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    226. Life's Dance

    3:4 Be Present Cycles Dance Flow Gathering & Welcome Motion Night Play Praise & Wonder Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Layer
    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.
    Picture
    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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    215. What A Gift with guest Angela Gabriel

    4:4 Be Grateful Be Present Body Percussion Celebrate Gratitude & Trust Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Layer Songwriter Conversation Uptempo
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:55
    Start time of reprise: 01:22:01
    Lyrics:

    What a gift, what a gift,
    what a gift it is to sing.
    What a gift it is to sing 
    right now with you!

    What a gift it is to sing with you,
    when I’m happy!
    What a gift it is to sing with you,
    when I’m blue!
    Picture
    Song: What A Gift
    Music by: Angela Gabriel

    Notes: What a gift it was to be in conversation with Angela Gabriel -- we talked about how to deal with having been "poked in the voice" -- and the sensation of healthy singing. -- What was "one of the most idea shattering things" Angela has ever done in her life, and how "that butterfly excitement" led her there. How she's gotten to a place where, "I don't shame myself anymore," and a slew of adulting tactics she practices. ("I have a lot of arrows in my quiver.") How community singing can show up in activist spaces, where "it is difficult, but it doesn't have to be somber." How she sets up her own space -- "I actively choose to make it colorful..." and how that helps with healing. "The tremble" when singing for someone who is dying. Percussion and how it that has made Angela's voice distinctive in community singing songs... SO many things I loved in our conversation, not to mention this song!

    Songwriter Info: Angela is a performer, a teacher, a facilitator, and a lifelong learner. Her mission in life is to facilitate expressive creative, musical, and vocal experiences and to encourage folks of any age and background to replace judgement with curiosity and open themselves to their unique, creative flow.

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:55
    Start time of reprise: 01:22:01

    Links:
    Moira Smiley: Leather Britches: https://moirasmiley.com/downloads/leather-britches-2/ 
    “The Truth” – Velma Frye: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/18-the-truth#/ 
    Josh Habermann – Santa Fe Desert Chorale: https://desertchorale.org/about/our-people/#artistic_director 
    Susan Swaney – choir director in Bloomington UU church: https://www.uubloomington.org/about/our-ministers-and-staff/ 
    Kate Munger – Women Singing In Circle retreat: https://www.lamafoundation.org/engage/events/women-singing/ 
    Threshold Choirs: https://thresholdchoir.org/ 
    Melanie DeMore: https://melaniedemore.com/
    Becky Reardon: https://beckyreardonmusic.com/ 
    Terri Garthwaite: https://terrygarthwaite.com/ 
    Poor People’s Campaign: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/ 
    Pam Blevins Hinkle – No Kings Song doesn't seem to be online yet, but her website is https://pamblevinshinkle.com/ 
    Online group called “Lumos Transforms”: https://lumos-transforms.mn.co/ 
    PetCanvas: https://mypetcanvas.com/ 
    Mbira: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbira 
    Unitarian Universalist Church in Bloomington, IN: https://www.uubloomington.org/ 
    Rhiannon’s All the Way In improvisation class: https://rhiannonmusic.com/2026-all-the-way-in 
    “I live my life in a river of grace…” Kate Munger: https://thresholdchoir.bandcamp.com/track/life-grace-trust 
    Yes – Fragile: https://www.yesworld.com/discography/fragile/ 
    Willow Smith – Empathogen: https://willowsmith.com/products/empathogen-digital-download 
    Angela's website: www.angelagabriel.me 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, blues minor, 2 layers and body percussion

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    213. Breath By Breath

    3:4 Accept Be Present Breathe Calm Flow Grieve Heart Mantra Release Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Layer Trust
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:22
    Start time of reprise: 00:15:51
    Lyrics:

    Part 1:
    I will allow my heart to be broken
    I will allow this river to flow
    I will allow my soul to be opened
    Breath by breath, steady and slow
    Breath by breath, steady and slow

