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    106. Don't Numb to This

    4:4 Accept Be Present Breathe Calm Empower Flow Gentle Grieve Heal Heart Open Pain Release Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Unison
    Song: Don't Numb to This
    Music: Abigail Bengson
    Lyrics
    ​
    Don’t numb to this, don’t numb it out.
    Let it all flow in and out.
    ​You’re strong enough to feel it all,
    ​and keep your heart alive.

    Stay soft to this, don’t numb it out.
    ​Let yourself breathe in and out.
    You’re strong enough to feel it all,
    and keep your heart alive. ​I said,

     Don’t numb to this, don’t numb it out,
    Let yourself breathe in and out,
    You’re strong enough to feel it all
    and it’ll keep your heart alive. I said,

    Don’t numb to this, don’t block it out,
    Let it all flow in and out,
    You’re strong enough to feel it all,
    and it’ll keep your heart alive.
    Picture
    Notes: Singing this song settles me so deeply, reassuringly, into my body to be able to tolerate the discomfort of big feelings. When I was browsing for links about the Bengsons to share, the video, "My Joy is Heavy", drew my eye. I started it to see what it was about -- and couldn't stop watching. This podcast episode is about a fabulous song... and if you can go see "My Joy is Heavy", it will give you so much more. Abigail and Shaun Bengson are powerful storytellers, creating stories rooted in truths of their lives... this one in pregnancy and loss. Abigail says, "Honor the poetry that exists in each of our moments of crisis... when something big cracks your life, there is a kind of poetry that spills out -- details become important or disappear; it's an amazing time outside of time."

    Songwriter Info: Abigail and Shaun Bengson have this to say on their Patreon page: "We've been working to create music and community online and releasing it, joyously and of course for free for a bunch of years. Lots of folks found us initially through our songprayer The Keep Going Song, and then stayed so we could get to know each other. We've been so moved and humbled by the incredible support of the folk who come to our pages and participate through listening, commenting, singing along or writing to us with their own stories of grief, joy, loss, rage and transformation. We've always been focused on releasing everything for free, and keeping our concerts affordable for all!"
    ​
    Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share but the Bengsons always welcome financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.

    Links: 
    My Joy is Heavy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMTBaFm5ibc https://www.bengsons.com/
    Abigail singing "Don't Numb to This" https://www.facebook.com/thebengsons/videos/629432998893008
    The Bengsons' Website: https://www.bengsons.com/
    The Bengsons' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebengsons/?hl=en
    ​The Bengsons' Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebengsons
    The Bengsons' Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thebengsons
    The Bengsons' Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/artist/08VxLl1rmtFqsvoAmCVaNH?si=MxhG1JamRX6q_3C3a1ulbg&utm_medium=share&utm_source=linktree&nd=1

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:55
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:30
    ​
    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4 Minor (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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    98. Between Nothing and Everything

    3:4 6:8 Accept Belonging Cycles Flow Journey Love Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Round Wisdom
    Song: Between Nothing and Everything
    Music: Angela Gabriel
    Words: based on text by Nisahrgadatta Maharaj

    ​Lyrics:
    ​
    Wisdom is knowing, knowing I am nothing.
    Love is knowing I am everything, everything, everything, and be-
    tween​ the two, between the two, between the two my life moves.
    Picture
    Notes: Angela Gabriel has given us a brilliant setting based on words by Nisargadatta Maharaj, “Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, Love is knowing I am everything, and between the two my life moves.” The first line twists around on itself disappears into nothingness. The second line starts an octave away and drops into the security of "everything." Then, on a note in the middle of the two starting pitches, and in 6:8 instead of 3:4, the song begins to dance and flow, and ends on a slightly surprised major third. You don't have to know any of that for it to work its magic, though -- simply let it wind into your body as a beautiful melodic invitation to release. I'll be singing this one to myself long after this podcast is wrapped up, reminding me of both-and, flow, fluidity.

