Ella Fitzgerald said, ”The only thing better than singing is more singing!” Use song to find wellness in ourselves, each other, and our world. In each episode, Patricia introduces a song that she trusts to help her navigate life. These songs provide a great soundtrack to your day — whether it’s comfort, presence, delight, grief-tending, or simply easing the way. Periodic interviews with song creators add color and understanding. Songs have helped Patricia heal, adapt, and grow, and she hopes these selections will become companions for you as well. Visit the website, abreathofsong.com, to learn more and suggest a song!
Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
1hr 12 min
Song: Glimmer in My Eye
Music by: Jordan Mudd
Notes: Jordan takes us through a journey of listening for a call, listening for our ancestors, listening to the generations to come -- and an exploration of the wild delight of being alive! I felt like so much of what he said is common to the shared experience in song circles where people are “Just singing to sing – and… I didn’t know that was what I’d been looking for…” He said, “It feels like what we are doing in our song circles is an experiment in culture building… that we want to move into the fabric of daily life.” And, “We get to be here making something wildly beautiful – not just our sounds but in the sharing of our souls.” Yes!
Songwriter Info: Jordan Mudd is a songleader, vocal coach, grief tender, and ritualist based in Boston, MA. He co-founded Boston-Area Singing Circles in 2023, where he leads regular community singing gatherings combining oral tradition songs, vocal improv, and ritual, as well as training workshops for aspiring songleaders. He has been catching & leading songs for a decade, and is committed to using song as a tool for personal, collective, and spiritual liberation.
Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share but he always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:32
Start time of reprise: 01:08:48
Links:
“Gimmer in My Eye” on Bandcamp: https://jordanmuddsings.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-generations-past-future
Boston-Area Singing Circles: https://www.bostonareasingingcircles.com/
Jordan’s website: https://www.jordanmudd.com/
Songleader Training with Jordan + milly roberts: https://www.bostonareasingingcircles.com/songleading-intensive
Emma Thomas Mitchell: https://www.emmathomasmitchell.com/
Sunrise Movement: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/
A Breath of Song episode from Sunrise Movement: https://www.abreathofsong.com/p/172-dont-go-putting-the-world-on-your-shoulders
“I Send my Hope” https://jordanmuddsings.bandcamp.com/track/i-send-my-hope
Ep 244: “I Am Listening” on A Breath of Song: https://www.abreathofsong.com/p/244-i-am-listening
Brandeis University: https://www.brandeis.edu/
Howard Thurman: https://www.bu.edu/thurman/about-us/who-is-howard-thurman/
Jordan’s Songleading Offerings: https://www.jordanmudd.com/songleading
David Ruffin: https://www.davidruffinvoice.com/
David on A Breath of Song (ep 185): https://www.abreathofsong.com/p/185-vocal-improv-with-guest-david-ruffin
David’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/780f3ecf6
elena elizabeth hendrick: can be contacted at elenanicaragua@gmail.com
Ukumbwa Sauti: https://about.me/ukumbwa IG:@ukumbwa
Dagara cosmology: https://www.theafricangourmet.com/2016/07/whats-your-dagara-cosmology-sign.html
Malidoma Somé: https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/26930-holding-our-power
Sobonfu Somé: https://www.schoolofintegratedliving.org/grief-forgiveness-ritual-sobonfu-some/
Gaia Music Collective: https://linktr.ee/gaiamusiccollective
Amos Lee: https://www.amoslee.com/
Esperanza Spaulding: 12 Little Spells: https://esperanzaspalding.com/
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, round
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Aug 12, 2026
Aug 12, 2026
22 min
Song: I Am Listening
Music by: Jordan Mudd
Notes: Recording this episode was sheer joy -- I was with a community of vocal improvisors at Back to the Well at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY (see shownotes for links to participate next year!) -- and I shared Jordan's song with a small group of us who were free one afternoon. Please sing with us, letting the song sink in and sing inside you in whatever way is just right today. I love the way this song remembers me into Howard Thurman quote: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Songwriter Info: Jordan Mudd is a songleader, vocal coach, grief tender, and ritualist based in Boston, MA. He co-founded Boston-Area Singing Circles in 2023, where he leads regular community singing gatherings combining oral tradition songs, vocal improv, and ritual, as well as training workshops for aspiring songleaders. He has been catching & leading songs for a decade, and is committed to using song as a tool for personal, collective, and spiritual liberation.
Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share but he always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:01
Start time of reprise: 00:18:27
SINGERS:
Laurie Ellington -- suspensionbridgejazz.com
Suzzette Ortiz -- suzzetteortiz.com
Eileen Webb -- IG: @leenwebb
Linnea Dolf -- IG:@linneasings
Patti Shaffner -- jazzdakini.com
Roy Willey -- voicecirclecolorado.com
Giovanna (Gio) Velino -- IG:@giovanna.velino
Rosi Amador -- IG:@rosiamadorlala
Onome -- onome.org IG: @onome.om
Paola Faoro -- IG: @circlesingingboston_jp
TatiAnah Thunberg -- vocalwilds.com
Carisa Wilder
Links:
Back to the Well workshop: https://rhiannonmusic.com/omega-2026
Listen to and purchase Jordan's music on bandcamp: https://jordanmuddsings.bandcamp.com/
Learn more about Jordan's work at www.jordanmudd.com
Learn more about the singing community Jordan stewards at www.bostonareasingingcircles.com
Learn more about songleader training with Jordan + milly roberts: https://www.bostonareasingingcircles.com/songleading-intensive
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, unison with optional harmonies
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Aug 5, 2026
Aug 5, 2026
25 min
Song: Mountain River
Music by: Kjersten Hallin
Notes: I absolutely adore the way this song embodies a river by having a low, slow undercurrent that lasts longer than the bubbling, swirling upper layer -- and the two layers sound different on top of each other in different places. As I sing it, I can feel into being the light sparkle on top and the dark fertile below... both needed. Which part calls to you to sing today?
