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    50. Navigate The Current with guest Saro Lynch-Thomason

    2:2 Be Grateful Flex Friendship Gratitude & Trust Grief & Fear Grieve Pain Protection & Presence Release Rest Ribbon Scale: Aeolian (minor) Song Form: Ballad Songwriter Conversation Tend Trust
    Song: Navigate the Current  Words by Saro Lynch-Thomason  Melody based on the traditional Irish tune ​known as "Star of the County Down"
    Lyrics
    I often feel a deep despair For a pain that feels unending
    For a body made with many faults That resists all salve or mending
    I’m tossed and driven with a tide Of an ocean unforgiving
    I am left shaking on the shore Afraid of even standing.

    I feel a deep temptation then As I am lying weary
    For a marble form to encase my bones That I may rest more deeply
    What comfort to be cast as stone To be static and suspended
    No ecstasy, no misery Nothing given or expended

    I am startled then by the touch of friends Who raise and fortify me
    Who say my name, bid me stretch my frame Help me face the sea’s great fury.
    Where would I be in these long hours Without their voices by me?
    To ease the pain and soothe the strain Of a troubled and angry body?
    ​
    I am bound between the amity That salves a body splintered
    And the cries and sighs of the daily hours That pull my soul more inward.
    Oh, may I learn to trust the hands That soothe a pain so fervent
    ​May I ride each wave with a greater faith And navigate the current
    Picture
    Notes: There's a freedom in not waiting for a cure. Traditional music is a way to connect to your spiritual ancestral community; it can affirm your experience and there's the "big expansion of empathy that is happening when we sing." Ornamentation and pronunciation of words in oral tradition. We don't create in isolation. How Saro's mom conveyed joy in singing, and what Saro would love "every human being on the planet to understand about disability." The broad umbrella of disability. Speaking with compassion to our bodies, and how that relates to justice work. Why singing is too important to be left to the professionals. Need I say more? This conversation with Saro has left me mulling over so much, and learning "Navigate the Current" has touched me deeply. Here's a chance to dig into what authentic expression feels like...
    ​
    Songwriter Info: Saro Lynch-Thomason is an award-winning ballad singer, song leader, folklorist, and documentarian from Asheville, North Carolina. Saro has been studying and teaching traditional song and balladry from the British Isles, Appalachia and the American South for over a decade. Saro believes that old songs help modern learners access history, folklore, and (most importantly) compassion for the experiences of others, and she uses in-person teaching, film documentary, podcasts and more to convey these lessons. She holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and a Certificate in Documentary Studies.

    ​    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:23
    Start time of reprise: 01:03:26

    Links: 
    www.sarosings.com
    www.patreon.com/sarolynch,
    Music at sarolyncht.bandcamp.com,
    TikTok and Instagram at @songspeaksaro
    Sign up for Saro's newsletter to be the first to hear when the class info is available...
    ​    ​Tim Eriksen Soul of the January Hills -- the link goes to Bandcamp, because if you buy the album there, the artist receives a larger % than any other source. Learn more about Tim Eriksen here: Tim Eriksen (timeriksenmusic.com)
    Michael & Carrie Kline at ​Talking Across the Lines (folktalk.org)

    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Aeolian (minor), ballad form
    ​
    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

    46. We Are the Way

    4:4 Celebrate Change Flex Grow Notice Play Power & Change Praise & Wonder Protection & Presence Release Ribbon Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Layer Song Form: Round Trust
    Song: We Are the Way
    Words & Music​ by Christine Kick
    Lyrics
    Celebrate the difference, 
    celebrate the distance,
    celebrate the love,
    celebrate this brand new way!
    We are the way, we are the way, we are the way!

    All night and every day we bring the love,
    ​we bring the love.
    Picture
    Notes: I came across We Are the Way in 2020 when I was joyfully listening through Annie Zylstra’s online collection in Heartland Harmony – if you love songs and haven’t found her library yet, you are in for a huge treat! Annie had this song, which lifted my heart and became a touchstone song for me in very short order. She explains that Christine Kick was living in her basement during a major home renovation that was taking longer than expected, and she found herself feeling a little shamefaced when friends would ask, “How’s it going?”, as it very much WASN’T… and then she reminded herself to celebrate the difference & distance she had come. We’ve just moved out of our home for 22 years to a new community, we’re unpacking boxes, searching for things in new places, slowly starting to meet new people… I am using this reminder on the regular!

    Songwriter Info: Christine has been writing songs ever since she was a kid, growing up singing in choirs, and playing flute, guitar, piano, hand drums, etc. She wrote We Are the Way in 2016. She teaches yoga as a way to harness more energy for life by overcoming our limitations and fears - energy that can then be applied to any passion or pursuit that fills us up! Christine believes that music is medicine, especially singing since it opens the throat chakra which allows energy to flow. Her mission is to inspire others to live their best life possible and show up for their heart's true calling.... and music is part of and parcel of who she is and what she does. When we connected for permission for me to use this song, she was in Costa Rica travelling, and sharing songs. Christine enjoys leading and hosting song circles, kirtans, and music jams.

