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    31. Voices Rising

    4:4 Celebrate Change Empower Gather Hope Power & Change Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Unison With Separate Harmony Line Song Form: Zipper Trust
    Song Voices Rising
    Words & Music​ by Lisa Doscher
    Lyrics
    ​All our voices are rising up...oh, my soul
    Voices sing, voices ring
    Sounding out, echoing!
    Quiet voices are rising up
    Wild voices are rising up
    Sacred voices are rising up
    Awakened voices are rising up
    Inspired voices are rising up
    United voices are rising up
    Hear our voices rising up!
    Picture
    Notes: Lisa wrote this song in a beautifully flexible way, so we can each adapt it to what we need to be singing in the moment... in the podcast, I only sing "All our voices are rising up...", but you can insert your own word for the kind of voices rising up inside you. In the community singing world, songs like this are called "zipper songs", and they can be a beautiful practice of awareness -- as you sing, over and over, other words might appear in your head -- and some of them may surprise you, or make you laugh, or touch you tenderly. Welcome to your voice -- welcome to mine -- I can imagine them thrumming through the earth as we sing this song together....

    Songwriter Info: Oxford, U.K.-based singer-songwriter Lisa Doscher believes in the power of the voice to reconnect us, to ourselves and to each other. Her songs open up a portal for listeners to go within, while at the same time resensitizing to the world through beautiful harmonies and life-affirming lyrics. Her new album, ‘Tuning In: Songs to Reconnect and Recharge’ is a retreat from the stresses of daily life, designed to activate our creative energy and help us realign with our unique purpose. There are songs to soothe, uplift and restore balance. For those interested in going deeper, Lisa is offering a ‘Tuning In’ Women’s Group starting February 1st, 2022, with monthly live sessions, weekly meditations and support for going within to activate your voice and creative process. Lisa also offers individual voice and healing sessions.

    Links:
    All the info, places to buy/listen:
    https://lisadoscher.com

    Or go directly to buy/stream on Bandcamp: https://lisadoscher.bandcamp.com/
    It includes a beautifully designed booklet with the intentions behind the songs and ways to use them in your daily life.

    Find Lisa on Facebook or Instagram as @lisadoschermusic

    You can also hear Lisa singing Voices Rising on youtube at     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjDQDDf_MU4

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:37
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:09​

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian (Major), melody with harmonized interlocking part; zipper potential
    ​
    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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    30. Labor On with Lissa Schneckenburger

    6:8 Change Empower Gather Grief & Fear Hope Journey Notice Power & Change Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Verse & Chorus Songwriter Conversation Tend
    Song: Labor On
    Words & Music by Lissa Schneckenburger
    Lyrics
    When the darkness overtakes you and you shiver in the cold
    When disparity wakes you, and you know you must be bold
    When you put your body on the line don’t hesitate in fear
    We know the train it is coming, it is near

    Chorus: Labor on my children, labor on my friend
    Labor on my children, we will not let this be the end

    When they dig the earth and turn it into dollars to be made
    You can’t help but try to save her, for her sake don’t be afraid
    While the fire it rages onward, burning everything it sees
    And destruction consumes our decency
    Chorus
    When the powerful corrupt us and complacency sets in
    They’ll distract you, they’ll placate you, but we can not let them win 
    With each step we take together, we are stronger by the hour
    And we are rising, we are shining, we have the power
    Chorus

    Picture
    Notes Lissa Schneckenburger's song has a personal back story that we get into during the conversation part of the episode -- along with discussion of change-making as integral to music-making, the similarities and differences of violin and voice as instruments, why Lissa chose songs with words for her recent solo album... Lissa spills over with ideas, generosity, connections, and a deeply caring heart -- our time together was a treat for me. This song feels particularly appropriate at this turn of the year, when we are tired of COVID and injustice and it is easy to be fearful... "we are rising, we are shining, we have the power"... "we will not let this be the end". Something a little different on this episode -- after she invited us to join, I included myself singing with Lissa and experimenting (sometimes more successfully than others) with harmonies... my hope is that that encourages you, too, to explore. Brendan Taaffe says you're only ever one note away from a great harmony! If you want to hear the song already beautifully harmonized and sing along with a polished version after you've learned it on the podcast, check out the links below for Low Lily's video.

