Spark your creativity and be part of something really exciting, inspiring and fun! A unique collaborative songwriting experience for teens, adults and intergenerational.
Written by four teens who first met through this Cyber Songwriting Studio.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Written by teens from six different cities who never met before collaborating on this song.
- Ever thought about writing a song?
- Have you written lots of songs but want to understand the songwriting process better?
- Have you ever written collaboratively?
You don’t have to play an instrument, have a great voice or be able to read music.
You DO need to come prepared to write a creative and powerful song with others about our times. No music or songwriting experience needed!
What you can expect:
- Explore songwriting ingredients (lyrics, hook, rhyme, melody, rhythm,…)
- Create with experienced and accomplished songwriters.
- Engage in activities that will help us craft our song and lift us out of our comfort zones.
- Experience a non-judgmental environment where there are no bad ideas and mistakes are the path to new directions.
- Collaborate with new people who have similar interests reminding us we are part of something bigger.
- Gain a sense of pride and accomplishment in this exciting and unique project filled with many surprises and twists.
- Receive a professionally recorded, studio version of your group’s finished song!
To keep the experience intimate, we are offering a limited number of slots so reserve your space soon! A minimum number is required to run the workshop. We can’t wait to create with you soon!
To keep the experience intimate, we are offering a limited number of slots.
I want to know about upcoming workshops
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead
What Participants are Saying:
Chords of Courage has become like a family to me, even though I’ve never even met the others in person. Every session, I look forward to our time together when we get to build our songwriting knowledge, ability, and creativity!
–Isabella M
As a rookie songwriter, being able to write with other school-age songwriters was so helpful. I was able to get to know a little bit about each one of them, and that really helped me understand their own unique points of view, style of songwriting, and ideas. Although it would have been really fun to meet them all in person, I’m not sure we would have been as open and honest with each other, nor have had the time to really learn from each other. I also think it’s ironic that as we were writing a song about the current pandemic, we were sitting there being constantly reminded of our new normal while we tried to collaboratively write over Zoom. But I think this was especially important in giving our song the raw authenticity that it needed. I truly had so much fun and learned a great deal from this experience. I feel I am a better songwriter because of it. 🙂
–Gabriela C
This workshop helped me hone my songwriting skills. I learned how to clearly express my ideas in a song, as well as how to write lyrics that pop. I really enjoyed collaborating with other young songwriters in this workshop!
–Fiona M
Thank you for giving my daughter the opportunity to participate in this Cyber Songwriting Studio project. She spent time with others on Zoom to write lyrics and music for the song. A big thank-you goes especially to Ms. Caron Dale who worked with and guided them through the whole process. Many years from now when my daughter looks back at this historic year, she will think not only of the coronavirus pandemic and times of quarantine, but also hear a song playing in her head that she helped write
–Mom of a participating teen
STAFFED by award-winning, energetic, and motivating professional songwriters, musicians and educators.
Caron Dale is a singer, songwriter and entrepreneur. Her song, “Marching Feet Can Make It Right,” won first place in the Great American Song Contest. A number of her other songs have received rave reviews. She is founder, manager and lead singer of Lox & Vodka and has traveled across the US and performed abroad. As founder and CEO of Chords of Courage, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the conversation from the demoralizing and cynical to the hopeful and inspirational one song at a time, she work with students to write powerful songs about people of great courage and then perform acts of STEPPING UP, community service, in the spirit of the brave person about whom they just wrote a song. She firmly believes that by creating socially conscious music today, we help to create socially conscious citizens for tomorrow.
Wayne Wilentz is a pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer and arranger. He is a highly regarded jazz musician who specializes in Brazilian music and is known for his versatility, vast repertoire, and professionalism. He was a member of Atlantic, Capital, and RCA/Salsoul recording artists’ “Skyy” for nine years, and received a Gold Record for their LP Skyyline. Wayne also played regularly with Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, The Coasters. As a composer, along with works for Skyy and his own recordings, Wayne’s music can be heard in the films Uncorked and Nappily Ever After, and on such TV shows as The Mindy Project, Homeland, Doubt, Being Mary Jane, and Elementary.
Produced by CHORDS OF COURAGE