    Links: 
    Find Christine's website here: Christine Kick
    on facebook as ChristineKick
    or Instagram as @acrounicorn

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:32 
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:29 ​

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, round and layer
    ​
    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

    39. Stand In That River

    6:8 Calm Change Flex Gather Gathering & Welcome Gratitude & Trust Grieve Hope Praise & Wonder Protection & Presence Release Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Tend Water
    Song: Stand In That River
    Words & Music​ by Moira Smiley
    Lyrics
    Chorus: Come and stand in that river, Current, gentle and slow,
    Send your troubles down water, Down on that water flow.

    1. When you stand in that river, Angels sing in your head.
    Secrets beyond every worry. Dreams beyond every dread.
    Picture
    Notes: Okay, I procrastinated on recording this episode for the longest of any song yet... I respect Moira so much, and I desperately wanted to share her song in a beautiful way that convinced you to love it, too. I felt like I wasn't good enough, and I got a good run of the whole imposter syndrome going, yada, yada, yada. But you know what shifted? I remembered why this podcast exists -- to share songs that help me heal, adapt, and grow, so you can sing them, too. And this song is one that I've sung to myself over and over in the middle of troubling times to help me release and let go. When I sing this into myself, I can see more clearly which actions might be mine to make next. And when the world is in turmoil, this is what helps me navigate a way forward. None of us (myself included) need to have a stunning voice for a song to be a companion... and I'm grateful to Moira for this gift. Please notice, I haven't shared the entire song here, only an excerpt... check out the links below to hear the whole song, and buy the music on her website for yourself or to share with others. Next episode: a conversation with Moira Smiley herself, who turns out to be absolutely lovely and generous -- we talk creativity, how rest is part of the job, how her voice has protected her, and more...​
    ​
    Songwriter Info: As a composer, Moira Smiley is known worldwide for choral arrangements like Bring Me Little Water, Silvy and originals, Stand in That River and How Can I Cry. Her music is sung by millions of singers worldwide. She’s credited with helping to bring body percussion into the choral mainstream and is in demand as a commissioned composer, writing multi-movement pieces including Time In Our Voices and In The Desert With You for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, evening-length secular liturgy, The Song Among Us and Tis A Fearful Thing for Craig Hella Johnson’s Conspirare and CVAE, Vonnegut Requiem: Light Perpetual for Voces Novae, Loud My Soul for Ad Astra Festival and I Have A Voice for ACDA Women's Choral Consortium. The European premiere of Time In Our Voices was performed by the voices and mobile phones of Ars Nova Copenhagen under the direction of Paul Hillier.
      In 2018-2019 Moira released the album and choral songbook, Unzip The Horizon as companion to her ‘The Voice Is A Traveler’ solo show. In 2021 she released the all-vocal social-justice centered album, In Our Voices with four powerful singers of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.     She continues composing and improvising in collaboration with artists in film, video game production, theater and dance, and her work can be heard on feature film soundtracks, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 70 commercial albums.
      “Moira Smiley is a marvel—an omnivorous singing and composing chameleon with a voice that can wail or caress at will!” -- Grant Gershon - artistic director, Los Angeles Master Chorale
      “Moira Smiley is a brilliant musician – an innovative composer and arranger, and a heartbreakingly beautiful singer. Her music transcends (and expands) boundaries.” -- Billy Childs - multi-grammy-winning composer/pianist
      “I’m so thankful I’ve had the privilege of performing and recording with Moira. She embodies the endless creative potential of the voice, and… (has made) a deeply moving body of work.” -- Merrill Garbus - Tune-Yards

    Links:
    www.moirasmiley.com for all info including sheet music, practice tracks!
    https://moirasmileysubscription.com/ to support Moira monthly for as little as $4/mo.
    https://www.instagram.com/moirasmiley/ for up-to-date personal and music pics
    https://www.youtube.com/c/MoiraSmileyMusic for official music videos, song and body percussion tutorials and live performances
    A beautiful recording of a quartet singing the full Stand In That River, part of "The Mt. Tom Sessions".
    Moira's own recording of Stand In That River with VOCO.

    Nuts & Bolts: ​3:4, Ionian, harmonized melody

    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

    35. Hymn To Loving with Guest Lisa Forkish

    4:4 Be Present Empower Flex Heal Journey Power & Change Protection & Presence Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Verse And Layer Songwriter Conversation Tend
    Song Hymn to Loving
    Words & Music​ by Lisa Forkish
    Lyrics
    1. What if falling felt like flying?
    What if flying felt like freedom?
    Will I be healed? Will I be healed? Will I be healed?