    Songwriter Info: Lissa Schneckenburger is a fiddle player and singer whose roots are in folk music in Maine. She lives in Brattleboro, Vermont, now, and says, “To me, music creates community. Music is what people sing along to, dance to, fall in love to… music brings people together." Giving concerts on her own or as part of the trio, Low Lily, as well as supporting other musicians with practice challenges (and jokes) through her website, Lissa consistently does her part to build community. Her solo album, Thunder In My Arms, is a tender, powerful collection of songs about attachment, parenting, and trauma. We talk about its origin and development in today's conversation.

    Links:
    Lissa's website: lissafiddle.com
    Low Lily's music video of Labor On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2XtOspP1Jc
    Peter Mulvey (bike tours and music!) https://www.petermulvey.com/
    The Road North by Alasdair Fraser and Paul MacHlis -- one of Lissa's influential albums
    Moosewood borscht recipe by Mollie Katzen -- the link goes to a blogpost with the recipe, or buy the whole cookbook at your local bookstore -- a 40th anniversary edition was released and is still in print.
    Kafari on kafarimusic.bandcamp.com/ -- a Black, Portland, Maine-based artist Lissa wishes more people knew about... piano and percussion music.
    Duet with Lissa on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@lissafiddle?

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:16
    Start time of reprise: 00:56:30​

    Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, Aeolian, verses & chorus
    ​
    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

    26. There's A Light In You

    4:4 Accept Be Present Change Empower Gather Gathering & Welcome Notice Power & Change Ribbon Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Zipper
    Song There's A Light In You
    Words & Music by Mazal Masoud Etedgi
    Lyrics
    There's a light in you, There's a light in me, There's a light in everybody.
    Rise up, come down. Rise up, come down, feet on the ground.
    ​
     [This song is led with participation encouraged so that the word "light" gets rotated with other words -- for example, There's a vision in me, There's a love in me, There's a freedom in me....]
    Picture
    Notes: I asked the people who have signed up for the A Breath of Song mailing list to share words they'd like to hear in this song... and I got SO many responses!!! Narrowed down to 21 words... so we sing this song in three different ways, each time with seven different words. As you sing to uncover your own wellness, you may find a song feels better slower or faster on different days, or sung with high energy or very calmly. I explore three different options with this song -- you may find more. You'll hear my voice crack and squeak -- and you'll hear many of me at one point, because this is a great song for a crowd (and hey, sometimes it IS crowded in my mind with my own voices!) It is not simple to create a song that is easy to learn, and also is a strong container for many different emotions and recognitions. I love the way this song invites us to notice what we see in ourselves and each other, and then stretches us both up and down -- an alignment in song.

    Songwriter Info: Mazal Etedgi (they/them/theirs) is a trans and Mizrahi ritualist, Drama Therapist, and herbal medicine maker living on Ohlone Land (so-called Berkeley, California).

    Links:
    Website: bsamimapothecary.com
    Instagram: @bsamim.apothecary
    Tiktok: @bsamimapothecary

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:06
    Start time of reprise: 00:13:02
    ​
    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Minor (Aeolian with harmonies in 2nd go-round), 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

    21. Song Deep In Your Bones

    3 5 & 6 Mixed Meter Change Flex Gratitude & Trust Grief & Fear Heal Notice Release Ribbon Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Unison Trust Water
    Song Song Deep In Your Bones
    Words & Music​ by Elise Witt
    ​© Non Si Sa Mai Music ASCAP
    Lyrics
    When you're feeling dry, there's water in the well. (4x)
    ​
    No rain from the sky, just a tear in your eye,
    all alone, far from home, you roam.
    Feeling tired, uninspired, like you're drifting away
    from your heart and the part you play.
    Picture
    Notes: I met creator Elise Witt online during the pandemic, when we were both in a course led by the extraordinary improviser Rhiannon… I was honored, because I already knew of Elise as a composer of unusual choral work that I had explored doing with my community chorus. In fact this piece was conceived as a choral piece, and Elise very generously let me excerpt a bit of it to be a pocket song. I love the way the rhythm wakes me up from an uninspired, tired place -- whenever I sing this, I almost always end up moving somehow. And now that I know Elise a little, I can see why -- her brain is the definition of fertile, and she exudes energy and joyfulness you can almost touch through her little Zoom rectangle. Elise says, "I believe that if we listen deeply, we can hear music in the wind, the water, the earth, and deep in our bones. And no matter how disconnected we get, that music is always there, when we are ready to return and listen."