Songwriter Info:
Kjersten Hallin (Pronounced Shares-ten Ha-leen) is a Community Song Weaver, Artist and Beauty Activist, Grief Tender, Earth Steward, Producer of Cascadia Song Rise, Eco-Edutainer and Youth Outreach Specialist. Kjersten is of Swedish/Norwegian ancestry, born on Lakota/Anishnaabe land (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and currently living/singing/practicing in the unceded Kalapuyan homelands of Champinefu (Corvallis, Oregon).
Kjersten’s songs spring from an intimate relationship with the beauty of the living world and her/their name literally translates to “Love Stone”. Attuning and tending to the aliveness of all beings, seen and unseen, past-present-future, human and more-than-human, is at the core of Kjersten’s work and purpose. She/They believes that songs themselves are living beings that are fed by our singing.
Kjersten leads monthly CommUnity BlesSings song circles and Community Grief Rituals in Champinefu/Corvallis, produces an annual song gathering in the Cascadia Bioregion, offers musical climate action presentations to local schools and youth groups, tends to several gardens and two grown children, and makes art and beauty of all kinds, walking humbly and gently on this precious planet.
Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Kjersten always welcome 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: 00:22:16
Links:
Kjersten's Music: https://kjerstenhallin.bandcamp.com/music
Kjersten's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-the-songs-and-love-flowing-in-corvallis
Kjersten's Instagram: @kj_creatrix https://www.instagram.com/kj_creatrix
Eco-Edutainment: https://nofoodleftbehindcorvallis.org/videos/
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 2-part round with different length parts
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Jul 22, 2026
Jul 22, 2026
21 min
The Sunday after this episode is released, July 26th, 2026, 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.
by Scott Kalichstein
travelled version (song 2)
I'm gonna let life move me,
I'm gonna let life stir me deep,
I'm gonna let life wake me
from an ancient sleep.
I'm gonna laugh all my laughter,
I'm gonna cry all my tears.
I'm gonna love the rain as deeply as
the sun when it clears.
with singer Rebecca Csuy
mysterious origins
Patricia wrote 2nd part
Rain, rain, rain, rain,
beautiful rain.
Rain, rain, rain, rain,
beautiful rain.
Rain falling down on the plains,
On the roofs of our towns,
Beautiful rain.
Rain, rain, rain, rain,
beautiful rain.
Rain, rain, rain, rain,
beautiful rain.
Rain falling down on the plains,
Rooftop raindrops,
rooftop raindrops falling,
Beautiful rain.
by Coco Love Alcorn
Bass part:
Dum t-ka dum dum dum k
Dum t-ka dum dum dum k
Dum t-ka dum dum dum dum
Dum t-ka dum dum dum k
Melody:
1. The river is a healer,
the river is a sage.
The river knows no end and
the river feels no age.
The river is a leader
every single day,
It's living in the moment and
it always finds a way.
Chorus:
Water heal my body,
water heal my soul.
When I go down down to the water,
by the water I feel whole.
2. The river calls me over,
it's calling out my name
In the day and in the night
I hear that river all the same.
It's calling me over,
calling out my pain,
oh a river gathers tears
just like a river gathers rain.
3. The river is a traveller,
always on the go
A river never worries
if it's fast or if it's slow
River take me
to where I need to go,
Oh and I will just relax
and let the river flow.
by Moira Smiley
Chorus:
Come and stand in that river,
Current, gentle and slow,
Send your troubles down water,
Down on that water flow.
Verse:
When you stand in that river,
Angels sing in your head.
Secrets beyond every worry.
Dreams beyond every dread.
by Scott Kalichstein
original version
I wanna let life touch me,
wanna let life move me deep,
Wanna let life stir me,
from an ancient sleep.
May I laugh all my laughter,
may I cry all my tears,
may I love the rain as deeply as the sun when it clears.
Living my life with an open heart.
by Kate Valentine
I am the deep peace I seek,
I am, I am,
Look upon the rolling ocean
Look above the sky unfolding
All around the tide is turning
Right here I am standing.
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Jul 15, 2026
Jul 15, 2026
16 min
Song: Sing Your Roots
Music by: Eileen Hazel
Guest Singers: Becky Peterson, Karen Chickering, Molly Moerdyk
Notes: There's a slightly strange sound quality in this one, as something weird was going on with my mic when recording... maybe we were so rooted and grounded singing this that we changed the electricity in the room?! I invited three friends over to sing Eileen's round with me, and a little delightful chaos ensued... pick a place to start singing the song, with one of us or in between us, and see what happens. I wonder how we would all be if we felt that sense of deep rootedness, combined with a rise to the stars?