    Part 2:
    Breath by breath, I grieve you
    Breath by breath, I'll know
    You will always be here
    And I can let you go
    Yes, I will let you go
    Picture
    Song: Breath By Breath
    Music by: Juliana Murphy

    Notes: There is so much joy and delight in the holiday seasons -- and there can also be so much grief and loss. The air is thick with the smells of sugar and memories, we are in contact (or not) with folk with whom we carry long histories, and sometimes it's really hard to show up as we are now. I love this song of Juliana's for the full acceptance of grief: "I will allow my heart to be broken." And I love the way that very allowing unsticks feelings, so they become a river flowing, a soul opening... and I love the way she gives a concrete way to do all this: "breath by breath, steady and slow." This song helps me be wiser about allowing my full self to include my grief -- and reminds me that breath by breath, that grief can be a gentle, soul-opening presence. 

    Songwriter Info: Juliana Murphy (she/they) comes to the circle with a lifelong love of singing and a library of original and collected songs that connect us to ourselves, nature, and the cycles and rhythms of being a human on this planet. She brings a deep desire to sing a more beautiful, inclusive, loving, sustainable, and delightful world into being. Juliana is co-founder of the Monsoon Seed Choir and Chrysalis Choir, co-tends the Tucson Community Song Circle, is a graduate of the Littlebird Songleader Flight School for community songleading and is a member of the Ubuntu Choirs Network.

    Sharing Info: Juliana says: "This song being carries potent medicine for moving grief. It is most supportive when sung within a container of care, both individually and in community. If you plan to perform or record it with the intent to sell, please contact me for permission."

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:22
    Start time of reprise: 00:15:51

    Links:
    Website: https://www.julianamurphy.com/
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/julianamurphy
    Community Singing Offerings: https://www.tucsonsongcircle.com/
    SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jumutx 

    Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, major, 2-layer

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  • Published on

    201. I Walk in Beauty

    3:4 Be Present Beauty Mantra Motion Notice Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Layer Song Form: Round Wisdom
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:55
    Start time of reprise: 00:18:21

    ​Lyrics:

    As I walk, as I walk,
    as I walk I walk with beauty

    Beauty it walks before me,
    beauty it walks behind me,
    beauty it walks below me,
    beauty it walks above me
    ​
    Beauty is on every side,
    as I walk I walk with beauty
    Picture
    Song: I Walk in Beauty
    Words by: traditional Navajo (Diné) blessing
    Music by: John Harrison

    Notes: John Harrison turned to the teachings of the Diné people, the Navajo, to help him find the awareness of the beauty that exists in our world alongside everything else. As we live in a complex time, beset with multiple crises, wisdom teachings that have survived complex, critical times are a resource. This episode was a challenge for me, as I ended up leaving it in the range that John gave it to me -- one best suited for tenors and sopranos, and requiring a little more opening and exploration for lower voices! I share a technique that helped me find my way, but you are also welcome to just drop it down into the lower part of your voice -- find a way that feels good to sing!

    Songwriter Info: John Harrison is a composer, choral director, singer, and voice teacher who has been performing professionally since he was a lad. He sings and teaches in a variety of styles that reflect his eclectic performing background in church music, rock bands, jazz combos, gospel choirs, musical comedy, and a few things that defy description. Currently he directs Rock City!, Vermont’s rock and soul chorus, in Barre VT; Reelin’ & Rockin’, a rock and roll choir for seniors in Montpelier VT; and is the emeritus director of the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir in Montpelier VT. He has taught teenagers and adults in workshops, camps and holidays through Village Harmony, Turtle Dove Harmony, Songways (UK), as well as on his own. He was a K-12 Vermont music educator for 10 years. His compositions have been performed and recorded by many community choirs in the US and the UK. John lives with his wife Scottie in Plainfield, VT.

