Song Form: Layer - A Breath of Song

Published on: April 22, 2026

230. Great Turning with guest Grace Oedel and singer Rebecca Csuy

Song: Great Turning

Music by: Joanna Colwell

Song Learning Time Stamps:

Start time of teaching: 00:03:03

Start time of reprise: 01:08:19

Lyrics:

Part 1
We are turning, turning
We’re part of a great turning
We are turning, turning
We’re turning it around

Part 2
I will not fear you
I will not harm you
I will not fear you
We are turning it around

Part 3
We are all in it together
We are turning, turning it around

(Gratitude to Joanna Macy, for her teachings on The Great Turning)

Notes: It seems fitting that Grace Oedel, who tells us she is “Not doing any of this alone," brings us a song caught by a friend of hers, Joanna Colwell... and that this song references the mentor and teacher Joanna Macy, who helped so many folk seek reconnection. Grace and I are joined by Rebecca Csuy to learn this three part song, and then we dive into a laughter-filled conversation that visits some hard questions and nourishing responses. Grace is doing vital work in the world in many different arenas, seeking ways to help us get comfortable with the enormous changes we are facing, hospicing modernity -- but she points out, “I eat chocolate chips in bed… I am not a holier-than-thou person!” "We're all in it together," like the song says... "we are turning it around."

Songwriter Info: Joanna Colwell is a yoga teacher and song leader in MIddlebury, Vermont. She started the Yoga Equity Project and can generally be found tearing down the patriarchy with art, song, ritual, and good cheer.

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

Song Learning Time Stamps:

Start time of teaching: 00:03:03

Start time of reprise: 01:08:19

Links:

Grace's Substack: https://graceoedel.substack.com/

Joanna Colwell – Middlebury yoga teacher:

https://www.yogaequity.org/

www.ottercreekyoga.com

https://www.instagram.com/ottercreekyoga/

Joanna Macy – The Work that Reconnects: https://workthatreconnects.org/

Octavia Butler: "Kindness eases change." "God is change.": https://www.octaviabutler.com/

Moira Smiley on A Breath of Song: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/39-stand-in-that-river#/ , https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/40-render-a-remedy-with-moira-smiley#/

Heidi Wilson on A Breath of Song: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/139-bend-and-rebound#/ , https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/140-the-feast-with-guest-heidi-wilson#/ , https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/228-all-call-this-home#/

Singing Resistance: https://linktr.ee/singingresistance

Kairos Center with Songs in the Key of Resistance: https://kairoscenter.org/projects/songs-in-the-key-of-resistance/

NOFA – Long-Handled Spoon Dinners: https://www.nofavt.org/about/blog/announcing-new-long-handled-spoons-dinners

L’Chaim Jewish collective leadership in Burlington: https://www.lchaimcollective.org/

Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, UVM professor: https://www.uvm.edu/cas/religion/profile/ilyse-morgenstein-fuerst

Elise Witt on A Breath of Song: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/21-song-deep-in-your-bones#/ , https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/211-set-us-free#/

Nero’s Expedition Up the Nile by Moondog (Louis Thomas Hardin): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpUIzHWB_zc

James Baldwin “The children are always ours.”: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/notes-house-bondage/

Aylie Baker – wayfinding in Micronesia: https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/wave-patterns/

Indigo Girls: https://www.indigogirls.com/

Batya Levine on A Breath of Song: https://www.abreathofsong.com/episodes--show-notes/166-breathe#/

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3-layers

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Published on: April 15, 2026

229. We Will Not Stand Down

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:44
Start time of reprise: 00:15:29

Lyrics:

We will not stand down
we will not go home
our love will move us on
in love we're not alone

I do not need permission to be brave

I can do it scared
I will do it scared

Song: We Will Not Stand Down
Music by: Grace Oedel

Notes: This song came directly out of protective action, as Grace was asking herself how to develop a chant into a song -- it's got a groove, it's alive, and it's adaptable. Sing it with only a few words, or add some lyrics. Get people moving on the parts they resonate with and help them hear the collective pulse that underlies it all. Add what feels good in your body and voice -- and next week, join Grace and me for a wide-ranging conversation that asks questions about how can we keep showing up with and for each other for the long haul? How can we use rage as a fuel that doesn't burn us out, but helps us to not stand down, to not go home, to do what scares us because love is underneath that rage, moving us on!

Songwriter Info: Grace is a doula for change and an enthusiast for collective action. She's an ordained rabbi who organizes with the L'Chaim Collective and serves as the executive director of NOFA-VT, building power for a just and delicious future. She sits on the boards of Rights and Democracy, Milk with Dignity, National Family Farm Coalition, National Sustainable Ag Coalition, the Better Selves Fellowship, and is an affiliate for the Institute for Agroecology. She leads a monthly community sing for resistance and hope that is a real banger, is a fan of desserts, and is mama to three little ones.