Songwriter Info: After many years of singing, composing, and performing, Elieen discovered her deepest love in community singing. The joy and deep connection found in singing together deeply fed her soul.
Since 2023, Elieen has been facilitating community song circles in the East Bay. She especially loves co-facilitating with other song leaders and cultivating spaces that feel joyful, welcoming, and harmonious.
In the last few years, Eileen's connection to the Muse has opened in new ways. The songs flowing through her are now largely created for community singing—meant to be shared, experienced, and sung together. The songs she creates emanate from a place of spirit, drawing inspiration from her profound connection to the natural world, and to our communities. Visit her website (eileenhazel.com) to see what’s coming up.
Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share but Eileen always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:44
Start time of reprise: 00:13:13
Links:
Eileen's Website: eileenhazel.com
Bandcamp to buy music: https://eileenhazel.bandcamp.com/.
More music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/eileen-hazel Eileen's own recording of Sing Your Roots: https://soundcloud.com/eileen-hazel/sing-your-roots
Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, minor, round
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Jul 8, 2026
Jul 8, 2026
1hr 20 min
Song: What Have We Done
Music by: Kaitie Ty Warren
Notes: Kaitie and I talk about how we get to practice skills in singing that help us show up in full right size to help build the kind of culture we want to live in. This includes stories about cockroaches, childraising, computer-savvy friends... and Kaitie brings it all "earthside" by teaching this powerful layer song which is intimately connected with the South African song "Senzenina". We talk about cross-cultural connections, and how we try to continually update our learning -- what it is to be in right relationship, the illness of wetiko, how to be "other" in a non-inclusive dominant culture. If any of this sparks your curiosity, join us!
Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (any pronouns) grew up on Tongva and Ohlone lands, by the ocean and often dreams in fishes and songs. She is a songwriter, songleader, writer, collage artist, cartoonist, minister, and performing artist. She is the founder of Living Room Choir, Be Heard! Voice for Parkinson's, and East Bay Song Fest, all on Ohlone lands in the Bay Area CA. She has a background in theater and music. She goes by Mama to the most awesome little songleader. KaitieTyWarren.com for more; follow on Patreon and socials @KaitieTy.
Sharing Info: Kaitie's songs are available for free to humans for the sole purpose of using it with their choir(s) and song circles. For commercial and for-profit uses, please contact Kaitie via LivingRoomChoir.com. This is not for AI training or use.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:18
Start time of reprise: 01:14:26
Links:
Where to find What Have We Done:
https://livingroomchoir.com/what-have-we-done/
https://www.patreon.com/kaitiety/posts/song-what-have-143827793
https://kaitietywarren.bandcamp.com/track/what-have-we-done
Living Room Choir's Instagram: www.instagram.com/livingroomchoir
Living Room Choir's Website: LivingRoomChoir.com/song-library
Kaitie's Website: https://kaitietywarren.com/
Kaitie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
Senzenina – The Joy covering it: https://youtu.be/0ye19cENvY4?si=okLZ6YrsQrXwHJb4
Vukani Mowethu South African choir in Oakland: https://www.vukani.com/
Kele Nitoto: https://www.instagram.com/kelenitoto/
Ahimsa – concept of non-violence: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ahimsa
Heather Houston retreats: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/retreats-old/
Laura Sandage: https://www.lauraschapel.com/
“I Am” by Tom Shadyac (available on Netflix) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_(2010_American_documentary_film)
Wetiko: Algonquin term for a cannibalistic spirit that is driven by greed, excess and selfish consumption (in Ojibwe it is windigo, wintiko in Powhatan) - https://www.lapishealingarts.com/lapidary-blog/wetiko-and-the-collective-dark-night-of-the-soul
East Bay Songfest April 16-18, 2027: https://eastbaysongfest.com/
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, layer, major
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Jul 1, 2026
Jul 1, 2026
16 min
Song: My Body is Perfect
Music by: Kaitie Ty Warren
Notes: Kaitie started quite a discussion around our house with this song. What is perfect? Who gets to decide? And why is it so darn comforting to be told you're perfect, anyway? But when I first sang this song with Kaitie at Heather Houston's Global Summit many months ago, I was struck by how much better I felt after singing it to myself -- and I have continued to sing it through a flare of pain that I'm still seeking answers for and is constricting my way of life -- and I continue to find it comforting! Maybe you will, too? Next week, I get to talk with Kaitie directly about all kinds of things, including the ways we're trying to move away from the harm done by white colonial cultures and toward a vibrant, inclusive kind of presence that hums with life and generativity.
Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (any pronouns) grew up on Tongva and Ohlone lands, by the ocean and often dreams in fishes and songs. She is a songwriter, songleader, writer, collage artist, cartoonist, minister, and performing artist. She is the founder of Living Room Choir, Be Heard! Voice for Parkinson's, and East Bay Song Fest, all on Ohlone lands in the Bay Area CA. She has a background in theater and music. She goes by Mama to the most awesome little songleader. KaitieTyWarren.com for more; follow on Patreon and socials @KaitieTy.
