Follow the water, Find your place.
Song of the Waters is a living journey that uses waterways, music, and shared experiences to reconnect communities to stewardship and to each other.
Every Watershed Tells a Story.
Song of the Waters exists to help restore the relationship between people and rivers, and between people and each other. Music moves the people to come together, restorative work strengthens the watershed itself, and authentic compassionate communication builds bridges where there were none and strengthens community resilience. Together, these experiences help communities rediscover their role as caregivers of both people and place.
Our journey along the Great Loop will connect us with remarkable places like these—and many more.
Knoxville
Nashville
Mobile
Pensacola
Safety Harbor
St Petersburg
Miami
St Augustine
Jacksonville
Savanna
Charselson
Washington DC
Philadelphia
NYC
Quebec
Montreal
Toronto
Buffalo
Detroit
Green Bay
Chicago
St Louis
Minneapolis
Memphis
New Orleans
our vision
We envision a world where every community cooperates to celebrate and steward our precious waterways. Through a growing network of journeys, local partnerships, live music events, storytelling, and citizen science, we hope to help foster a culture in which people cooperate to protect one another and the waterways they depend on.
Original Song of the Waters logo and illustration designed by Arulu Gallagher.
Sanctuary Summit is a drug and alcohol-free gathering and live music event
The caregivers
We believe stewardship is caregiving, and every healthy watershed begins with people who remember they belong to it. Through music workshops, restorative practices, and community partnerships, we help shine a light on the people already doing this work while inviting others to discover how they, too, can become stewards of the places they call home. Every community has caregivers. Our journey is about helping their stories travel.
At each gathering, musicians, storytellers, and local artists help create space for people to slow down, listen, and reconnect—with themselves, with one another, and with the waters that brought us together. Every performance becomes an opportunity for conversation, celebration, and the weaving together of local stories that deserve to be heard.
Our first tour is in development. If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact us.
the vessel
The vision for Song of the Waters manifested when Biko Casini discovered the Freedom #1, a legendary boat that had been hidden away in a barn for 36 years. The Freedom #1 is a handcrafted vessel built by Don and Shirley Watson in the spirit of love and adventure.
From 1983 to 1989, they made history becoming the first to navigate every mile of North America’s navigable inland waterways—from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico—covering more than 131,000 miles on an extraordinary six-year journey.
Buy an Ngoni
Each ngoni begins as a conversation between tradition, nature, and the hands of its maker. Crafted by Biko Casini using time-honored West African techniques, every instrument is shaped with patience, precision, and deep respect for its musical heritage. More than an instrument, a Biko Casini ngoni is a work of art—built to carry stories, inspire creativity, and connect generations through sound.
Call or text to Purchase Ngonis (404) 769-6726
