WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop Brings Teens' Songs to Life

“Songs can be about anything, from caffeine to paperclips to love,” WriteGirl Executive Director Keren Taylor said, kicking off the 2024 WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop and Showcase of Songs on Feb. 24, 2024. This spirit of playful creativity permeated the workshop, with more than 150 teens, volunteers and observers in attendance, including lauded songwriters Lykke Li and Rissi palmer. 

Throughout the day, the creativity bubbled as WriteGirl volunteers and professional songwriters, including several Grammy-winners, gave our teens an introduction to the fundamentals of songwriting, then let them loose to write. The day culminated in songwriters performing the teens’ songs at a thrilling end-of-the-day showcase.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Lykke Li shares her creative process with the teens

One of the highlights of the day was the special guests, who gave insight into their writing process. Keren interviewed Lykke Li, the Swedish indie pop sensation known for her vulnerable and captivating lyricism. Lykke Li introduced the teens to her creative process and how she draws inspiration from her life experiences, keeping a notebook of her thoughts. "It’s basically a diary entry that I try to finesse the poetry of,” Lykke explained. 

Rissi Palmer shares her inspiring songwriting tips with the teens

Later, guest songwriter and co-emcee Reina Mora led us through a conversation with Rissi Palmer, a Grammy-nominated country songwriter who is one of only 7 female African-American solo artists ever to hit the Billboard Country Music Charts! Rissi gave our teens helpful tips to consider as they began creating their own lyrics. "The wilder you let yourself go, the crazier it sounds, the sillier it sounds, the most unlikely thing … sometimes it makes sense," Rissi said. 

After hearing the guests’ insights, the teens were excited to write for themselves, with the help of some fun songwriting activities. Keren led the teens through thinking of a theme for their songs, award-winning songwriter Michelle Lewis led them through creating song titles and hooks, and WriteGirl teaching artist and co-emcee Darby Price led everyone through an activity to experiment with rhyming. 

The teens then learned the basics of song structure with a dance party, where everyone boogied their way into understanding the verse, chorus, bridge structure of contemporary music. “I liked getting to experiment with songs in a way I hadn’t done before!” said mentee Soleil.

Near the end of the workshop our teens and songwriters broke out into smaller groups where each of our professional songwriters could share some of their specialized insight. Songwriters Michelle Lewis, Keren Taylor (our Executive Director who is also a songwriter!), Lucy Schwartz, Eve Nelson, Holly Palmer, Reina Mora, Nina Woodford, L.I.T.A Torres, Anne DiGiovanni (aka deegie), Janice Robinson, Tess Cass, Annette Conlon, Blush, Clare Means, Autumn Rowe and Heidi Rojas were all able to spend time with smaller groups of young writers, helping them refine their songs.

The day culminated in a spectacular Showcase of Songs, where the professional singer/songwriters brought the teens’ songs to life, performing them for the teens and their friends, family and guest observers. 

“I loved how my song was sung! It was magical! And hearing other songs was amazing!” said WriteGirl mentee Kathleen.

WriteGirl volunteer Cathy said, “I loved witnessing the magic of lyrics written by WriteGirls becoming real songs!”

Thank you to our fantastic emcees: Songwriter Reina Mora, Teaching Artist Darby Price, and WriteGirl Alums Lana Colaco and Rhiann Sheffie for guiding the day smoothly along. 

Thank you to The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund and all of our generous supporters who made this inspiring workshop possible!