Sharing Info: Kaitie's songs are available for free to humans for the sole purpose of using it with their choir(s) and song circles. For commercial and for-profit uses, please contact Kaitie via LivingRoomChoir.com. This is not for AI training or use.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:54
Start time of reprise: 00:14:00
Links:
"My Body is Perfect" on Kaitie's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kaitiety/posts/new-song-my-body-137978799
Kaitie's Patreon: www.patreon.com/kaitiety
Living Room Choir's Instagram: www.instagram.com/livingroomchoir
Living Room Choir's Website: LivingRoomChoir.com/song-library
Kaitie's Website: https://kaitietywarren.com/
Kaitie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
Kaitie's Bandcamp: https://kaitietywarren.bandcamp.com
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, call and response, major
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Jun 24, 2026
Jun 24, 2026
15 min
Song: Got It Goin' On
Music by: Patricia Norton
Notes: Thanks to Liz Rog, I'm sharing this relatively new song (she requested it after hearing me sing it briefly on the road trip when we were exchanging songs.) I wrote it for my fabulous songleaders in training as we were tackling sometimes intimidating skills and breaking them apart into what we could actually try next. Singing it this week has been encouraging to me as I grapple with elevated pain levels, trying different next things to see what can help my body find more ease. I sing it, I get out of breath, I start laughing, I have to dig in a bit to keep it rolling -- by the time I was done recording, I was grinning and felt energized and like it was worth trying another thing! I hope it's a lift for you, too...
Songwriter Info: You can find out more about me in general here: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/about-patricia.html
Or the whole team that puts this podcast out here: https://www.abreathofsong.com/about.html
Sharing Info: Feel free to sing this song yourself and with your friends and family as often as you please! If you are using this song in a way that is making money for you, please contribute to the A Breath of Song gratitude jar at https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar, and/or send me a note letting me know how the song is helping you, so the song brings us into relationship. Thank you!
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:14
Start time of reprise: 00:13:59
Links:
Flow Singing: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/flow-singing.html
All of what I'm up to: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/
Kindred Voices Retreat: https://kindredvoicesretreat.com
Nuts & Bolts: 15:8, minor, 6-part round
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Jun 17, 2026
Jun 17, 2026
22 min
The Sunday after this episode is released, June 21st, 2026, 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.
by Lyndsey Scott
(second half inspired by Rainier Maria Rilke)
We are the door that's blowing wide open
We are the path that's winding down
We don't know where…
Enter me!
Embody me.
Give me your hand --
Make big shadows I can move in
by Steph Drouin
1. There is only now,
there is only this.
Don’t you look behind
or you will miss it!
There is only now,
there is only this.
Don’t you look ahead
or you will miss it!
2. There’s only now.
There’s only this.
Blink, and you
will miss it.
3. Land
with your feet firmly planted
right here, right now
is all there is!
4. Bring your full self
into this moment.
One breath
is all it takes.
by Alexa Sunshine Rose
I release control
and surrender to the flow
of love, that will heal me.
by Patricia Norton
1. I’m letting myself move in a spiral,
I’m flexing and I’m swaying
and I’m bending with the wind.
2. I’m coming down
to where I need to be.
3. Gonna let it go,
gonna let me go;
you know,
I’ve got to grow.
by Hannah Jeffery
Am I tired, am I hungry?
Do I need to take a break now
And rest?
Am I tired, am I hungry?
Do I need to take a breath?
We are responsible for tending these creatures
Let the growls and the howls and the cries and the whines
Be our teachers.
by Desirée Dawson
I am blessed, yeah, I am blessed
Even when I′m here feeling like a mess
This life has shown me all kinds of stress
And also opened up my heart like the greatest treasure chest
I have grown
Yes, I have grown
And I'm finding my way home
Yes, I have grown
And I′m finding my way home
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Jun 10, 2026
Jun 10, 2026
30 min
Notes: Singing a song of my own with my long-time mentor and vocal coach was a huge honor... and brought out some vulnerable moments around my own history of working with my voice. I also made some mistakes, which is funny, since I chose these words and notes myself... but can't always come up with them in the moment!!! But Judi and I have fun settling into this song about constant change -- hope you do, too!
Song: Earth and Sky
Words by: Patricia Norton
Music by: Patricia Norton
Songwriter Info:
You can find out more about me in general here: https://www.juneberrymusic.com/about-patricia.html
Or the whole team that puts this podcast out here: https://www.abreathofsong.com/about.html
Sharing Info: Feel free to sing this song yourself and with your friends and family as often as you please! If you are using this song in a way that is making money for you, please contribute to the A Breath of Song gratitude jar at https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar, and/or send me a note letting me know how the song is helping you, so the song brings us into relationship. Thank you!
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start of teaching: 00:03:34
Start of reprise: 00:27:12
Links:
Judi Vinar –
Email for newsletter: judivinar@gmail.com
Website: https://www.judivinar.com/
ABS episode: https://www.abreathofsong.com/p/53-wish-for-we
Video of I Can See Clearly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXeY696gZW4
Heather Houston: https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/
(Heather on A Breath of Song: https://www.abreathofsong.com/p/75-easy-does-it-with-guest-heather-houston)
Visual of Bryce Canyon from Rt 66: https://www.relaxednomad.com/grand-canyon-zion-bryce-canyon-route-66/
Unity churches in Minneapolis area: https://www.unityminneapolis.org/
Bobby McFerrin and Gimme 5/Voicestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX4UWy7X4SY
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 2-part round
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May 27, 2026
May 27, 2026
54 min
Notes: It was both an honor and illumination to meet with Sarina Partridge and Annie Schlaefer to talk about Singing Resistance (they were both in it at inception…) and learn two of the songs in the Singing Resistance Songbook – and I left feeling so much encouragement for community and relationship. Annie said, “People want to come to the streets if we’re singing together.” Sarina shared her slogan: “More song circles than gas stations!” We talked about weaving the learning from one event into the next crisis you face – the wisdom of long-standing organizers who help grass-roots eco-systems evolve. The role of singing in building community, showing people what we are FOR and welcoming them in, dispelling the belief that we are powerless and isolated, easing numbness, creating a container of beauty we can be in together during these times. And these songs – soooo beautiful!
