Welcome!
Please read the fine print before entering the Song Library your first time here.
This Song Library is the brainchild and labor of love of Kaitie Ty Warren, founder and co-leader of Living Room Choir, full time working artist, ordained LGBTQ+ affirming spiritual minister, vocal health teacher, and mama.
To support Kaitie Ty and her continued work, if you enjoy this library please consider sending Kaitie a donation or subscribing to her artistry on Patreon. A common sliding scale for use of a song is around $40 USD per song license, but no amount is too small or too large.
Wherever possible, we ask that you also support the artists who originated the song(s) from this library with which you choose to work: the ones you enjoy most, and choose to carry to your own song circles or record.
We make every effort to show the pathway to the source(s) of the songs, and many of these originators are working artists and/or communities that could use your support.
We thank webmaster Jenny Krishnan for their upgrade and ongoing support for the Song Library, and LRC co-leader Sara Stutz who contributes many of the songs in their entirety.
How it works:
- This website is dynamic: song pages are updated often, and new songs are added frequently. Check back often. If you have information on a song that we are missing and you’d like to add it, please email us.
Songs often adopt small (or large) changes along the way as they travel, and we as song leaders work to research “behind the scenes,” we continue to update our learning after we’ve first encountered a song. So you may see changes to these pages over time, as we learn more. If you have information we are lacking, whether it be an error to correct or more context for the song’s origin, we welcome it wholeheartedly. - An archive of LRC originals from before 2026 can be found here: Original Songs
- You’ll notice that some of these pages are password protected and some are public.
- In general: public pages have been made public after explicit communication and approval by the song’s creator. In many cases the artist has collaborated with us. In a few cases, we’ve made it public because the song in in public domain or because it is so well known in the Community Singing world that we feel comfortable having our Teaching Page join the public resources for it.
- You will often find multiple recordings and origin stories on these pages. Wherever possible, we link directly to the source recording, even if we have also made our own teaching tracks for choir.
- This is especially important with songs that come from different cultures than our own. Because we teach by oral tradition rather than sheet music, we learn the music in an alive, person-to-person setting. These teaching tracks are made with this style of learning in mind. Occasionally, sheet music also exists. You are always welcome to print the lyrics and other resources as a visual aid.
- If you are a songleader and using this library to resource your own repertoire: please note that restoring the connection between the songs and their origin stories is a big step toward healing the damage that’s been done by misunderstanding, appropriation, and the natural flow of oral tradition. We ask that you follow your own moral compass and lead these songs in integrity, with a mind to carrying them with their original contexts. If you use a different version of a song, it’s helpful to speak about its source and the changes that have been made along the way before teaching the version you carry.
- If you are carrying forward something that the artist has made publicly available (eg sheet music available for purchase), our page will give direction for how to reach them and purchase the sheet music and/or license for the song for your own use. Once you have the license/sheet music etc, you are absolutely still welcome to refer to and use our teaching pages if they help you. We know we each learn in different ways, so access the tools that work best for you, while remaining in integrity.
- If you are a Living Room Choir member, you’ve already gained access to the password-protected songs and may re-request the password at any time. If you are not a member but want to access a song, please reach out to us directly. We often make password-protected songs available to other songleaders or community members on a case-by-case basis.
- Remember – teaching pages take time and labor to build. If you use these links in your own work somehow, please credit your sources including this learning resource appropriately. Do not download or re-share the content; rather just point your singers to our page directly. To support our work, we always accept donations of any amount. Especially if our work has made your work easier or more pleasant, we are grateful for your returned support. You can support Kaitie by following her on Patreon or send a one-time donation of any amount.
- Reach out! Many songmakers also like to hear about it if you’re enjoying or teaching their material. We encourage you to reach out to the songwriter(s) to let them know when you’re using the songs they created. Consider sending a thanks and a recording – it can bring us songmakers a lot of joy!
- This songlibrary has been in the works for many years but was first made public in 2023.
Welcome!