March is Women’s History Month: an opportunity to celebrate the voices, stories, and contributions of women throughout history. One powerful way to engage with this celebration is through music—specifically by exploring the work of women songwriters. Whether you’re a music educator, a student, or a...

One of the most common struggles songwriters face is not knowing what to write about. I hear it from students and professionals alike: "I just don’t feel like writing," or "Everything’s great—what am I supposed to write about?"

This is where prompt-based writing (also known as writing to a brief) c...

Writing Bad Songs: Why It’s Worth It

When it comes to songwriting, it’s easy to feel paralyzed by the pressure to create something amazing every time. But I’ve learned that the key to growing as a songwriter isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing up and writing—even if what you write isn’t your...

 As music teachers, the holiday break offers a rare opportunity to reconnect with the very thing that brought many of us to this career in the first place: the joy of making music. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle of lesson planning, concerts, and administrative tasks, often leavi...

As songwriting educators with years of experience at both high school and collegiate levels, we've seen common patterns in what can make—or break—a song. Whether you're a seasoned songwriter or guiding students through their first compositions, these five elements can elevate a song from good to tru...

I remember reading the line, your fear is boring, in an Elizabeth Gilbert book entitled Big Magic. (If you haven't read it and are interested in digging into creative living, I highly recommend it.) 

It struck me pretty hard - Gilbert was talking about all of her fears and how for so long they h...

Every year around August, I (Sarah) start getting workshop requests. 

Can you come and speak to our educators about creativity? Can you share strategies for improvisation? 

I LOVE talking about creativity and how to incorporate creative action, like songwriting, into any curriculum. As a former or...

Ok. I'll admit it. I'm a chronic workaholic. For the longest time - and honestly it still happens - I equated my worth with how busy I am. 

Anyone else? 

It's something I have to consciously work at and something I have needed to form new habits to even start finding time to rest. But I've also ha...

F.O.S.O. (or, Fear of Sharing Out)

A few weeks ago, I was running a workshop on creativity for a group of music educators in Pennsylvania. We had multiple exercises where participants would create and share with each other. Many teachers reflected on how they felt uncomfortable sharing creative wor...

This month we're talking all about melody - how to create them, how to craft them, how to connect them to lyrics - and how melody can affect us in more ways than we might know.

To that end, I've been thinking a lot about how melody plays a role in my memories. Like how I remember, vividly, playing ...

I can still remember the first time I recorded music on a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). I was in college and had recently purchased a Mac. I had written a handful of children's songs and wanted to make a CD for the parents of a program I ran. 

I could record songs on my computer with just my voi...

Co-writing can be a really fun and engaging way to expand skills, get to know more people and expand your collaborative network, but it can also be really hard. Especially when you get into a situation when you feel you're not being heard. I find this happens a lot more frequently when co-writes are...