Music that Makes Community facilitators from across the continent gathered via Zoom for a Facilitator Playlist Party to share Songs of Justice on April 29th. We had more songs than we could sing in an hour and a half, and new songs on the way, so consider this an introductory resource list for those of you who weren’t with us. We learned and sang these songs together:

Hello Music that Makes Community Friends, 

As the current Monday Morning Grounding season comes to a close, we will be taking a break for Holy Week and Easter Monday. The late Spring/Summer season will start again on April 28th. 

Those who show up find that they are fed, filled and grounded for the week ahead, particularly in these turbulent times. You’ll leave with a song to carry you through the week. If you can’t regularly make it to Monday Morning Grounding, we wanted to share the resources from this past season with you. Although they were particular to a day and this season, in some respects, they are timeless and timely songs and poems for the coming days as well.

Music that Makes Community facilitators from across the continent gathered via Zoom for a Facilitator Playlist Party on March 30th around the theme of Easter and Joy. We spent time connecting, singing, sharing songs, and learning more about what MMC is up to in this season. Here are some of the songs we sang: 

In mid February, Music that Makes Community Facilitators gathered for a playlist party around the theme of “Lent/Spring.”  Here are some of the songs we sang:

At the end of October, Music that Makes Community Facilitators gathered for a playlist party around the theme of “Advent.”  Here are some of the songs we sang:

Music that Makes Community facilitators met online in August to build community, hone skills, and share songs with one another around the theme “Connection in Fractured Times.”  As a gift to the MMC community, we are offering a playlist of the songs we sang to you.  We hope that they may aid your own practice of singing in community as we navigate fractured times together.  

On Monday, March 4, three members of Music that Makes Community's Board of Trustees, Rev. Breen Marie Sipes, Rev. Nancy Willbanks, and Adam Michael Wood, gathered on Zoom for an open 90 minute Drop-in jam of songs for Holy Week and Easter.  Here's the list they came up with!  It includes many well-known songs and some new tunes you may not have heard before.  May these songs be fodder for your preparations. And when you have a moment, whenever that is, let us know what you're doing in the comments.  We love to hear about new songs you've created and about experiments you've tried!  Everything is a lesson here.

General Resources

- https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/tags/lent 
- https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/tags/easter 
- https://anahernandez.org/sheet-music/ - search for paperless 

You can find additional songs on the MMC website or in our song resources, Singing in Community and Music By Heart. If you can’t locate a video or sheet music for a song, please reach out and we’ll help.

Lastly, take note of the copyright suggestions at the bottom of the page.  The songs listed here come from a various of sources with some covered by OneLicense and others you'll need to contact the originator directly.  

This list of songs and online resources is for communities seeking to be more intentional about taking action to support justice, equity, and dignity for BIPOC lives (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). The list draws from a range of musical traditions and countries. Please feel free to add additional songs in the comments below.

Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round - African-American Spiritual
All Shall Be Well / Another World - Ana Hernández
Another World - Kerri Meyer 

Danos un corazón - Juan Antonio Espinosa

Enviado soy de Dios / Our God Now Sends Us Forth - Anonymous Latin American

Gonna Bring that Light - Kerri Meyer (scroll all the way down)

Hold Everybody Up - Melanie DeMore
Hold On (Keep Your Eyes on the Prize) - African-American Spiritual

Freedom Bound - June Jordan
Freedom, Come - Ben Allaway 
Freedom is Coming - South African Freedom Song

Hamba nathi Mkhululi wethu - South African Freedom Song
Hold On - Gospel Song, arr. Geraldine Luce

We have all experienced times of uncertainty, fear, and disorientation. And while so much may feel out of our control, singing is a powerful tool to support and strengthen community as we move through challenging, painful, and traumatic experiences. 

MMC leaders have compiled a list of songs that we hope will be useful to you and your community in these unsettled times. While we are writing in the context of a global pandemic, it's certain we'll need singing to face other local and global challenges.

As you think about what to share with your community, listen to your heart and your community as they name their needs, fears, and hopes. Short, simple melodies can be a powerful balm and many can be treated as pocket/zipper songs, which allow us to add words, names, and feelings specific to our context. 

No matter what you sing or how the songs are shared (in emerging online/virtual spaces or safely in person), may these songs comfort anxious hearts and remind us that we’re together in deeper ways than we ever imagined.