Song: The River

Music by: Coco Love Alcorn

Notes: Coco is entering a long and challenging journey with an aggressive cancer diagnosis. She’s hopeful and grounded, but as an independent musician, she doesn’t have access to benefits like employment insurance or sick leave. With her treatment schedule, she’s had to cancel every concert, every tour, and even postpone the recording of her new album. She also had to pause her local choir until further notice. This means she’s facing at least a year ahead with almost no income — while focusing all her strength on healing. Supporting her directly through buying her music, or donating to the GoFundMe will make this time easier. In the meantime, you can sing this song of Coco's, bringing river healing energy into the world!

Songwriter Info:

“Coco is the ultimate musical spark plug... an electrical connector through which the creative energy flows. In my 30 years of touring around the world, I have never seen another performer able to bring people together like Coco does.” ~ James Keelaghan - Artist Director, Summerfolk and renowned Canadian singer/ songwriter

The first thing you notice about Coco Love Alcorn, is the voice. It's a rich, dynamic, supremely soulful instrument – hailed by the press as extraordinary, beautiful, and stunning – that has a way of touching your heart and making you care.

As a performer, Alcorn is always in the moment, joyful, and genuine. She combines diverse musical influences including jazz, R&B, pop, folk, and Gospel. Her playful and witty character, love of improvising, and willingness to engage fearlessly with the audience has made Alcorn an established presence on the Canadian music scene.

Born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and now based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Alcorn’s career has spanned more than 20 years, 12 (9 solo) albums, cross-Canada tours, collaborations, festival appearances, award nominations, and notable success in TV and film licensing. And it took someone with a spirit like Alcorn's to navigate this path.

"Throughout my career I have explored across many genres, collaborations and projects, taking a winding path to get to here,” she says. “But I’ve loved every step of my journey and trusted my inner curiosity to take me where it wanted to go.”

Sharing Info: Please support Coco directly if you are sharing this song, either by buying the music on her website here: https://cocolovealcorn.com/store or supporting her GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SupportCocoThroughCancer

Song Learning Time Stamps:

Start time of teaching: 00:02:49

Verses taught slowly: 00:11:55

First run through: 00:15:50

Start time of reprise: 00:20:53

Links:

Coco teaching the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgmg1K7BFxo&t=133s

Coco's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SupportCocoThroughCancer

Lisa Littlebird teaching tracks: https://thebirdsings.com/the-river/

Sheet music for The River: https://cocolovealcorn.com/store

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, verses & chorus, harmonize

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The Sunday after this episode is released, January 4th, 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.

4. Let It Blow Through

by Maggie Wheeler

Let it blow through, let it blow through.

Open up the windows of your soul, and let it blow through.

Hard times come, and hard times go, let it blow through.

Open up the windows of your soul, and let it blow through.

Hard times come and hard times go, let it blow.

Open up the windows of your soul, and let it blow through.

63. Awaken Me

by Abigail Spinner McBride

1. Open my eyes to the miracles around me,

wake me up, wake me up. (2x)

3. Shake me from my sleep and stir me from my dreaming.

Chorus: Awaken me. (4x)

113. Borrow Trouble

by Patricia Norton

Let me not borrow this trouble

ahead of time.

Let me not carry this sorrow

before it's mine.

It will come when it comes, and go when it goes.

I will know; I will know.

It will come when it comes and go when it goes,

I will know. My trust and love are banks on the river

where grief and praise can find a flow.

My tender heart, it floats on the ocean.

The waves come. The waves go.

161. Good Friend

by Jan Harmon

Oh the wind, it is a song

that harbours through the winter,

Oh the sail, it is a door

that bids the song to enter,

And let us sail the sea, good friend,

And let us sing together,

The singer lasts a season long,

While the song, it lasts forever.

204. May the Way Open Before You

by Ana Hernández

May the way open before you.

May you see beyond darkness and light

to the love you are;

to the love you bring into the world.

6. Be Open

by Debbie Nargi-Brown

Be open for something wonderful to happen

Be open to the possibility

(x2) Aiye Aiye Aiye, Aiye Aiye Aiye (x2)

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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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Song: Make Good Trouble

Music by: Angela Gabriel

Notes: I had the privilege of recording this song together with many members of my family -- and something happens on this recording that is very common in community singing -- I started in the key of A minor, and group wisdom decided that the key of A-flat minor, slightly lower, felt better in our collective voice! So you'll hear us readjusting together to reach an agreed sound, and what's cool is we all get there. Rather than rerecord to get an ordinary "perfectly pitched" recording, I decided to stay with the energy of the moment -- that really beautiful feel of connection that we had in that room -- because that's what this song is encourages. We support each other to speak up, to disrupt when needed, to make good, necessary trouble! You'll hear the six-year-old in the room leading some warm ups, and even a blooper at the end (never telling whose phone it was....)