Song 1: We Belong To Each Other
Words by: Nikita Gill
Music by: Annie Schlaefer
Songwriter Info: Annie Schlaefer (she/her), a community song-leader, has been collecting songs and facilitating song circles for 13 years in various communities (Northern Minnesota, Maine, Wisconsin) and has more recently been co-facilitating a weekly local community song circle in Minneapolis with a dear friend, Linnea Champ, for nearly 5 years. She continues to be awed by the beautiful ways that singing together brings connection and community. She learned about this style of singing in 2012 in Decorah, Iowa from a local song-leader and now mentor, Liz Rog.
Sharing Info: Annie says: "Please freely share this song in community gathering spaces. If you want to share this song and are making a bunch of money, I would appreciate some of these funds to come my way in the form of a one-time venmo donation @Annie-Schlaefer, or by joining my Patreon as a monthly subscriber. Thank you!"
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start of teaching: 00:03:10
Start of reprise: 00:51:46
Links:
Annie's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/AnnieSchlaefer
Nikita Gill: https://www.instagram.com/nikita_gill/
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, round, major
Song 2: Grief and Love
Music by: Sarina Partridge
Songwriter Info: Sarina Partridge is a musician, songleader, educator, and activist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She feels most alive when learning, creating and sharing songs. Sarina sings with a wide variety of music projects: community song-leading; harmony-rich original music with folk trio Heartwood; and performing and teaching of Eastern European and Yiddish song. Sarina has a passion for connecting people with their own creativity and with community, and uses singing as a modality to help folks develop a sense of wonder and belonging in this wild world
Sharing Info: Sarina says: "Please sing the song with your group! You can buy sheet music for it through my website (link below). If you’d like to have tracks of the separated harmony layers, please contact me. One meaningful way to support me is to join me on patreon for whatever monthly donation amount feels right to you. I post a new song - with separated out tracks for harmony parts, lyrics, the story of the song - on patreon every other week. Thank you!"
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start of teaching: 00:11:05
Start of reprise: 00:49:36
Links:
Sarina's website: www.SarinaPartridge.com
Sarina's Patreon: www.patreon.com/sarinapartridge
Sarina's Bandcamp: www.sarinapartridge.bandcamp.com
Nuts & Bolts: 2:2; 3-layer, minor
Extra links:
Barbara McAfee ABS episode: https://www.abreathofsong.com/p/195-get-up-with-guest-barbara-mcafee
Lia Falls: https://marinemillsfolkschool.org/lia-falls/
Liz Rog: https://marinemillsfolkschool.org/liz-rog/
Linnea Champ - Sing As You Are: https://www.patreon.com/cw/SingAsYouAre
Sara Thomsen: “Hearts awakened are unstoppable.”: https://www.echoesofpeace.org/vision
Frankie Armstrong: Founder of Natural Voice Network in England (NVN): https://www.naturalvoice.net/about/history-of-the-network/
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May 20, 2026
May 20, 2026
31 min
Vocal improv by: Angela Gabriel, Pam Blevins Hinkle, and Patricia Norton
Notes: I love patterns -- mandalas, fractals, tesseracts, pieced quilts, Fair Isle knitting -- and singing! In Bloomington, Indiana, on this fabulous road trip, I got to pattern-make with Angela Gabriel and Pam Blevins Hinkle... and we had so much fun imagining you singing with us. We leave space for you, building up soundbeds that you might want to add a pattern to, too, or maybe you feel a soaring line that weaves through the space? Maybe words come from deep in your body, needing to be said or sung? Maybe you sing along with one of us, letting the pattern sit down in? After the experience of singing together, we felt incredibly close -- please come join our closeness and let yourself play with us.
Songwriter Info:
Angela still identifies as a performer, teacher, facilitator, and lifelong learner, even though disabilities have forced her to retire. Living with multiple invisible illnesses, some of them breathing-related, she has learned firsthand the life-saving power of song and breath. This has only amplified her mission in life, which is to spread joy through creative experiences and to encourage folks of any age and background to replace judgement with curiosity and open themselves to their unique voice. In fact, it has made it even more precious when she does have opportunities to engage with others.
She is living and loving in Bloomington IN, singing with Singing Resistance, Threshold Choir and the local UU choir.
She has adopted pacing as a new way of life, which includes prioritizing herself and only saying “YES“ to the things that truly matter to her. Singing matters! She would love to come sing with your community.
