Songs Of
Mother Europe
A 9-week workshop series
to explore the ancestral songs and sounds of Europe!
Live Calls Set for Australian / European Time Zones
Thursdays, 20th June - 15th August 2024
4pm - 5:30pm AWST / 6pm - 7:30pm AEST / 9am - 10:30am BST
In these modern times we are so privileged to receive cultural wisdom from all over the world, and yet, so many of us yearn to remember our own people's ways.
Teachers have been featured in
Songs to Connect Us With Our Roots…
In this 7th season of our well-loved “Songs of Mother Europe” course, we are excited to present the first ever series created especially for our community in the South Pacific.
What are some of the old European songs that have been carried down through the ages? And what are the medicine and blessings that they contain?
At the heart of this Songs of Mother Europe series has always been the prayer and desire for reconnection.
Why Learn Old Songs?
Many of us with European ancestry are tracking a deeper connection with our ancestral roots. There’s a yearning for the songs, stories, craft and teachings that can help us to reconnect with some sense of what has been lost and forgotten, and help us to place ourselves within a greater story of belonging.
This Songs of Mother Europe project exists to help provide nutrients for those of us who have felt disconnected and hungry for the ancestral and indigenous wisdom of Europe.
May this workshop series be a small and vibrant thread in this great work of remembering and reweaving.
What’s Included
This Songs of Mother Europe series is intended to connect you more deeply with your ancestral remembrance – in visceral ways – through learning old songs and methods of singing.
We know that song has the power to awaken ancient memory.
My prayer is that this series will do just that.
- Opening and Closing Calls w/ Hanna Leigh & Lana Lanaia
- 7 Singing Workshops with Guest Teachers
- 2 Bonus Sessions w/ Hanna Leigh & Guest Teachers
- A moderated community sharing forum on FB
What You'll Learn
7 song carriers will point us back to our indigenous European roots through the teaching of old songs and ways of singing
- 7+ simple, old/traditional songs from 7 regions throughout Europe
- Cultural context that these songs arise from
- Accompanying vocal technique of different traditions when applicable
Participant Reviews
How It Works
Step One
Confirm your interest by signing up on the registration page.
Step Two
Put the classes & bonus sessions on your calendar.
Step Three
Join us live for these rich, cultural singing workshops!
Your Host
Hi! My name is Hanna Leigh, (IG: @hannaleighsong) originally from California (Chumash territory) though in recent years I have spent extensive time residing on my ancestral lands in the Celtic isles. My people migrated to the U.S. several generations ago from England, Scotland, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands.
I created this program out of a clear calling to begin tracing the songlines of my European ancestry, and to provide a space for others who are also called to rediscover these old pathways of song.
As a Singer-Songwriter, Voice Doula, Ritualist, and Devotee of this precious, living Earth, I’ve had the gift of attending many beautiful ceremonies of indigenous peoples over the last 15 years. At some point I realized that I had gathered a bundle of medicine songs & chants from diverse world traditions – but none from the lands of my ancestors!
Here I have gathered knowledgeable song-carriers & culture-bearers from across Europe to teach us the old songs and ways of singing.
COURSE CO-HOST
Welcome, I’m Lana Lanaia. I was born in England, live in the Scottish Highlands, and have spent much of my life exploring the landscapes and sacred places of these Islands.
I am a musician, sound healer, and facilitator of classes and retreats for over 20 years. My inspiration flows from my deep love for the Earth; of wild landscapes, forests, mountains, rivers, oceans, sacred sites, and the stars. Over the years, I have been learning from indigenous & healing traditions, ways that we may rekindle our relationship with self, Nature and our origins.
I am passionate about re-awakening the ancient~living~wisdom within our hearts and lands; weaving remembrance that we are all children of the Earth.
Who Is This For?
Those who wish to learn old songs and ways of singing from Europe
Lovers of song (even if you don’t consider yourself a “singer”)
Those who are inspired to connect with ancestral wisdom and remember the old ways
“Our songs travel the earth.
We sing to one another.
Not a single note is ever lost and no song is original.
They all come from the same place and go back to a time when only the stones howled.”
Louise Erdrich
Program Overview
Through the songs and sounds shared by our guest teachers, may the living reality of earth and ancestral belonging be rekindled within you.
Classes are on Thursdays @4pm – 5:30pm AWST / 6pm – 7:30pm AEST / 9am – 10:30am BST (90-Minute Calls)
In addition to the schedule below, there will be 3 bonus calls, including a Sound Journey with Lana Lanaia.