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: 00:03:56

Start time of whole song: 00:09:21

Links:

Angela's website: www.angelagabriel.me

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3 layers, each harmonized

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Song: Breath By Breath

Music by: Juliana Murphy

Notes: There is so much joy and delight in the holiday seasons -- and there can also be so much grief and loss. The air is thick with the smells of sugar and memories, we are in contact (or not) with folk with whom we carry long histories, and sometimes it's really hard to show up as we are now. I love this song of Juliana's for the full acceptance of grief: "I will allow my heart to be broken." And I love the way that very allowing unsticks feelings, so they become a river flowing, a soul opening... and I love the way she gives a concrete way to do all this: "breath by breath, steady and slow." This song helps me be wiser about allowing my full self to include my grief -- and reminds me that breath by breath, that grief can be a gentle, soul-opening presence.

Songwriter Info: Juliana Murphy (she/they) comes to the circle with a lifelong love of singing and a library of original and collected songs that connect us to ourselves, nature, and the cycles and rhythms of being a human on this planet. She brings a deep desire to sing a more beautiful, inclusive, loving, sustainable, and delightful world into being. Juliana is co-founder of the Monsoon Seed Choir and Chrysalis Choir, co-tends the Tucson Community Song Circle, is a graduate of the Littlebird Songleader Flight School for community songleading and is a member of the Ubuntu Choirs Network.

Sharing Info: Juliana says: "This song being carries potent medicine for moving grief. It is most supportive when sung within a container of care, both individually and in community. If you plan to perform or record it with the intent to sell, please contact me for permission."

Song Learning Time Stamps:

Start time of teaching: 00:03:22

Start time of reprise: 00:15:51

Links:

Website: https://www.julianamurphy.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/julianamurphy

Community Singing Offerings: https://www.tucsonsongcircle.com/

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jumutx

Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, major, 2-layer

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Song: Set Us Free

Music by: Elise Witt

Notes: Elise is an inventive songleader and huge heart in Georgia, USA, whom I met online during the pandemic doing vocal improv with our shared teacher, Rhiannon... but I had been in contact with her before then because I wanted to sing a song of hers with my community chorus. Here, she has set words from the Rev. Timothy McDonald, calling us to the kind of integrity that gives freedom. I teach the song a capella, so you can sing with just my voice -- and then do it with piano at the end, so you can experience it that way -- and then if you follow the shownote links, you can sing it in Spanish and English with Elise, Judith & Lisset Rodés -- Lisset wrote the Spanish words... and it's a little slower, a little more legato than I sang it. I love it when there's a chance to compare different versions of the same song!

Songwriter Info: Elise’s concerts of Global, Local & Homemade Songs™ and her Impromptu Glorious Chorus™ workshops create and connect singing communities around the world. Born in Switzerland, raised in NC, and living in Atlanta since 1977, Elise speaks 5 languages fluently and sings in at least a dozen more. The Elise Witt Choral Series features choral arrangements of her original compositions and she recently published All Singing, a songbook with 58 original songs including music notation, lyrics and chords, stories and photos.

A founding member of Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit, Elise spent many years as a Resident Artist, visiting communities around the state of Georgia and the Southeast, teaching global music and writing local songs with students of all ages.

From 2009 until 2024 Elise served as Director of Music Programs at the Global Village Project, a non-profit, special purpose middle school for teenage refugee girls in Decatur Georgia, for which she published Imagine A Circle: The Global Village Songbook, Using Singing and Songwriting to teach English for Multi-lingual learners.

Elise currently gathers singers of all persuasions in joyous circles, and continues her global touring.

Sharing Info: Elise says: "I always love to share songs in oral (by ear) tradition and I'd love to hear from you how and with whom you share the song... AND the song is also available as a choral arrangement (SATB, SSAA, TTBB) on my website https://elisewitt.com/web/ewcs-choral-music/"

Song Learning Time Stamps:

Start time of teaching: 00:02:49

Start time of reprise: 00:15:29

Links:

Website: www.EliseWitt.com

A glimpse of what I do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0YHTe_Q7bE&feature=youtu.be

All Singing: The Elise Witt Songbook: https://elisewitt.com/web/product-category/songbook/

“Jenny Jenkins” global community music/art video created for DAS Year 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCmNNZIVZkw&t=2s

“Ready or Not” global community music/art video created for DAS Year 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNsUsSobImw&t=11s

Imagine A Circle: The Global Village Project Songbook https://elisewitt.com/web/gvp-songbook/

Elise's Bandcamp: https://www.BandCamp.com/EliseWitt

Choral arrangements by Elise: https://elisewitt.com/web/ewcs-choral-music/

Choral arrangements for Set Us Free in particular: https://elisewitt.com/web/product/set-us-free/

Spanish and English version of Set Us Free in concert: https://youtu.be/L5IjAhJZyOo?si=5WIleerpseLX_rxo

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, many verses

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