    ​Songwriter Info: Angela is a professional percussionist & pianist and community music/community singing facilitator. She lived in Santa Fe NM for the last 20 years, where she played with the opera, symphony, chamber music festival, as well as in African, Haitian, and samba gatherings, funk and ragtime bands.  She just moved to Bloomington, Indiana in the end of 2022.
    Angela's mission in life is to facilitate expressive creative, musical, and vocal experiences and to encourage folks to replace judgement with curiosity and open themselves to their unique, creative flow. Part of how Angela does this is by singing and drumming online weekly with people living with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders.

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

    Links: 
    Angela's website: www.AngelaGabriel.me
    Support Angela's work: find songs, rhythmic activities, and more at patreon.com/AngelaGabriel
    Check out Hidden Whale, Angela's old band (she's the drummer): https://youtube.com/channel/UCpxdVqwSxzEBhgUilN3qQLg
    Nisargadatta Maharaj: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisargadatta_Maharaj

    Nuts & Bolts: ​​3:4, Aeolian with major final third, round

    ​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

    87. Born To Love

    1:1 (Unmetered) Accept Belonging Heal Love Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Echo Song Form: Unison Trust
    Song: Born To Love
    Music & Words by Gabrielle Mehlmann Gelfand
    Lyrics
    We knew love, before we were born.
    We know love, from the inside.
    We knew love, before we were born.
    And yet it takes a lifetime
    To really know.
    Picture
    Notes: This song floats and pulses, carrying me as singer into a spaciousness and warmth that feels like it could be a somatic knowledge of love. That's quite a statement to make for a song, no? And yet, it makes sense -- when we sing, we engage so much of our brains -- breathing, thinking, sensing vibration and sound -- that if we allow images and responses to come into our awareness, too, those images are rich and connected with all we have ever known.. Unusually for songs I share on this podcast, this one doesn't have a strict meter -- it is more fluid and shifting -- yet it has a stable, vibrant heart center. I'll be curious to know what this experience is like for you!

    Songwriter Info:  Gabrielle is passionate about music and its transformative and healing powers. She grew up singing and surrounded by music, and has sung and performed in many contexts; indie rock, choirs, musical theater, Cabaret, yoga studios, and singing circles. Gabrielle has hosted singing circles, sound ceremonies, and new moon circles. She currently lives in Seattle, and likes to catch songs while walking through the beautiful Pacific NorthWest forests.

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share, please contact Gabrielle if you're planning to use it simply because it would be such a delight to know about it.

    Links: 
    Follow @sound__witch on Instagram to see what Gabrielle's up to,
    and/or check out her other songs at soundcloud.com/a_sound_witch.
    After this episode was released, Gabrielle released her (stunning) recording of Born to Love -- you can find it on Spotify here:     https://open.spotify.com/track/5lajK8FDZcyxszxC65x021?si=cfb68facf8eb4720 
    ​or on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErdGihQj-Bk 

    Nuts & Bolts: unmetered, major, echo

    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

    85. This Body with Guest Heather Pierson

    4:4 Accept Be Present Calm Change Grieve Grow Heal Listen Notice Rest Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Unison Song Form: Zipper Trust
    Song: This Body
    Words & Music by Heather Pierson
    Lyrics
    This body *breathing*.
    This body *breathing*.
    This body is here,
    This body is now.

    "breathing" can be replaced by other words,
    like singing, dreaming, healing, grieving, living, smiling, loving, etc.
    Picture
    Notes: Singing this meditative mantra with Heather Pierson's butter-warm voice draws me right into the here and now, even when I'm dealing with tech glitches... it's powerful stuff, and I've been putting it to the test! Heather says, "Music is an invitation..." and in our conversation, she talks about the different ways that plays out during grieving, learning to sing solo, collaborating, choosing songs, giving permission. Have you ever thought about how the meditation concept of titration might apply to leading a circle? Well, we've got you covered!