Week 1
20th June
Opening Call
w/ Hanna Leigh
Week 2
27th June
The Power of Kulning: Ancient Nordic Herding Calls
w/ Karin Lindström Kolterud
Week 3
4th July
The Sámi Yoik – A Way of Evoking Life
w/ Elin Teilus
Week 4
11th July
The Music of What Happens – Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Irish Mythology.
w/ Nóirín Ní Riain
Week 5
18th July
Tarantelle and Healing Chants from Southern Italy
w/ Alessandra Belloni
Week 6
25th July
Finnish Songs for Inner Power
w/ Eeva Maria Leino
Week 7
1st August
Yodeling – the Ancient Song of the Alps
w/ Amélie Mehru & Flo Böck
Week 8
8th August
Singing For the Folk
w/ Gwilym Morus-Baird
Week 9
15th August
Closing Call
w/ Lana Lanaia
Bonus 1
Wed 3rd July
Decolonising and Reweaving the Voice
w/ Alli and Siobhán
Bonus 2
Wed 10th July
Listening with the Land ~ Sound Journey
w/ Lana Lanaia
Program Deep Dive
Many may have forgotten the old ways, though gratefully there are those still keeping the skills and songs alive, and others of us who are relearning them.
May our time together help us to remember our own motherland.
Week 1
Opening Call
w/ Hanna Leigh
Join us for our Opening Call, which is a time to ground into our journey together, and hear from the community about what has inspired us to join this series at this time.
As well as sharing some basic vocal embodiment exercises, Hanna Leigh will lead us in a guided meditation to connect with a circle of our wise ancestors, so that we may listen and receive their songs and messages.
Week 2
The Power of Kulning: Ancient Nordic Herding Calls
w/ Karin Lindström Kolterud ~ Sweden
Karin lives in Sweden and has been a carrier of the kulning tradition of her Scandinavian roots for over 20 years.
Growing up surrounded by folk music, it has always been a natural part of her life.
In 2015, while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, she conducted a research project exploring kulning for healthcare and wellness. The positive results of this project further strengthened her passion for kulning and her motivation to teach.
Over the years she has given kulning and folk song performances at: the cultural-historical environment of Skansen, company events, parties, churches, and more.
In 2011 she began holding her own courses in kulning and folk singing, both online and in person on Swedish and Norwegian farms.
Week 3
The Sámi Yoik – A Way of Evoking Life
w/ Eliin Teilus ~ Sápmi, Sweden
Elin Teilus is a Sámi singer, yoiker and artist with her roots far north in Sápmi, Sweden. She is a touring artist in music and theatre in Sweden and abroad, including for example performances for the Sámi parliament, and the Swedish parliament on National TV and radio. She is described as a force of nature, with a unique presence and a magical voice, a bringer of yoik, the beautiful traditional music of the Sámi people into new realms. At the heart of her artistry is the love of the Earth and all of the living. Elin invites you to remember the sacred connection with Life that dwells in every human, the inherent bond with nature and spirit.
Week 4
The Music of What Happens - Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Irish Mythology
w/ Nóirín Ní Riain ~ Ireland
Nóirín has traversed many diverse paths during her life-time and lives our her life in great gratitude for the good of it all, despite “the hollow lands and hilly lands” (William Butler Yeats). One constant, natural given has been as a singer of spiritual song; beginning with the Irish sean-nós amhrán cráifeach, this led her to other traditions such as Gregorian Chant, the music of Hildegard von Bingen, Joa Bolendas and Mira Bai.
She is author of several books ranging from a children’s Irish traditional song collection, the repertoire of her sean-nós singing mentor, Pilib Ó Laoghaire, an autobiography in 2008 and the publication of her doctoral thesis in 2011 and numerous articles.
In 2003, she was awarded the first ever doctorate in Theology from MIC, University of Limerick for her originality in creating a theology of Listening for which she coined the term, Theosony, meaning The Sound of God. Always longing to pursue a call to ministry, she was ordained an Inter-faith minister in London in 2017.
Week 5
Tarantelle and Healing Chants from Southern Italy
w/ Alessandra Belloni ~ Italy
Alessandra Belloni is an award-winning tambourine virtuoso, singer, dancer and actress, born in Rome, Italy and committed to preserving the strong and rich traditions of her culture.
She is the author of the book “Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna” published by Inner Traditions – Bear & Company, and also the Artistic Director, Founder and Lead Performer of “I GIULLARI DI PIAZZA”, an Italian Music, Theatre and Dance Ensemble who is Artists-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. She is also the designer of a line of signature series Italian tambourines made by Remo. She is the only woman in the U.S. and in Italy who specializes in traditional Southern Italian folk dances and percussion combined with singing that she learned in Southern Italy.
Week 6
Finnish Songs for Inner Power
w/ Eeva Maria Leino ~ Finland
Eeva Maria Leino grew up in the Finnish countryside and has dedicated herself to the study and teaching of Finnish mythology, folklore, herbalism and ancestral wisdom, having written two books in Finnish that weave these subjects with depth psychology. Her path of singing has taken many diverse shapes, including being a vocalist in a metal band, and later finding her voice more deeply through finno-ugric shamanistic traditions, utilizing drum and kantele. Her work is devoted to supporting people to connect with the inner power of the soul, called “haltija” in Finnish.
