Kirtan Leader Blog

Chant for Yourself, Chant for Your Community, Chant for the World

It's hard to face our fears and touch into traumas in our voice--our Fifth Chakra. Gathering the courage to buy a harmonium, to learn to use it, and to open up our ...

Come chant your heart open:

• July 22 (Nevei Kodesh)
• August 19 (Mountain Home)
• September 15 (StarHouse)
• October 1 with Bhakti Shakti Kirtan (Vali Soul...

Coltrane, Ray Charles and Elvis

As a musician I struggle with the notion of cultural appropriation. The great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was influenced not only by a rapidly evolving jazz tradition, but also Indian Classical a...

2023 KIRTAN LEADER INSTITUTE CALENDAR

Details and links coming soon. 

ON DEMAND CLASSES  - start when you like, available 24/7.

• Kirtan for the 21st Century - Free Class. 
• The Complete Ganesha Mini-Course - learn all about Gan
...

Artists, including Kirtan artists, write, record and release original music... aka fresh tracks.

Back in the day we made albums. Forty or so minutes of music on good old vinyl.

Next came CD's. Still physical, and very durable. An...

IN THE WORDS OF MIKE COHEN

Fire & Destruction

December 30, 2021 was a terrifying day in Boulder, Colorado, where my partner and I live. Ninety percent of Boulder County was in severe or extreme drought, and we hadn’t seen substan...

CHANTS FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

“Mike Cohen’s voice is a grounding force of granite lined with velvet.”

The past four years, during which Chants for Challenging Times was composed, recorded, and now released, have been challenging i...

Vocalist, voice teacher and Kirtan Leader Institute instructor Dawnia Dresser has a beautiful way of describing the difference between singing and sacred chant.

1. The External Loop 

Dawnia has been singing since age 5. Before di...

It was her first lesson, and very first time playing the harmonium.

I instructed her to place her thumb on the middle C, and pinky on the middle G. She squeezed the bellows with her left hand. A broad smile spread across her face ...

I love the harmonium... what an instrument!

The harmonium was built by the French as a home version of a giant church pipe organ. The British brought it to India, and the Indians have used it to great effect since. 

The harmonium...