Pam Blevins Hinkle is a composer, song leader, ritual artist, tree-lover, and kazoo fanatic. She creates participatory, song-centered experiences that invite people to show up as they are and make beauty together. Whether singing knee-deep in rivers, inside prison walls, or at company retreats, she aims to spark aliveness, joy, and shared humanity while practicing skills that support resilient living: collaboration, risk-taking, adaptability, vulnerability, and deep listening. Her current projects include SongSquad Indianapolis, SongSquad Inside-Outside @ Indiana Women's Prison, Indy Singing Resistance, Indy Winter Solstice Celebration, Rooted, Resilient & Reaching (community singing and documentary songwriting in partnership with Aspire House), and Artist-in-Residence at Castleton UMC.
Links:
Angela's website: www.AngelaGabriel.me
Pam's website: www.pamblevinshinkle.com
SongSquad Indy: www.songsquadindy.com
Velma Frye’s The Truth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_qQ8khgXto
Nuts & Bolts: patterned vocal improv, loops
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May 13, 2026
May 13, 2026
23 min
The Sunday after this episode is released, May 17th, 2026, 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.
by Heather Houston
Easy does it now
Slow it down
Feel the sound
As you breathe, sing, freely now
Tune, croon, swoon…
by Laura Walker
Settle, settle like a pebble.
Settle, settle like a pebble.
Settle like a pebble on a riverbed.
Drift like a feather on a stream.
You can travel with the flow, if you just let go,
and close your eyes and be.
Drift, and settle gently.
You can travel with the flow, if you just let go.
The water flow will wash you clean.
by Maggie Wheeler
This is it.
This is it!
This is the place you wanna be (x2)
Don't wait until tomorrow to let yourself be free
This is it
This is the place you wanna be
2. This is the song you wanna sing
Don't wait until tomorrow to let your voices ring
3. This is the love you wanna feel
Don't wait until tomorrow to let your love be real
4. The world is calling out to you
Don't wait until tomorrow for what you came to do
by Gérone Pascal
Dahil mahal kita
dahil mahal na mahal kita
dahil mahal kita
ibibigay ko ang lahat
Because I love you so much,
Because I love you so much, so much, so much
Because I Iove you so much,
I give you all of my heart.
165. Heaven Above, Earth Below
by Becky Graber
Heaven above, Earth below,
And I the path between,
Making my way through fields of ever rolling green,
Making my way through fields of ever rolling green.
Heaven above, Earth below,
And in between am I,
Finding a path with heart and spirit, earth and sky,
Finding a path with heart and spirit, earth and sky.
Ah dah dah, ah dah dah, ah dah dah dah.
Ah dah dah, ah dah dah, ah dah dah, Ah.
Heaven above, Earth below,
And I the two reveal,
Shining through me the light of Spirit that can heal,
Shining through me the light of Spirit that can heal.
Heaven above, Earth below,
And I the path between.
by Becky Reardon
Don't give up; give a little kindness to yourself.
Put a little flex -- put a little flex in your plan.
Find another way -- like a river!
Flow -- may you never stop flowing.
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May 6, 2026
May 6, 2026
30 min
Song: Love Wears the Crown
Music by: Maggie Wheeler
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start of teaching: 00:03:19
Start of reprise: 00:27:13
Notes: I'm visiting Carol Bardenstein and TatiAnah Thunberg, and Carol shares a song by Maggie Wheeler. "Love Wears the Crown" felt to Carol like the perfect song for a No Kings march, and as she teaches it to us, she talks a little about the ways she adapted it for singing in crowds without time to learn nuance... and TatiAnah and I learn it on the spot. I play with harmonies (some more successfully than others, natch!) -- and we reprise it with Carol's whole song circle, so if you're ready to join a crowd, it's time! I loved hearing about the ways these two songleaders are being led by love into interweaving their work and including folk in their circles. There's bounty here!
Songwriter Info:
Maggie Wheeler is best known in the U.S and internationally for her extensive work as an actress in film, television, and voice-over and most notably as the character of Janice on NBC’s hit series Friends. Maggie is a passionate singer, songwriter, choir director and workshop facilitator, teaching her vocal workshop Singing In The Stream for over 30 years. It is Maggie’s belief and experience that by singing together we build community, counteract loneliness, become inspired and energized and feel more deeply connected to others and to ourselves. Maggie is a prolific songwriter with a catalog of powerful and timely songs that have been sung by choirs and singing communities worldwide.
Her original music for choirs and communities is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music and other music platforms.
Carol Bardenstein is a beloved local song-catcher and song leader of numerous community song-circles and singing workshops/retreats, based in Ann Arbor, sharing her singing there, elsewhere in Southeast Michigan, and beyond! She also facilitates song circles for meaningful life-cycle events and milestones, as well as song healing for bedside, and hospice singing. More recently, she has become very involved in local iterations of the Singing Resistance movement bubbling up from the streets of Minneapolis, inspired to help facilitate the emerging synergy between community singing and singing resistance in rising to meet these times in heartful and empowering ways.
Carol discovered heart-centered singing with others as a deep and transformative spirit portal some 15 years ago, and she’s been singing her heart out and in with others, facilitating many different kinds of song circles ever since! Grief, joy and everything in between, and all that you are, are warmly invited into her song circles, for expression, connection and communion in heart and song.
Contact Carol for information about her offerings via email at cbardens@umich.edu.
TatiAnah Thunberg, LMSW (she/hers) is a somatic psychotherapist, singer, song catcher, expressive and improvisational artist, and a seasoned experiential facilitator with more than thirty years of experience guiding transformative group practice. Her work centers the voice as a path to belonging—an embodied, relational exploration of presence, creativity, and communal care.