Week 7
Yodeling - the Ancient Song of the Alps
w/ Amélie Mehru & Flo Böck
Amelie and Flo are a couple and voice duo from Germany. For the past years, they have been traveling together, exploring the sounds of different landscapes and the vocal traditions that arise from them. On that journey they discovered parts of their roots in yodeling and reconnected with this archaic way of using the voice. To them, yodeling is a pure expression of the joy to be alive! An old way to be in harmony with the elements and life force, and a great opportunity to melt with other voices in delicious polyphonic harmonies. They love to take people on that journey of reconnection, giving concerts, courses and retreats and help to make this vocal art sexy again.
Week 8
Singing For the Folk
w/ Gwilym Morus-Baird ~ Wales
There are many old, old songs that Welsh folk sing, one of the oldest that we still sing today is called ‘Wel, Dyma Ni’n Dwad’, (‘Well, Here We Come’), which is traditionally sung around Christmas and the New Year to accompany the Mari Lwyd traditions (more on this in the session). Although a winter song, Gwilym feels it’s also good to sing at other occasions, in particular those times when we want to pay some mind to the land we live on and who used to live there before us. He’ll be teaching us this song and how we can sing it for the folk: any folk; all the folk; your folk; my folk; The Folk.
Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird is a Welsh musician and author. He currently teaches courses on Celtic mythology at celticsource.online
Week 9
Closing Call
w/ Lana Lanaia
Join us for our Closing Call with Lana Lanaia – a time to gather for community sharing and integration. Bring a cup of tea, share your experience, and sing with us as complete the course together.
Simple Pricing
Pay In Full
Pay in full- $AUD-
9 LIVE Workshops on Zoom
-
2 bonus sessions
-
Weave with a network of like-minded folks
-
Connect with ancestral songs
3-Pay
Payment Plan
Pay in installments - $AUD
-
9 LIVE Workshops on Zoom
-
2 bonus sessions
-
Weave with a network of like-minded folks
-
Connect with ancestral songs
5-Pay
Payment Plan
Pay in installments - $AUD
-
9 LIVE Workshops on Zoom
-
2 bonus sessions
-
Weave with a network of like-minded folks
-
Connect with ancestral songs
Bonus Calls
Bonus #1 Decolonising and Reweaving the Voice
w/ Alli and Siobhán
Bonus #2 Listening with the Land ~ Sound Journey
w/ Lana Lanaia
Decolonising and Reweaving the Voice
w/ Alli and Siobhán
Alli and Siobhán are women both living in Australia and recognise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as the traditional custodians of these lands. Their session will highlight and speak to the grief, longing and self-conflict that results from the severance of ancestral culture and impact of colonisation on our song heritage, for those who live, like us, on stolen land, not of our own ancestry.
During this session we will unpack the idea of unlearning what the western music industry has conditioned us to believe and re-member our voice, our musicality and our ancestral birthright.
Using exercises, songs and voicework we will deepen our own sense of musicality and our connection to our musical ancestry.
Siobhán passion for song-weaving was activated through a deep longing for connection to the rich musical culture of her Irish ancestors . She works with song-weaving as medicine tool and a means of voice activation in all facets of her work from Ceremonies and Birthwork, to Womens Circles, and Shamanic Medicine Drum Crafting.
Alli is a former Neurologic Music Therapist who stepped out of the allied health system after 16 years, and now focuses on enacting societal change by dismantling harmful musical myths. She uses music and voice therapeutically, as a way of experiencing felt safety within a trauma informed and neuro affirming framework.
Listening with the Land ~ Sound Journey
w/ Lana Lanaia
Lana lives in the Scottish Highlands and is a musician & sound healer known for her ‘crystalline voice’ and ‘music that infuses the heart’. She tends the earth, and creates healing spaces through her music & offerings.
Lana’s inspiration flows from her deep love for the Earth; of wild landscapes, forests, mountains, rivers, oceans, sacred sites, and the stars. She has and continues to learn from indigenous wisdom keepers and ancestral traditions, exploring how we may reawaken and heal our relationship with self, Nature and our starlight origins.
Lana will share a sound journey, weaving soundscapes, voice, song and instruments, with a guided practice of listening with the land.
Frequently Asked Questions
This offering is happening online through Zoom, with teachers joining us from several different countries.
Each workshop is 90-minutes in length.
While each teacher inevitably shares from their own unique teaching style, you can expect that each class will include: a brief grounding meditation, an introduction of the teacher, some historical context of the song tradition, the teaching of the song, practicing the song, and a time for Q&A. Some teachers may also include a bit of vocal warm-up.
Yes. They will be recorded and sent out soon after each class.
No. The nature of the content delivery is that you purchase the entire course.
You will have access to the recordings for up to one year, and possibly longer.
No, all levels are welcome.
Yes, you are welcome to attend!
The weekly time commitment is 1.5 – 3 hours.
No. There will be a Q&A time during each call, though no one will be “put on the spot”.
No. Due to the delivery of course content, all sales are final.