SongNotes from the Birds

09/29/2021

💙🎶

12/01/2020

Yummy.

🎟 Access to the arts is a fundamental right, so we’ve made this concert series free and for everyone. We can only continue to do so with the help of our Fri...

11/21/2020

"What we are highlighting here this week is that a physical thing – a piece of paper, a journal, a letter, a book – shows care. It says, I care about this information. I care about the person to whom I’m writing this. Or I care so much about the experience of reading this, I’m going to give up space on a shelf in my home so I can remember it and even do it again some time.

"Ultimately, our job here on earth is to show that we care about the people in our life. Papers – full of scribbles, colored with paints, or beautifully scribed with sonnets – can do just that.

"What can you do, with paper, today, to tangibly show that you see and care about someone? How can you say, “I see you, You are valuable, and I am here for you.”

A physical thing – a piece of paper, a journal, a letter, a book – shows a special kind of care.

11/18/2020

Christmas CDs are in the shop!
It's a great little stocking stuffer, perfect for those who love classical or opera music. With 4 tracks, it's a lovely sampling of the "Three Tenors Christmas" show at . ~ where opera and holiday spirit collide!

You can get it mailed or set aside for local pickup at a concert or by meeting up with us (Minneapolis area). We'll even wrap them for you, complimentary, if you'd like.

Bring these guys' pearly tones right into your living room!

https://nathanbird.com/product/a-three-tenors-christmas-cd/

bilyeu

11/09/2020

There's a time for everything... Even a Monday morning!

Song: "A Time for Everything" Text from Ecclesiastes 3, Music by Mark Hayes Performed by Nathan and Naomi Bird Read about this song: https://nathanbird.com/2019/11/16/a-time-for-everything/ Learn m

11/05/2020

Like Minneapolis, Paris is home to beautiful fall colors, and in the original French lyrics of the song you know as “Autumn Leaves,” the line You see, I haven’t forgotten, is woven through the wistful memories of lost love.

Autumn carries with it a sense of longing.

We long for warmth and don additional layers of flannels and sweaters and scarves to achieve it.

We long for time to pause in those perfect moments as we teeter in between the heat of summer and the vortex of winter.

And deeply we long for the multiplication that happens when these moments are shared with a special someone else.

Leaf peeping, apple picking, spiced latte drinking, and walking in filtered sun on crunchy paths are more magical when experienced in tandem.

The cold of the air and the darkening of the hours in autumn does something transformative to certain leaves. The veins get constricted. The little molecular chemists inside the leaves aren’t getting what they need to do their job of feeding the tree. They change shape and become something different.

Rather than reflecting the vibrant screams of green, these cells become transparent. In this change, they get out of the way, and something hidden is revealed. It actually was there all along: gold, yellow, orange, gentle reds.

As the season evolves, sun warming in day, temps chilling at night, more changes occur. New chemicals are created as soil conditions, tree genetics, and sugar levels combine to show off even more: deep maroons and purple.

The cold is the catalyst for the rainbow of beauty.

It’s easy to assume that, when changing for the better, sooner is better. Yet, it is the long summer of green that ripens us to thrill as the fall colors reveal themselves.

God’s faithfulness is in even the affliction.

Remembering the journey, observing the rings of growth, seeing the beauty slowly revealed over time – these are not the longings of regret or ungratefulness. As I acknowledge and let go of twinges of bitterness for myself an others, the pigment that has colored those memories changes. They are signs of life, of a soul within me designed to love and be loved and continually pursue the harmony of connection with humans and with our Maker.

Don’t forget who you were because of wishing you had been different.

Remember the green. Feel the cold.

And let yourself see the beauty that has been there, waiting to be revealed.

“Oh, I wish you’d remember..”

11/04/2020

Coloring together is a great intergenerational activity!
This custom coloring sheet was made by graphic designer Lissa Li, to go along with our "Loose Leaves" collection of SongNotes from the Birds. You can get the printable page (and links to the three associated songs) here: https://email.nathanbird.com/fall-coloring-sheet

11/02/2020

This Friday at 2:00 PM Central Time I'll be opening up our Kids' Music Class for others to join in and see how it works! It's week 5 of the 6 week series. Message this page if you're interested in checking it out. Or fill out and share this form and we'll send you the Zoom link directly.

This is fun.  Six weeks of intro to music lessons for 4-7 year-olds over Zoom seems to be working splendidly. They're 30 minutes of listening, playing,  Let's do it again!  I'm gathering interest and picking a time for starting the next session. Drop your info below if you want to get emailed wh...

10/30/2020

In case you're wondering whether a container of oats can work well as a shaker for music class without putting tape on it....
Be warned.
Only shake at piano volume, no forte.

🤦

10/02/2020

Sign up soon!

https://nathanbird.com/2020/09/21/fallkidslessons

10/02/2020

One of the many treasures shared with us by our September collaborators. This one being included in the writing by Ami Andersen ~ Musician.

10/02/2020

Recapping September’s talented contributors before turning the corner for next month’s theme.

RETURNING

Contributor 4 of 4: Ami Andersen
Song: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

Ami Andersen is a singer-songwriter based in Northeast Minneapolis. She has two sweet daughters and is married to a pastor. Her musical influences include traditional folk melodies and hymns, beginning piano lessons early on and playing hymns for church by around 12 years old. Ami studied piano and voice in college and has enjoyed various music opportunities such as playing for ballet classes, senior living singalongs, and background music at places like the IDS tower in Minneapolis, as well as teaching class piano and accompanying choirs. However, her favorite musical ventures are still playing for church and working to write thoughtful and beautiful music. She released an album of hymns with new melodies (Shelter: Hymns Resung) in 2012 and then an album of mostly original work (Wayfaring) in April 2019, both of which you can find wherever you stream or purchase music online and at amiandersen.com.

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Ami recorded herself playing and singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and wrote about the human longing for a world where all is made right - and the Christian perspective on how to find that place.
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SongNotes from the Birds is all about sharing music and writings that inspire connection between generations. Old souls of all ages welcome here! Next month we - Nathan and Naomi Bird - return with our own recordings and writings around the theme “Loose Leaves.”

Please like and share if you too think music can be a catalyst for relationships across the ages.