We pair veterans, active-duty service members, and military families with professional songwriters in retreat settings to craft songs about combat and the transition home. 

As the 2.5 million troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan return home, many struggle with the aftermath of combat — being ambushed, taking rocket fire, losing buddies — as they face reentry into civilian life. After singer-songwriter Darden Smith performed at a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, he returned to Austin, Texas, determined “to use the art of songwriting in the service of our brothers and sisters in arms.”

Smith partnered with Mary Judd, an expert in communications and educational programming, to bring SongwritingWith:Soldiers (SW:S) to life. Since October 2012, with Smith serving as Creative Director and Judd as Executive Director, the program has enabled service members to share their stories, often for the first time, through collaborative songwriting with professional musicians.

To give voice to somebody who might not otherwise be able to describe their experiences is more gratifying than anything I’ve ever done.  — Darden Smith

With my song, I can finally put my pack down.  — Sgt. Kenneth Sargent

What We Do

SongwritingWith:Soldiers uses songwriting as a catalyst for positive change. We offer our participants a unique way to tell their stories, rebuild trust, release pain, and forge new bonds. In SW:S retreat and workshop settings, service members are paired with professional songwriters to craft songs about their experiences, often about combat and the return home. Through their songs, participants rediscover their creativity and reconnect with family, friends, and communities. The songs are recorded and shared through CDs, concerts, and social media in order to bridge the divide between military and civilian communities, and build awareness of the challenges faced by our returning service members.

We include additional “Creative Composition” workshops to inspire creative pursuits in areas such as film, food, meditation, journaling, and more. We foster continued connections among participants by offering creativity coaching online after events to keep the fires burning, and train SW:S alumni as peer support for future events.

The impact of our program ripples far and wide.

Quick Facts

• More than 90% of all donations go directly into the program

• Primary expenses are covered for participants and family members

• More than 28 events have been held at locations in Texas, New York, California, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, and Michigan

• Members of all military branches are referred to SW:S through contacts with VA Hospitals, Veterans Centers, and Mental Health professionals

• More than 300 military members and family members have co-written more than 300 songs** with award-winning professional songwriters

• Our songwriter list keeps growing and includes: Beth Nielsen Chapman, Jay Clementi, Ashley Cleveland, Marshall Crenshaw, David Forman, Radney Foster, J. D. Martin, Gary Nicholson, Mary Gauthier, James House, Brad Parker, Georgia Middleman,Terry Radigan, Darrel Scott, Darden Smith, Amy Speace, Greg Trooper. They have written hundreds of hits (This Kiss, I’m In, One More Last Chance, and more.); many recorded by Willie Nelson, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Vince Gill, Delbert McClinton, Trisha Yearwood, Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks and many other top musicians.

The program covers all expenses for participants. Please help more military members transform their stories into songs. 

DONATE NOW 

 GET INVOLVED WITH OSD

REQUEST A SUPPLY DROP

NOMINATE A VETERAN

 Music available on our website: songwritingwithsoldiers.org/music

PAST RETREATS IN THE NEWS
To read more about past SongwritingWith:Soldiers events, please find coverage of our work in The New York Times, Spin, NPR’s “Weekend Edition”, The Washington Post, Denver Post and Los Angeles Times.

OUR PARTNERS MAKE IT HAPPEN
We are deeply grateful to our many volunteers who pitched in to bring the retreat to life — including past participants. Our retreats are not possible without the generosity and support of our funding partners: The Bob Woodruff Foundation, The ASCAP Foundation, The Mayerson Foundation and Veterans United Foundation.

Thanks for visiting us at ProvenTeams and for helping us Mpact Austin!

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