Notes    : I am thrilled to announce a 3-generational podcast!!! Our daughter, Rebecca Csuy (pronounced, "Soo-ee"), was kind enough to join me to record this lullaby I started singing to myself a few months ago.... and then Rebecca managed to catch Claire, their almost 3-year-old daughter, singing it to herself the next day! (If you wanted to skip ahead to that, it's at the very, very end of the podcast, as a bonus, and of course, I would completely understand!) Do you ever sing with someone who makes you feel better about your own voice just by the way they sing with you? That's how I feel about singing with Rebecca -- her voice is so true and released -- it helps me find the center in my own in some way. I wrote this song because I'm not always an easy sleeper... so one day after a rough night, I was trying to sing to myself to unwind and relax -- and this is what came. The white birds were seagulls, making a racket outside our apartment window... and just before I fall asleep, it feels like my thoughts turn white and begin to float -- and so the white thoughts.

    Songwriter Info: That would be me, so both of the websites below have stuff...

    Links: 
    abreathofsong.com
    juneberrymusic.com

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:43
    Start time of reprise: 00:15:43

    Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, Ionian, melody with 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 (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    69. Sing Upon Joy (Livian's Song)

    4:4 Accept Calm Celebrate Grieve Heal Hope Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Layer Tend Trust
    Song: Sing Upon Joy (Livian's Song)
    Words & Music: ​Lyndsey Scott & Livian & helpers
    Lyrics
    Sing upon Joy; Sing upon Grief
    Sing upon the light of a new budding leaf

    What is broke can be mended; What is hurt can be healed
    What is lost can be found; Hidden, revealed
    Picture
    Notes: I love this song for the both-and-ness... both joy and grief; both broken and mending; both hurt and healing, lost-found, hidden-revealed. The song appeared in an including way, too... Lyndsey was tasked with finding or creating moments of beauty and surprise at 2017 Village Fire, and as she sat at a table with the youth, creating art and words to decorate the port-a-potties, she saw what 10-year-old Livian had written -- "Sing upon joy". Lyndsey heard it as a song, and sang the first phrase... then the folk at the table created the interlocking part together. Both music and art, both words and song, both older and younger, both-and, both-and. Next week's episode is a songwriter conversation with Lyndsey -- not only does she share one of the amazing songs from her new album, but we get to talk and explore. My heart feels wider, my brain click-ier, my spirit lighter after every interaction with Lyndsey -- I hope you can join us!

    Songwriter Info: Lyndsey Scott is an artist-goofball-yintennae devoted to priestesSing the Heartland, (literal and figurative).  She weaves community singing to empower earth-based spiritual consciousness, and gathers soul circles that, through Song and sacred listening, decompose oppressive scripts that get in the way of freely living the Love we are. With jams that get you skipping easily between the sacred, sexy, and sssssilly : your inner child, exiled banshee, and wise elder are all very invited to the circle. ​

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:11
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:30​

    Links: 
    The song is free to share but Lyndsey always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
    Lyndsey's website: lyndseyscott.earth
    Everything Lyndsey! https://linktr.ee/lila.gaia
    We Belong Community of Song: https://www.facebook.com/webelongcommunityofsong
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lyndseyscott
    Lyndsey's album on Bandcamp: https://lyndseyscott.bandcamp.com/album/well-held

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major, 2 harmonized layers
    ​
    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!