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    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.
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    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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    182. Ribbon 7: Rising

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    ​The Sunday after this episode is released, March 16th, 2025, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, there will be an online gathering of folk who use song to help navigate life -- and we'll sing through this Ribbon of Songs with live-looping! To learn more, click here, or sign up right now to join us!

    ​​Lyrics     ​& Links to the original episodes for the songs in this ribbon.
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    ​31. Voices Rising
    Words & Music by Lisa Doscher

    ​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!
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    ​49. More Waters Rising
    Words & Music by Saro Lynch-Thomason

    1. ​There are more waters rising, this I know, this I know.
    There are more waters rising, this I know.
    There are more waters rising, they will find their way to me;
    there are more waters rising, this I know, this I know,
    there are more waters rising, this I know.

    2. ...fires burning...
    3. ...mountains falling...
    4. I will wade through the waters... when they find their way to me;
    5. I will walk through the fires...
    6. I will re-build the mountains...
    ​7. I will wade through the water...
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    ​32. Seed Song
    Words & Music by Barbara McAfee

    Oh the darkness has swallowed me whole,
    and I cannot remember the light.
    Oh, I feel I am losing my soul to the night, to the night.

    You are a seed.
    This is the waiting time.
    You hold a dream of green that will call you to the sky.
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    ​9. Right Place, Right Time
    Words & Music by Samara Jade

    1. I believe that I’m in the right place at the right time
    This wave is crashing down and it’s the one for me to ride

    2. Crazy world, crazy times
    Gonna let go of what oughtta be
    And hang on for the ride

    3. Ebb and flow
    Rising, falling
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    ​140. The Feast
    Words & Music by Heidi Wilson

    Holy Fire in the sun
    Water in the river, and Wind within my lungs
    Oh holy Earth beneath my feet
    All of us are offerings and also at the feast
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    163. Radiate
    Words & Music by Lisa Piccirillo

    When I see me,
    I am standing in my light.
    I will be me
    when I’m standing in my light.

    And if it’s blinding,
    I’ll keep climbing
    ​oh so high
    and just keep going
    toward my knowing
    till I find:
    I radiate.
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    180. Pearl in the Dark with guest Sarina Partridge

    2:2 3 Layer Change Darkness Determination Empower Future Hope Journey Listen Notice Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Sea Song Form: Layer Songwriter Conversation Trust Water
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:34
    Start time of reprise: 01:30:39
    ​Lyrics:

    Part 1:
    I'm gonna dive deep, a little deeper
    Into the grit and the mud and the muck
    that I don't wanna see
    'Cause I think there's a seed,
    there's a teacher
    There's a pearl in the dark shining!

    Part 2:
    I will lean into this darkness, this darkness
    A seed is shining,
    there's a pearl in the dark shining!

    Part 3:
    Ooooh, shining like a pearl
    Ooooh, new leaves unfurl
    Ooooh, a new way is possible -
    there's a pearl in the dark shining!
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    Song: Pearl in the Dark
    Music by: Sarina Partridge

    Notes: Here's something to boost your "joy-ometer", as Sarina refers to it! We dive into infiltrating the health system with singing, stories we tell to make sense of the world, geysers of weird choices, singing to support community goals, cosmic bowling alley bumpers and more... and all that after learning a fresh song of Sarina's that helps us dive into the grit and the mud and the muck (when we choose to!)

    Songwriter Info: Sarina Partridge is a musician, song-leader and educator in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She feels most alive when learning, creating and sharing songs, and enjoys singing with a wide variety of music projects - Eastern European and Yiddish song, old-time music, community song-leading... and everything in between. Sarina has traveled around the world to study with master folk singers, and has toured with the traveling ensemble Northern Harmony abroad and in the USA.  She has a passion for connecting people with their own creativity and with community, and uses singing to help folks develop a sense of wonder for this wild world around us. Let’s sing!
    Sarina performs and teaches with several music projects/ensembles (Heartwood, Nanilo) and as a solo artist and educator; teaches at music camps (Village Harmony, Songroots, Folklore Village); and leads regular community sings and workshops in and around Minneapolis.

