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SongwritingWith:Soldiers (SW:S) is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by singer-songwriter Darden Smith. Smith serves as creative director. Mary Judd is the program's executive director. SongwritingWith:Soldiers pairs veterans and active-duty service members with professional songwriters in retreat settings to craft songs about combat and the return home. Through the collaborative process, participants build trust, forge bonds, and transform pain into art. Retreats are free and open to all branches of the military. Songs are shared across the nation through downloads, concerts, and social media, supporting more veterans and bridging the military/civilian divide.
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History
In 2008, Smith performed at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for American soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. After returning home, He met with members of the Texas National Guard and learned about Angel Flights, a program in which pilots fly fallen service members home to the United States. Smith contacted a longtime friend, singer-songwriter Radney Foster, and together they wrote a song called "Angel Flight," which Foster recorded on his CD Revival (2009). The song's positive reception landed Smith as invitation to write with veterans for LifeQuest Transitions, a group that helped wounded veterans with their transition to civilian life. Smith drew from his years of experience running The Be An Artist Program, which he founded in 2003 to bring creativity and the arts into educational settings. Mary Judd, a writer and developer of special programs, accompanied him on this visit with the intention of writing an article. When the two saw the impact of collaborative songwriting on the veterans, Judd began developing the full retreat programming around Smith’s songwriting methods. SongwritingWith:Soldiers officially launched in 2012. Smith recorded of "Angel Flight" for his latest album Love Calling, released August 27, 2013, by Compass Records.
Retreats
Since its founding, SongwritingWith:Soldiers has held 20+ retreats and workshops at locations including Belton, TX, Upstate NY, Bluemont, VA, and Long Beach, CA. At these events, veterans and service members sit down with songwriters, share stories, and write songs. The process fosters trust, creativity, and healing. "Many of the soldiers said they shared personal stories with the musicians that they had discussed only with their wife or husband — if at all." Participants have written songs with singer-songwriters such as Ashley Cleveland, Jay Clementi, Marshall Crenshaw, Radney Foster, Mary Gauthier, James House, Georgia Middleman, Gary Nicholson, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Brad Parker, Darrell Scott, Darden Smith, and Gary Trooper, some of whom are Grammy winners.
On the final day of workshops and retreats, all the new songs are performed by the musicians and professionally recorded. After returning home, participants receive lyric books and CDs of their songs, a source of pride and a means of reconnecting with family and friends, co-workers and communities. In addition, participants are registered with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) as co-writers of their songs; they have ownership. SW:S has expanded to include songwriting retreats for military families and military couples. Loved ones write songs about tough times and what keeps them strong. In 2015, SW:S held its first retreat for student veterans at the University of Texas at Austin.
Future projects and funding
Smith and Judd continue to bring SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreats and workshops to more locations across the United States. In addition to helping veterans, military families, and active-duty service members, the organization seeks to raise awareness and bridge the divide between military and civilian communities. Executive Director Mary Judd commented, we hear “how SongwritingWith:Soldiers saved a marriage, saved a relationship or even saved a life. The program allows us to gather together these stories and build a library of songs that otherwise wouldn’t exist. The program is supported by grants and donations. Key funding partners include: ASCAP Foundation; Boulder Crest Retreat Bob Woodruff Foundation; Mayerson Foundation; Mid-America Arts Alliance; National Endowment for the Arts; Veteran’s United Foundation, and the USO. Photographer Michael O'Brien has taken portraits of veterans and songwriters at a series of retreats. Videographer and veteran James Monk, Mercy Lamp Productions, has filmed all the retreats.