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:55
    Start time of reprise: 00:18:21

    Links:
    John's website: www.johnmarkharrison.com 
    More about Navajo (Diné) teaching of The Beauty Way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tZHIER3Jb4 

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

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  • Published on

    184. Where the Moss Grows

    4:4 Be Present Calm Earth Flow Grow Notice Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Trees Water Wisdom
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:33
    Start time of song in B-flat: 00:13:16
    Start time of song in D-flat: 00:17:36
    Start time of song in B: 00:23:38

    Lyrics:

    Where the river flows
    and the moss on boulder grows,
    we can remember what we deeply know.
    There is time to be here
    and see what becomes clear...
    when we let it go,
    and go where the moss grows.
    Oh, when we let it go,
    ​and go where the moss grows.
    Picture
    Song: Where the Moss Grows
    Music by: David Ruffin

    Notes: We get to sing David Ruffin's beautiful moss song in three different keys, so you can experiment with the range and how it feels in your voice in different ways -- and really feel like you know the song well by the end! So this episode is a little longer than sometimes -- but it's a great way to get a slightly longer song and harmony into your body, and still under 30 minutes. Next episode is a conversation with David, and we'll get to know this song carrier...

    Songwriter Info: David is a performing artist, community song leader and teacher with a passion for authentic expression. He loves creating space for voices to emerge fully and freely. He calls Central Vermont home, where he’s grateful to be able to share his holistic approach to voice in community through lessons, workshops, community singing and performance collaborations. David’s work is inspired by a diverse background including studies with Roy Hart Center voice teachers, deep dives in vocal improvisation, explorations in Voice Movement Therapy and over 20 plus years of performing arts, teaching and counseling/ministry experience. David believes singing helps us remember who we really are, what we're here to voice and, how we’re, thankfully, so very bound up together in this. 

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share but David welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved. Please contact him for recording and/or performing permission.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:33
    Start time of song in B-flat: 00:13:16
    Start time of song in D-flat: 00:17:36
    Start time of song in B: 00:23:38

    Links:
    David's website: www.davidruffinvoice.com
    David's Venmo: @David-Ruffin-Voice 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, harmonized

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  • Published on

    183. The Strength Within

    4:4 Be Present Breathe Calm Mantra Notice Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Strength Trust
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:53
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:26
    Lyrics:

    Lowest part:
    Breathe in, breathe out

    Lower part:
    I know that I'm strong enough
    I know I'm strong

    Higher part:
    I feel the strength within
    I feel the strength within

    Highest part:
    Find space within
    Find breath within
    Picture
    Song: The Strength Within
    Music by: Jody Vyner

    Notes: Jody Vyner gives us a song for feeling strength, space, and breath within... and we spend 10 minutes in meditation with it, as I add parts in and out and you find what's right for you today -- stay on one part while the sound changes around you? Shift to new parts as they come? What helps you tap into your own inner strength? I'm a highly distractable meditator, but I can let myself sit inside this song and its harmonies, and when I come out the other side, it feels like the waters have cleared (most days, anyway!)

    Songwriter Info: Jody Vyner works as a psychotherapist and runs Singing Roots - therapeutic singing circles in and around Sussex, UK. Combining her love of singing and song writing with her deep knowledge and experience of psychotherapy, there is always a therapeutic element to her gatherings which can be leant into for a deeply nurturing experience. Her circles are about turning up just as you are and giving yourself the chance to really check in and connect with yourself and be held by the words and the harmonies shared.
    Jody has done many other things in this lifetime; taught French, worked with asylum seekers and refugees, trained as a doula, in antenatal teaching and support, story-telling and face painting! It is her belief that the more experiences and skills she can gather along the way, the more richness and range she can bring to her work. 

    Sharing Info: Jody says: "It is wonderful to know how these songs travel. If you would like to share it in your own choirs/singing groups please contact me at jody@singingroots.uk for information on how to purchase the song and parts."

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:53
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:26

    Links:
    Singing Roots website: www.singingroots.uk 
    Singing Roots Bandcamp: www.singingroots.bandcamp.com 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 4 parts with first part in 3 harmonies

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