    2. What if freedom felt like living?
    What if living felt like loving?
    Will I be whole? Will I be whole? Will I be whole?

    3. So in living, I am you;
    And in loving, you are me, too.
    Will we hold, and be held? Hold and be held?

    Hold and be held. Is this what freedom feels like?
    Picture
    Notes: Lisa Forkish shares her song, Hymn to Loving, and talks about song titling, songwriting away from keyboards, deconstructing binaries, singing as a pure, liberating expression of the self, learning to love and be tender with our voice... and the surprise of connections through Zoom. Now, maybe that's all immediately appealing to you, or maybe it sounds complicated and brain-challenging! Let me tell you, Lisa has a gentle, welcoming presence and wide-open curiosity and questioning that makes this conversation a pleasure to eavesdrop on -- and whether her views raise questions for you, or drop easily into your pocket, I hope you will find useful connections through Lisa's explanations and in the links to help you follow up on whatever sparks your interest. She talks a lot about what she experiences as healing in voice work... and a tiny bit about her experience with the movie, Pitch Perfect, and her role in popularizing and opening up the collegiate acapella world.

    Songwriter Info: Lisa Forkish (she/they) is a queer singer-songwriter, community-builder, artivist, song-healer, and self-described "Love Warrior," infusing all she creates with fierce authenticity and heart. For the past 20 years, Lisa has been using song as both an expressive art and a tool for building connection. For Lisa, facilitating music spaces is much more than a job; it is a sacred calling. Lisa breathes humanity into their music and teaching with infectious joy and compassion, aiming to heal the wounds of music elitism and not-enoughness through an embodied, trauma-informed and heart-centered approach. For Lisa, Love is paramount and closeness is the antidote to cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacist delusion and cultural disconnection. Lisaʻs mission is to utilize music for personal and collective healing and liberation. 

    Links:
    Lisa's website: lisaforkish.com
    Lisa's singing offerings: wesingthebody.com
    adrienne maree brown (principles of emergent strategy): https://adriennemareebrown.net/
    Holistic Resistance (Black-led movement facilitating racial justice and other work to heal oppression): https://www.holisticresistance.com/
    white supremacy culture (what exactly does that mean?): https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/
    Rev angel Kyodo williams (radical dharma): https://angelkyodowilliams.com/
    On Being podcast (Krista Tippett interviews with various people): https://onbeing.org/
    Brene Brown (wholehearted, daring living): https://brenebrown.com/
    Rhiannon (vocal art as vehicle for change; improvisation): https://rhiannonmusic.com/

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, verse followed by layer
    ​
    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

    34. Possibility

    4:4 Be Present Empower Flex Gratitude & Trust Grow Hope Journey Open Power & Change Praise & Wonder Ribbon Scale: Dorian Song Form: Layer Trust
    Song Possibility
    Words & Music​ by Lisa Forkish
    Lyrics

    An end is not the end, it can be the beginning.

    Like a river, I flow.

    I am open to all the possibility.
    Picture
    Notes: I love a layer song which gives me options -- what do I feel like singing? Is singing low and warm feeling yummy? Or floating high? Or getting snuggled in the middle of a set of harmonies? Lisa Forkish's "Possibility" song offers all those choices, starting with a low, potentially gritty, determined line that says "An end is not THE end -- it can be the beginning." Then a fluid river line that requires some release to sing, as it flows among notes. Finally, when singing about being open, there is an amazing note on the word "open" that moves the whole song into a slightly unexpected place, giving a visceral experience of opening up to a different possibility. Love it. A song that helps me embody the knowledge of possibility that change brings.

    Songwriter Info: Lisa Forkish (she/they) is a queer singer-songwriter, community-builder, artivist, song-healer, and self-described "Love Warrior," infusing all she creates with fierce authenticity and heart. For the past 20 years, Lisa has been using song as both an expressive art and a tool for building connection. For Lisa, facilitating music spaces is much more than a job; it is a sacred calling. Lisa breathes humanity into their music and teaching with infectious joy and compassion, aiming to heal the wounds of music elitism and not-enoughness through an embodied, trauma-informed and heart-centered approach. For Lisa, Love is paramount and closeness is the antidote to cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacist delusion and cultural disconnection. Lisaʻs mission is to utilize music for personal and collective healing and liberation. 

    Links:
    lisaforkish.com
    wesingthebody.com
    www.patreon.com/lisaforkish
    Insta and Youtube / lisaforkish

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:23
    Start time of reprise: 00:12:56​

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Dorian, 3 layer song with 2 layers harmonized, so 5 parts
    ​
    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!