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups - use it anywhere it can be helpful! - but please contact Grace for recording and/or performing permission.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:44
Start time of reprise: 00:15:29

Links:
Grace's Substack: https://graceoedel.substack.com/

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 3-layers

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Published on: April 1, 2026

228. All Call This Home

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:06
Start time of reprise: 00:15:28

Lyrics:

Rock dove roosting on a roofline
Willow thicket on a highway island
Dandelion in a sidewalk crack
Muddy puddle with a raccoon track

You are never alone, and
We all call this home, and

You, are, never alone
We, all, are wild animals

-Plainfield, VT April 16, 2025

Song: All Call This Home
Music by: Heidi Wilson

Notes: Heidi Wilson has devoted herself to the craft of songweaving -- and it shows! My groups have all loved this song -- a great mix of almost-rap with sweet harmony swells, and trading back and forth playfully. Once it's in your head, it stays, providing a rhythmic counterpart to walks and a sweet sense of neighborliness with all our more-than-human kin.

Songwriter Info: Heidi Wilson has a passion for sharing songs in service to community and the wild world; songs that celebrate the seasons, bring groups together, offer thanks, muster courage, and make room for healing. She is drawn to the potent and surprising journey of deep-listening and collaborative emergent music making. Heidi has been leading community singing groups in Vermont for the last 15 years and currently sings with the vocal trio Heartwood.

Sharing Info:
Heidi says: "I’m on an ongoing journey figuring out how to share songs (that feel like generous gifts from the world) while also making a living as a songweaver. I am happy for the songs coming through me to be shared! If people are singing them in informal, community, or ritual settings that’s awesome, sing away! If people are sharing them in a setting where they are making a bunch of money or there is a budget for educational/repertoire materials and they are able to pass some of those resources my way I appreciate that. I would feel good about that reciprocity coming in the form of a one time donation (venmo: @Heidi-willsing) or by joining me on Patreon and supporting my songweaving work at any monthly level. And if you are interested in recording any of these songs let’s talk!
Looking for recordings of more songs? I mostly share music through Patreon, an online platform to support artists. On my Patreon site I’ve posted 80+ songs. Each post has downloadable practice recordings of the harmony parts. And through Patreon I also link to a spreadsheet where the songs are organized into categories, so you can listen through and find just the right song for Spring, or Gratitude, or Trees."

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:06
Start time of reprise: 00:15:28

Links:
Website: www.HeidiAnnWilson.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/HeidiWilson
Heartwood Trio: www.heartwoodtrio.com

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 3-layers

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Published on: March 18, 2026

226. Life's Dance

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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.

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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Published on: December 24, 2025

216. I Believe with Guest Singers

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:24
Start time of reprise: 00:19:52

Lyrics:

*Soprano, Alto, Tenor*
I believe in the goodness,
in the goodness of you,
and the goodness of me,
And the goodness of everybody

We were born to love, to love, to love
We were born to love, to love, to love

*Bass*
Oh! I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe in everybody
We, we were born to love, to love

Song: I Believe
Music by: Una McCann

Guest singers: Rebecca Csuy, Seth Norton, Tom Norton, Marika Tabilio

Notes: You'll hear a wonderful group of singers helping me cover all the ranges of this song: Tom and Seth bring the bass, Marika nails the tenor, Rebecca lines up the alto, and I take on soprano. There's a bit of octave confusion -- where do we find these pitches in our different voices?! And then this fabulous song and groove reminds us to see the goodness -- in you, in me, in everybody. So grateful to Una McCann for living into the teachings of Tara Brach and catching this song that feels so good to have singing in my body! Wishing everyone a week of discovery and festive comradery, whether you are celebrating holy days or simply the close of 2025...

Songwriter Info:
Una McCann is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she works as a choir leader and songwriter. She has been leading groups in harmony since her school days and has been working professionally with choirs for 15 years.
Currently the chair of the Natural Voice Network, Una runs 6 Natural Voice style weekly choirs. She also enjoys running singing holidays and retreats.
Una is passionate about the power of creativity to transform lives and encourages her singers to improvise, play and explore their own creativity.
Song writing is a part of life that sustains and supports Una. She writes melodies and words that she needs to hear in that moment and is always delighted when they resonate with other people too.
I Believe was born out of the wish to always see the best in people even when it’s hard and we don’t want to, and to remember that underneath all of us is someone who just wants to be happy. We all come from love but sometimes we lose our way a bit.
It was inspired by listening to Tara Brach who creates beautiful talks on topics such as this.

Sharing Info: Please buy sheet music on Una's website (see below) if you plan to share this song as a songleader.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:05:24
Start time of reprise: 00:19:52

Links:
Una's website: www.unamccann.org
Sheet music for this song: https://unamccann.org/product/i-believe/
Una's Instagram: www.instagram.com/unamccann47
Una's Facebook (Una McCann Music): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558408430060
Tara Brach's website: www.tarabrach.com
Natural Voice Network: www.naturalvoice.net

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 2 layers, one layer with melody & two harmonies

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Published on: December 17, 2025

215. What A Gift with guest Angela Gabriel

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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!

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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Tags

230. Great Turning with guest Grace Oedel and singer Rebecca Csuy

229. We Will Not Stand Down

228. All Call This Home

226. Life's Dance

216. I Believe with Guest Singers

215. What A Gift with guest Angela Gabriel