    Songwriter Info: Heather Pierson is a pianist, singer/songwriter, songleader, and performer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She has released 14 albums, two songbooks, and several singles of her original music ranging in style from folk to jazz to vocal chants. Since 2018, she is the co-creator with fellow songleader Bernice Martin of Heart Songs & Circle Songs, a community singing project dedicated to the cultivation of harmony, wellness, connection, joy, and peace through music and song. When she isn’t making music, Heather enjoys her meditation practice, hiking, cooking, writing, reading, and watching the birds.

    Links: 
    Heather's album 'Wishes of Lovingkindness', available for free or by donation at her Bandcamp: https://heatherpierson.bandcamp.com/album/wishes-of-lovingkindness
    For more information about Heather's community singing project with Bernice Martin, please visit https://www.heartsongsandcirclesongs.com.
    For more information about all of Heather's musical offerings, please visit: https://www.heatherpierson.com.
    Heather's growing community on Patreon enjoys early and exclusive access to new songs, videos, and poetry every week. Learn more at https://www.patreon.com/HeatherPierson
    ​    Kansas: “The Spider”
    Melanie DeMore... "These songs are like medicine." Here's Melanie leading two of her medicine songs:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3D1U_Cmlxc
    Leah Boyd/Leah Wolfsong ‎Leah Wolfsong on Apple Music
    The early albums:
    ‎We All Have a Song by Heather Pierson on Apple Music
    ‎Honor The Light by Heather Pierson on Apple Music
    Laurence Cole: “Attention is the healer of separation”
    Gray catbird
    Baked Beans recording (Alan Bean) Recording Studio | Baked Beans Recording Studio | United States
    Peaceful Means (Leah Boyd & Heather Pierson) (3) Peaceful Means | Facebook
    ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - Live At Fillmore East (Deluxe Edition) - Amazon.com Music
    The Wood Brothers The Wood Brothers (thewoodbros.com)

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:31
    Start time of reprise: 01:03:53

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, with a lovely minor final note; unison zipper song

    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

    84. May I Be Open

    4:4 Accept Be Present Flex Grow Heal Notice Open Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Layer Tend
    Song: May I Be Open
    Words & Music ​by Heather Pierson
    Lyrics
    May I be open to things as they are right now,
    because this is how things are right now.

    Remember the breath, remember the body,
    ​remember the goodness that you carry.
    Picture
    Notes: I love the way this song pulls me into the very present moment of right now, really right now, with concrete reminders of the breath and body... and then also lightens my spirit with the rhythmic play as I sing about the goodness that I carry. Heather has found ways through steady, attentive practices to help herself heal from childhood trauma, and she carries this intentional tending with clarity and care into her music. Next week, we can settle into a songwriter conversation with Heather about all this, and more!

    Songwriter Info: Heather Pierson is a pianist, singer/songwriter, songleader, and performer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She has released 14 albums, two songbooks, and several singles of her original music ranging in style from folk to jazz to vocal chants. Since 2018, she is the co-creator with fellow songleader Bernice Martin of Heart Songs & Circle Songs, a community singing project dedicated to the cultivation of harmony, wellness, connection, joy, and peace through music and song. When she isn’t making music, Heather enjoys her meditation practice, hiking, cooking, writing, reading, and watching the birds.

    Links: 
    'May I Be Open' is from Heather's album 'Wishes of Lovingkindness', available for free or by donation at her Bandcamp: https://heatherpierson.bandcamp.com/album/wishes-of-lovingkindness
    For more information about Heather's community singing project with Bernice Martin, please visit https://www.heartsongsandcirclesongs.com.
    For more information about all of Heather's musical offerings, please visit: https://www.heatherpierson.com.
    Heather's growing community on Patreon enjoys early and exclusive access to new songs, videos, and poetry every week. Learn more at https://www.patreon.com/HeatherPierson

    ​Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:00
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:15​

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 2-part layer song

    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

    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!