Brenda MacIntyre

Known by her indigenous name Medicine Song Woman, Brenda MacIntyre has shared her evocative melodic voice and unique healing Indigenous reggae fusion and hand drumming music across Turtle Island. The Toronto-based Juno Award-winning singer recently reached the CBC Searchlight 2020 TOP 100 and was nominated for the 2019 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. Her 2019-2020 media features include CityNews Toronto, Global News, CBC’s Fresh Air and a Toronto Star front page headline. 

I'd go around the Medicine Wheel with hand drum songs, protocols and teachings, as well as some teachings and songs to help people manage grief, trauma and shock during these trying times.

EAST: Welcome Song “Breath of Life” plus interactive teachings about the sacredness and importance of our breath (for singing but also with trauma we can tend to hold our breath or not breathe very deeply, which deprives us of our ability to focus, while we unconsciously try not to feel. Hand drumming opens our hearts and bypasses ego-mind so we can be grounded and in our bodies. Hand drumming basics, sharing and drumming protocols, benefits of hand drumming.

SOUTH: Sacred Fire – fire honouring song plus teachings about how to stoke our inner fire by being who we are and doing what we love. Quick review of basic teachings from 1st video to encourage people to watch the whole series and learn all the teachings and songs.

WEST: Crystal Clear – water song with water teachings, caring for ourselves and our emotions.

NORTH: Anduhaun Honour Song – teaching about “Our Home” (honouring Mother Earth, where we live now and where we come from) and honouring women as well as that female part of all of us. Travelling Song and teaching about endings.

I've taught hand drumming in classrooms and school assemblies, as well as many other settings. My business as a singer, speaker and facilitator has primarily been around helping women and girls to find their voice, build their confidence, and to help people get through grief, trauma and shock, which we are all facing now. Having lost my son to murder 4 years ago and having lost both my (adoptive) parents as a teenager, I carry lived experience in this and I literally just put out an album of healing songs dedicated to helping people through grief.

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Yes, I have 4 full length albums out and lyric sheets for the songs, including traditional Indigenous hand drumming, reggae and more. It’s easy to play some of that music as a reference point for songwriting basics and considerations like rhymes, lyrics, rhythm, melody etc. LINK to my latest song clips: https://medicinesongwoman.com/press. LINK to hear songs off the 3 previous albums: https://medicinesongwoman.com/product/3-cd-digital-bundle. P.S. I will *not* be using my song Grieve that is about losing my son to murder. I choose my audiences wisely for that song as while it's incredibly healing, it can also be triggering. 

About me