by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Feb 10, 2018 | Uncategorized
Look at this photo. A group of women gathered at a Painting with a Twist venue in January 2018. Study the photo then, click here where you will find SONGS written by each one of these women. Songs about combat, suicide, resilience, the pride of being a soldier and...
by SWS | Jan 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
photo by Rick Loomis I never intended to attend a SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat myself. I simply came to the organization wanting to help in any way I can. Yes, I am a veteran. I served in the Army Reserves from 1991 to 1999 and spent many months packed and waiting...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Dec 12, 2017 | Uncategorized
Vietnam Veteran, Robb Robichaud, attended the November 2017 retreat at Heart J Center in Loveland, Colorado. A prolific writer, Robb was inspired further after attending the retreat and creativity workshops. He returned home and wrote the following poem as a tribute...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Oct 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
350+ songs 400+ veterans, active-duty, and military family members Five Years Strong in 2017 Building community and resiliency through song! October 2012 Three songwriters, a specialist in positive psychology, a handful of volunteers and ten soldiers gathered for...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Aug 9, 2017 | Uncategorized
Ramona was tired. She had been struggling lately. Her therapist encouraged her to attend the SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat for all female veterans near Fort Hood in May. She reluctantly agreed, but had little hope of it making any difference. On Day Two Ramona sat...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Apr 29, 2017 | Uncategorized
“The possible’s slow fuse is lit by the imagination.” Emily Dickinson For our veterans, it is sometimes difficult to describe how they feel immediately after writing a song. They have unexpectedly connected with someone they didn’t know and then created something...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Mar 23, 2017 | Uncategorized
At SongwritingWith:Soldiers, we talk a lot about the impact that collaborative songwriting has on our veterans and the far reaching “ripple effect” of their songs. One thing we don’t talk a lot about is the impact of our program on the professional songwriters. Many...
by SWS | Jan 21, 2017 | Uncategorized
The other day, as I was walking along the trail behind my house, I thought of the many people who have said to me, “You are always so positive.” Or, “I need Mary time.” I thought of this as I tried to set my pace, my feet and knees struggling more than usual. I knew...
by SWS | Jan 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
Greg Trooper passed away on January 16, 2017. He’d been sick for awhile, but he didn’t let it slow him down that much. He was still doing shows up until a few months ago, and had just recorded tracks for a record with Stewart Lerman, Steuart Smith and Kenny Blevins,...
by SWS | Nov 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
We have learned so much from the veterans who have attended our SongwritingWith:Soldiers programs—the various reasons they joined the military, the struggles they endured, the feats they accomplished, the deep bonds they formed with their brothers and sisters in arms,...