She is the founder of Spirit Moves LLC and co-founder of the Vocal Wilds Collective, Supper & Sing Community Jam, Ensemble Night, the Vocal Lab, Creatrix Lab, and TAZ, all circles of artists dedicated to the art of embodied improvisation in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Maggie always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
Links:
https://www.goldenbridgechoir.com
https://maggiewheeler.bandcamp.com/album/the-crow-calls
https://maggiewheeler.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-is-turning
https://music.apple.com/us/album/walk-with-me/1441718449
SongFest with Maggie Wheeler in 2026: https://www.eomega.org/workshops/songfest
Maggie says: "This song was inspired by a talk given by cultural historian Josh Kun. He spoke about a composition for 50 trumpets titled 'Walls Will Fall - The 49 Trumpets of Jericho' by Mazen Kerbaj.
The musicians gathered in a defunct water reservoir in Berlin.
Mazen says, 'According to the old testament, Jericho’s walls collapsed under the sound of seven trumpeters, blowing their horns for seven days while circling around the city. Far from the religious background of the story, it is the idea of music breaking walls and barriers that is central to this composition.'
The participating trumpet players came from from Australia, Austria, Cuba, Denmark, England, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Somalia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Turkey and the United States.
This story and this work deeply inspired me. I wrote LOVE WEARS THE CROWN to invoke the power of music, the power of voices gathered to dissolve barriers, and to dismantle the walls of hatred and injustice."
https://mazenkerbaj.bandcamp.com/album/walls-will-fall-the-49-trumpets-of-jericho
TatiAnah's websites:
Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, minor, unison with call and response section, optional harmonies
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Apr 29, 2026
Apr 29, 2026
50 min
Notes: Our first road trip stop is Kingston, Ontario in Canada, where I got to meet up with three delightful songleaders – and we sang SO many good songs over the weekend! It was impossible to narrow down to one, so this episode is a three-fer, and you get three very different songs, one from each songleader. You hear us playing; making up harmonies on the spot, trying to get the words in the right order – this is an unrehearsed, “what-can-happen-when-you-put-four-people-who-love-songs-into-one-room?” kind of moment. We had such a good time doing it and hope you get to catch our joy as you sing with us.
Song 1: Lifted
Music by: Wendy Luella Perkins
Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins founded SOULFUL SINGING (singing meditation for all) in 2002. An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, she shares "short-on-words, long-on-meaning; easy-to-learn, hard-to-forget" songs in the oral tradition. Soulful Singing fosters depth and uplift, resonance and healing, connection and community.
Enjoy singing in community? Had a fourth grade teacher who told you to mouth the words? Dedicated shower singer? Shy about singing out loud? Love to belt it out? Committed chorister? Everyone is warmly welcomed into the circle of song. Wendy Luella strongly believes that connecting with our singing voices has beneficial effects on many, many areas of life, including enhancing our capacities to trust ourselves and to learn and grow with others.
Back in March 2020, Wendy Luella, who is based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada responded to the call of our times by taking Soulful Singing online "for a couple of weeks until this whole pandemic thing blew over". She has been singing via zoom every single morning at 9am, and Thursdays at 6pm (ET) since then. EVERYONE is welcome to attend these gatherings. More than 200 of her original Soulful Singing songs are available on tiktok @wendyluellaperkins. She is also working on an online song library of her original songs. Find out more at info@wendyluellaperkins.com.
Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Wendy for recording and/or performing permission. When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Wendy for permission and rates.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Intro: 00:04:42
Start of teaching: 00:09:40
Start of reprise: 00:47:37
Links:
Wendy's website: www.wendyluellaperkins.com
Soulful Singing with Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com
Nuts & Bolts: slow 4; major, unison, harmonies optional
Song 2: Present Moment, Sacred Moment
Music by: Steph Drouin
Songwriter Info: Steph Drouin (she/her) is a community song leader, singer, songwriter, and Expressive Arts Therapist based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. For over a decade, she has guided people of all abilities into easeful, joyful, and healing singing experiences. She has helped sow the seeds of community singing throughout Toronto and across Ontario with groups such as Sing for Joy, and in 2019 founded her own social enterprise, Fiercely OK.
Through Fiercely OK, Steph offers weekly in‑person and online song circles with her partner, Paul Barton, as well as special events with visiting artists such as Coco Love Alcorn and Luke Wallace - all in the spirit of nourishing a vibrant, connected singing community. Her most recent project includes co‑creating Kingston Pop Choir with Paul.
Informed by a lifelong relationship with anxiety, Steph writes and teaches songs that help people embrace their full, messy humanity and stay connected to their sense of being OK. She is known for her warm, playful presence and her ability to create spaces where people feel safe to show up exactly as they are.
Steph completed the Community Choir Leadership Training program and Lisa Littlebird’s Flight School in 2018, and is a graduate of the three‑year Expressive Arts Therapy program at the CREATE Institute. In 2024, she moved back to Kingston to be closer to family and to share her gifts with her home community.
Sharing Info: Steph says:
"I encourage (and am trying to remember to practice) a slow culture of learning and sharing songs - taking time to embody the notes, rhythms, and stories behind them, and to build relationships with the people who wrote them. Please take your time and enjoy singing this song, and if you feel moved to share it, please do. You have my permission!