    Sharing Info: When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Sarina for permission and rates.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:34
    Start time of reprise: 01:30:39

    Links:
    Sarina's website: SarinaPartridge.com
    Sarina's Patreon: patreon.com/sarinapartridge
    Sarina's Bandcamp: sarinapartridge.bandcamp.com
    Heartwood's UK tour in March: https://www.heartwoodtrio.com/upcoming 
    SongWeavers retreat: https://www.singwaldorf.org/songweavers 
    Village Harmony: https://www.villageharmony.org/ 
    ABS episode with Kate Valentine: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/130-ride-the-storm-with-guest-kate-valentine 
    Mariah Carey: https://mariahcarey.com/
    Bad Posture Club: https://badpostureclub.net/ 

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

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  • Published on

    178. My Body

    4:4 Accept Beauty Belonging Celebrate Empower Heal Love Mantra Ribbon Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Unison With Separate Harmony Line Trust
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:31
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:09
    Lyrics: 

    My body is fly
    My body is beautiful
    My body is bold
    My body is mine
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    Song: My Body
    Music by: Alexandra Sarton

    Notes: Singing this week brought me into my body in a joyful, appreciative way... our bodies, our existence are such miracles, and this song fully celebrates and owns this. For anyone who has ever felt ashamed of their body for any reason, this is a medicine song, a reclaiming, remembering song. Alexandra Sarton Love, who wrote it, has lived with alopecia since age 10, causing baldness. Maybe you're going through a medical treatment that makes it difficult to feel ownership of your own body? Maybe there's a relationship which leads to doubt about your body's beauty or validity? Maybe media or social gatherings has harmed your connection to your own body? Maybe you're a nursing mom? I don't know what you bring to this song... but I'm sooo glad you're bringing it!  Join me and you bring you, I'll bring me -- let's sing these words together!

    Songwriter Info: In 2011, Alexandra Love was inspired to assemble a 12-woman chorus to sing the harmonies she had written for her solo project, In Curses. She created a festival, The Festival of Light and Sound (April 2012), to debut this project and to bring Beautiful Chorus together for a one-time performance. The ladies practiced each week leading up to the album release. The festival was a huge success and after that night, Love decided to keep the project going. She booked tours for Beautiful Chorus around the country, hosted crystal singing bowl meditations w/ the ladies, lead vocal workshops and more. It was then that BC wrote + recorded songs, and have since become the most successful independent group of their kind. Fusing elements of electronic, choral, deep bass, hip hop and jazz, Beautiful Chorus is unlike any other. They have albums that span from wordless symphonies to full rhythmic songs, w/ sound healing frequencies and love-centered messages. They even have a wordless holiday album, a lullaby album, and a multitude of singable hymns and mantras. Beautiful Chorus is currently residing in Orlando, FL where they are developing a new live experience, hosting spiritual conversations, and preparing for their upcoming full album release, High Frequency Love Music, due out 7/26. Beautiful Chorus is currently made of Alexandra Love and four other members (Patty, Anisha, Yuki and Veronica).

    Sharing Info: When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Beautiful Chorus for permission and rates.

