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
23 hours ago
23 hours ago
1 hr 23 min
Song: B'Yado
Music, translation, and additional lyrics by: Judith Silver
Lyrics from: the last verse of the Jewish prayer 'Adon Olam' (Sovereign of the World)
Notes: Judith Silver and I get a chance to echo each other across the Atlantic ocean in both Hebrew and English in this gentle song of trust and safety, being held by a source of love, and then holding others in a wish for loving-kindness. We explore how Judith followed each stepping stone as it appeared, from singing her own name in the crib to creating Companion Voices, a group of choirs devoted to bedside singing. She describes “that profound, amazing, top-quality silence” that can come after singing has rearranged the molecules of a room. We touched on the puzzling experience of being represented by a government that is not pursuing peace. After having this conversation, and then again after editing it, I felt a deep sense of calm, both from singing this song, and being in the presence of someone with so much warmth, clarity, and genuine good wishes for the world... I hope you, too, can join us in this steady space.
Songwriter Info:
Judith has always sung, always harmonised, always felt better with a song on the go. She’s been composing since the 1980s, sharing songs and facilitating singing with people of all kinds since the 90s. She adores learning and teaching songs from all over the world, as well as encouraging the revisiting of known, favourite and forgotten songs. It’s a special joy and honour to share her own songs and have these shared further.
She specialises in Jewish music, composing her own settings for traditional texts and prayers and working within and outside the Jewish community to develop this strand of world music further. She’s passionate about interfaith dialogue and support, using song to facilitate these whenever and however she can. A number of her songs combine different languages and traditions and these interweavings are especially close to her heart.
Judith established Companion Voices in early 2014, to bring singers to the bedside of people who are dying, inspired by Kate Munger’s Threshold Choirs in the US and her own experience of singing for a dear friend at the end of her life. The movement is growing, with 14 groups around the UK and many more in the pipeline.
Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Judith for recording and/or performing permission.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:44
Start time of reprise: 01:18:48
Links:
The LovingKindness Meditation: https://palousemindfulness.com/meditations/lovingkindness.html
Debbie Friedman: https://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/debbie-friedman
Tikkun olam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikkun_olam
Companion Voices: https://companionvoices.org/
Mussar: https://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org/thepracticeofmussar/
Standing Together: https://www.standing-together.org/en
Time & Tune on BBC: https://www.broadcastforschools.co.uk/site/Time_and_Tune
Bluebird: Paul McCartney and Wings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird_(Paul_McCartney_and_Wings_song)
The Queen and The Soldier: Suzanne Vega: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcFa9VZxkBc
TEFL: https://www.tefl.org
Pete Churchill https://www.ram.ac.uk/profile/pete-churchill
Ella Spiers https://www.singdancelove.co.uk/about-me
Natural Voice Network: https://www.naturalvoice.net/
Threshold Choirs: Kate Munger: https://thresholdchoir.org/
“I am a River” by Nikomo: https://www.omniglot.com/songs/bcc/iamariver.htm
Unicorn Voice Camp: https://unicornvillagecamps.co.uk/camps/voice-camp/
Singing Mamas, Kate Valentine: https://www.singingmamas.org/about
“Sing” book by Sasha Langston: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/sacha-langton-gilks-2/sing/9781035432707/
Breakfast in America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_in_America
“As You Will” by Nessi Gomes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P335ruDKONo
www.facebook.com/JudithSilverMusician
www.facebook.com/companionvoices
Mum Thumb: https://judithsilver.com/home/mum-thumb/
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VbQjkoQBK1LvRYbNsmSNU?si=BycKev3FQSmIx55CBr7g_w
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@judithsilver/videos
Available for purchase through website or emailing info@judithsilver.com:
‘Jewish Songs for Harmony Singing’ – book, CD and digital recordings
‘The Time of Singing is Come’ – a mix of Jewish and secular songs - book, CD and digital recordings
Sheet music for individual songs, as well as separate learning recordings, are available on request
Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, call & echo plus harmonized
Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share
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