    Songwriter Info: Elise’s concerts of Global, Local & Homemade Songs™ and her Impromptu Glorious Chorus™ workshops create and connect singing communities around the world. Born in Switzerland, raised in NC, and living in Atlanta since 1977, Elise speaks 5 languages fluently and sings in at least a dozen more. The Elise Witt Choral Series features choral arrangements of her original compositions and she recently published All Singing, a songbook with 58 original songs including music notation, lyrics and chords, stories and photos. In addition to her global touring, Elise serves as Artist-in-Residence & Director of Music Programs at the Global Village Project, a non-profit, special purpose middle school for teenage refugee girls in Decatur Georgia.

    Links:
    www.EliseWitt.com -- Learn more about Elise on her website
    "Song Deep in Your Bones" as recorded by Malcolm Dalglish’s Ooolation Singers in rehearsal at Yosemite National Park
    Recorded on "We're All BORN SINGING" EMWorld Records 1012
    Available for SATB, SSAA, TTBB in the Elise Witt Choral Series
    ​Included in ALL SINGING: THE ELISE WITT SONGBOOK

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:38
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:47​

    Nuts & Bolts: Mixed Meter (5:8, 3:8, 3:4 or 6:8), Mixolydian mode, and in this teaching, 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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    15. Brave This World with guest Tembre de Carteret

    2:2 Change Empower Journey Open Power & Change Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Layer Songwriter Conversation
    Song Brave This World
    Music & Words by Tembre de Carteret
    Composed in​ 2020
    Lyrics
    Brave this world
    with your heart.
    Stay open and brave this world.
    Picture
    Notes Tembre shares her song that was created in a bathtub during lockdown, "Brave This World".  I learn it as she teaches it. We talk about free-ranging children in the natural world, cold water, slowing down, expanding, spicy sweet potato soup, how Tembre can SEE someone find their voice, Ireland, and more. Tembre has been leading group singing since May of 2001, and developed a beautiful online presence hosting "May We Sing" during the lockdown. She says, "Having an English accent and a French name growing up in a rural community here in Ireland was challenging at times," yet the strong connection she has to both the natural world and music means that Ireland has been a beautiful, nurturing home.

    Resources mentioned
    Tembre's website www.tembresong.com
    Tembre's daughter, Amelia on instagram, going by the name of DECARTERET
    Also find Amelia on Spotify 
    Joni Mitchell's Blue album

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:54 
    Start time of reprise: 00:43:16

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Aeolian (natural minor), 3 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

    11. Dust Dry

    4:4 Change Empower Grief & Fear Grow Power & Change Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Zipper Water
    Song Dust Dry
    Words & Music​ by Patricia Norton
    ​Composed in 2020
    Lyrics
    Dust, dry, looking for *some water*;
    Dust, dry, my soul.
    Dust, dry, looking for *some water*;
    Rain down on us all.
    Us all.

    *zipper song; you sing the words you want here.
    ​If it's a single syllable, I often use the word "now" after to balance the rhythm.
    If it's a two syllable word, I use "some" or "a" before it.
    Some options: *a vision*, *some breath now*, *some justice*, *acceptance*, *some healing*
    Picture
    Notes: Written at a time when my soul felt dry and fragile in response to wildfires, drought, racial injustice, pandemic, climate and political crises... I needed a song that recognized how I felt, but could also call on hope, water, justice, breath, vision -- and a song I could bring to groups which could be quickly taught and singers could name what they wanted to call for themselves. I love the determination and sharpness I feel at the beginning, followed by a peaceful settling when the rain "falls down" on us all.

    Check out the home page or the shownotes to Episode #10 to join the "in-group" that gets a colorful, thoughtful weekly email.

    If you'd like to bring this song to your own groups, simply let me know at abreathofsong@gmail.com.

    Nuts and Bolts: 4:4, Aeolian (natural minor) zipper song with body percussion.

    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!