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:02:31
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:09

    Links:
    Beautiful Chorus website: https://www.beautifulchorus.com/ 
    Alexandra Love website: https://www.alexandra.love/

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, unison with optional harmony

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    177. Ribbon 6: Connection

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    ​The Sunday after this episode is released, February 2nd, 2025, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, there will be an online gathering of folk who use song to help navigate life -- and we'll sing through this Ribbon of Songs with live-looping! To learn more, click here, or sign up right now to join us!
    ​Lyrics ​& Links to the original episodes for the songs in this ribbon.​
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    ​135. What Would It Take
    Words & Music by Meg O’Dell Chittenden

    What would it take to let yourself
    Fall, fall in love with life completely
    What is the place that softly calls you
    Home, home, back to yourself so ease-fully

    All of these days are made of what we sow
    Gather in and then let go
    Beneath these waves of joy and grief and woe
    The sea moves deep and slow
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    ​82. Whoever You Are
    Words by Ana Levy-Lyons
    Music by Adam Podd, February 2022

    Whoever you are,
    Whomever you love,
    Wherever you are on your life journey –
    You are welcome here.
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    ​26. There's A Light In You
    Words & Music by Mazal Etedgi

    There’s a *vision* in you,
    there’s a *vision* in me,
    there’s a *vision* in everybody.
    [2x]

    Rise up.
    Come down.
    Rise up.
    Come down, come down,
    feet on the ground.
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    127. Willing to Receive, Willing to Release
    Words & Music by Lynn O’Brien

    I am willing to receive
    whatever you’ve got for me.
    I’ll take the big.
    I’ll take the small.
    I’ll take the unknown.
    I’ll take it all.
    I am o-opening.

    I am willing to release
    Whatever does not serve me.
    I’ll drop the big.
    I’ll drop the small.
    I’ll drop the unknown.
    I’ll drop it all,
    and I’ll let go…
    of everything
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    ​115. Reciprocity
    by Pam Blevins Hinkle

    I breathe for the trees and they breathe for me.

    You and me and the tree, living in reciprocity.

    Rooted in the moment and reaching for each other.
    Rooted in the moment and reaching for the dream.
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    173. Ribbon 5: Going

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    The Sunday after this episode is released, December 29th, 2024, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, there will be an online gathering of folk who use song to help navigate life -- and we'll sing through this Ribbon of Songs with live-looping! To learn more, click here, or sign up right now to join us!

    ​Lyrics     ​& Links to the original episodes for the songs in this ribbon.
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    3. Woyaya 
    Words & Music by Sol Amarifio (title in the Ga language of Ghana)
    ​Composed in 1971

    We are going, 
    heaven knows where we are going, 
    but we know within.

    And we will get there, 
    heaven knows how 
    we will get there, 
    but we know we will.

    It will be hard, we know, 
    and the road will be muddy and rough,
    But we'll get there, 
    heaven knows how 
    we will get there, 
    but we know we will.

    Wɔyaya, Wɔyaya, 
    Wɔyaya, Wɔyaya.
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    80. Go Dark
    Words from Wendell Berry
    Music ​by Kate Thomas

    To go in the dark with a light
    is to know the light.
    To know the dark, go dark; 
    go without sight,
    and find that the dark, too, 
    blooms and sings,
    And is traveled by dark feet, 
    and dark wings.
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    72. Unknown (Finding Home)
    Words & Music​ by Anni Zylstra

    ​Finding home
    in all that is unknown.
    Release
    ​what is gone.
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    143. Love Stays
    Words & Music by Laszlo Slomovits

    Change comes and goes, love stays.
    Change comes and goes, love stays.
    Life is filled with such mysterious ways.
    ​Change comes and goes, love stays.
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    29. Hope Lingers On
    Words & Music​ by Lissa Schneckenburger

    1. My mother, when love is gone (2x),
    in our darkest hour, hope lingers on.
    My father, when peace is gone (2x),
    in our darkest hour, hope lingers on.

    Chorus:
    I will not hate, and I will not fear;
    in our darkest hour, hope lingers here.

    2. My sister, when equality’s gone…
    My brother, with tolerance gone…
    ​
    3. My love, when honor is gone…
    My country, when justice is gone…
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    58. When We Are Gone
    Words & Music by ​Starhawk and Anne Hill

    When we are gone, they will remain:
    wind and rock, fire and rain.
    They will remain, when we return;
    the wind will blow and the fire will burn.
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