SongwritingWith:Soldiers holds three-day retreats and custom workshops that pair veterans, active-duty and military families with professional songwriters to turn their stories of service and returning home into song.

Photo by Stacy Pearsall

» Retreats and Custom Programs

Songwriting is the spark inside an evidence-based retreat program. We use collaborative songwriting to build:

CREATIVITY Through their songs and retreat activities, participants rediscover their creativity and reconnect with family, friends, and communities. When not writing songs, participants take workshops in creative writing, photography, meditation, and more – to maximize the benefits of creative collaboration.

CONNECTIONS We foster continued connections among participants in our SongwritingWith:Soldiers community through post-retreat online activities and in-person events.

STRENGTHS Retreat participants acquire useful tools for finding hope, sources of meaning, post traumatic growth. Several SongwritingWith:Soldiers alumni have trained as peer support for our retreats and events.

All participants receive a beautifully produced book that includes photographs from the retreat, song lyrics, as well as recordings of all songs and performance videos. Examples are included in our Reflections On Our Journey compilation book.

Retreat songs are also shared through digital files, free streaming on Band Camp, concerts, and social media in order to better connect the military and civilian communities, and build awareness of the challenges faced by our returning service members and their families.

This retreat restored my faith in humanity. People really do care.
Sergeant Scott McRae,
U.S. Army

No musical or writing experience necessary (or expected)!

Interested in
participating?

Inquire here about attending an upcoming SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat.

Note, inquiring does not guarantee attendance.

Is SW:S for me?

  • If you’ve served in the military, the answer is YES!
  • Are you open to new experiences?
  • Do you enjoy beautiful, open spaces?
  • No need for music experience!
  • You’re perfect if you’ve never written a song (or even a poem)!