Keep it as close to the original as you can to start. If your group wants to play with adding other layers or harmonies later, this is most welcome. This songs invites being in the present moment; whatever comes out being in the moment while singing this song belongs in it! I just ask that the song be taught first as it came to me (and my nephew). If you would like to teach it differently from what you heard on A Breath of Song, please reach out.
I encourage forms of reciprocity that align with your gifts and context. Here are some I love:
- Tell me or show me what it was like to share the song with your community. It's fun to see how songs travel!
- Come sing with us (Paul and me), in person or online. Learn the songs directly from us and hear their stories. This feels important - it means so much when folks carry the songs with an intimate sense of their origins and intricacies.
- Song swaps! If you also write songlets, let’s exchange. I love being in meaningful song‑sharing relationships with other song leaders. This kind of reciprocity feels alive and good.
- Financial reciprocity. If you have room in your budget or are making oodles of money (more than a living wage), we'd love for you to send a little our way. For non-performing groups, folks generally send $25-50 per song or $1 per singer (whichever is greater). Performing or recording rates would be a little higher. For Canadians, e‑transfer works well; otherwise, Wise is my preferred option.
- Follow and share our work. Join the Fiercely OK mailing list, follow us on social media, and help spread the word to folks who would enjoy what we offer.
- Patreon. I’ll be adding my songs to Patreon this year, and I’d love for you to join me there as a monthly patron.
If you have any other ideas, send them my way!"
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Intro: 00:14:01
Start of teaching: 00:20:03
Start of reprise: 00:48:30
Links:
Join the Fiercely OK Mailing List!
https://forms.gle/97Y9hQn55HHL1kHP7
Website: https://www.fiercelyok.ca/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephdrouin3973
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiercelyok/ & https://www.instagram.com/therestlessinchoirer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiercelyOK/
Join our online song circles! The next series begins May 11th, 2026.
https://www.fiercelyok.ca/online-weekly-song-circles
If you're ever in the Kingston-Toronto area, come sing with us in person! We offer weekly song circles and a monthly pop choir in Kingston, and occasional workshops in Toronto.
I'll be getting my songs up on Patreon this year. There's nothing up there yet, but you can be the first to get updates here:
https://patreon.com/fiercelyok?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, mixolydian, 3-layer song
Song 3: I Am Grateful Deep Down
Music by: Paul Barton
Songwriter Info: Known by some as a musical “wizard,” Paul makes clever use of his education in Jazz guitar and experience as a professional musician to help song circles run seamlessly. His songs, infused with his passions for the environment, community, and mental health, are among the most requested songs in the Fiercely OK singing community. His simple melodies carry deep truths right to the heart.
Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Paul always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved. The best way to support Paul's songwriting is on Patreon.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Intro: 00:31:56
Start of teaching: 00:32:45
Start of reprise: 00:49:04
Links:
Paul's website: https://www.paulbarton.ca/
Paul's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paulbartonmusic
Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, harmonized
Extra links:
Lone Wolf by Steph Drouin and Aimee Ringle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFrSkZ-0Hs
Thich Nhat Hanh: “Present moment, wonderful moment” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/710946/present-moment-wonderful-moment-revised-edition-by-thich-nhat-hanh/9781952692239
Present Moment, Sacred Moment movement video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZedwiqraNQ
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Apr 22, 2026
Apr 22, 2026
1hr 11 min
Song: Great Turning
Music by: Joanna Colwell
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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Apr 15, 2026
Apr 15, 2026
18 min
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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Apr 1, 2026
Apr 1, 2026
17 min
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
Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share
Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.
https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
Mar 25, 2026
Mar 25, 2026
23 min
The Sunday after this episode is released, March 29th, 2026, 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.
by Heather Houston
Honoring the darkness, Honoring the light,
Honoring the day, Honoring the night
All things find their way into balance
Suspended in time
Shadows and light
by Ana Hérnandez
Call: There’s a great trouble in the land
Resp: We’re gonna set it right again
(3x)
All: We’re gonna set it right, set it right again.
More verses to zip in:
Trouble’s been brewing too many years
We need clean water and healthy food
People need housing, we’ve a right to thrive
Mass deportations tearing families apart
We are the ones who can change the world
We need education to build a just world
Families need childcare, they don’t need to go broke
We need fair wages, rich folk need to be taxed!
Add more verses to suit your actions.
by Jean Farmer
I begin again with my breath,
joining earth,
earth and spirit.
I return again to my breath,
walking home the unknown path.
by Patricia Norton
(inspired by Sri Nisargadatta)
The net that I thought
was holding me,
it is full of holes, full of holes.
The net that I thought
was holding me,
it is full of holes!
The net that I thought
was holding me tight –
it is not a big barrier,
I can get by it.
The net that I thought
was holding me,
it is Full. Of. Holes.
There is a ground of truth
beyond the net!
(a gazillion times)
Like the water,
I’m falling free. (4x)
by David Ruffin
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.
by Jenny Cook
There's so much hope in a snowdrop,
the promise of spring to come.
Hold on, hold on
through the cold,
brighter days will come.
Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share
Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.
https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html
Mar 18, 2026
Mar 18, 2026
18 min
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
Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share
Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support.
https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html