Research & Resources
Songwriting Works' builds upon the significant health and social benefits of SW’s community songwriting methodology, developed by Judith-Kate Friedman and proven by Lin-Chiat Chang, PhD in her National Endowment for the Arts/Artworks research study.
In this study, older adults residing in low-income, HUD subsidized senior housing in 5 U.S. states (CT, MN, AL, TX, IN) collaborated with songwriters Sally Rogers, Don Strong, Jessie Ritter, Jon Hogan and Maria Moss (aka Hogan and Moss) and Krista Detor for four months in a series of weekly classes. Trained to facilitate by SW founder Judith-Kate Friedman, these artists blended their songwriting know-how with SW's 8 Principles of Creative Engagement methodology and principles of Vital Involvement best practices, guided by Helen Q. Kivnick and Linda Duncan of AWVIA - The Arts, Wellness and Vital Involvement in Aging. The songs each community created reflected the diversity of the artists and elders who composed Folk, Rap/Hip Hop, Country, America, Pop songs full of the love, humor, and personal and cultural history of the participants. [Read Lin-Chiat Chang, PhD's research paper here.]
Jessie Ritter (AL/FL), Hogan and Moss (TX), Krista Detor (IN), Don Strong (MN) and Sally Rogers (CT) not pictured. Photo: Port Townsend Leader
During the Covid pandemic, SW collaborated in two successful online pilot initiatives:
University of Cincinnati faculty Dr. Rhonna Schatz of the School of Medicine and Stefan Fiol, PhD of the Conservatory of Music trained with Judith-Kate Friedman in SW's approach. SW best practices then became part of their students' curriculum as they made music with elders living with dementia and their care partners (2020-2021).
ARTS WA (WA State Arts Commission) program directors Miguel Guillen and Tamar Krames brought Judith-Kate and Jen Kulik of SilverKite together to create a directory of teaching artists serving elders statewide and train teaching artists from rural, tribal and urban communities (2021-22).
In 2023 and 2024, having expanded its mission to include story along with song, SW collaborated extensively with its fiscally-sponsored Mythsinger Legacy Project, in support of the publication of Daniel Deardorff’s classic book The Other Within: The Genius of Deformity in Myth, Culture, and Psyche, 3rd ed. (Inner Traditions, 2022).
200 rural North Olympic Peninsula, WA elders, youth, and families composed 18 songs and stories about the songs on this 2017 recording. Produced by Orville Johnson. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
More than 200 elders average age 87 residing at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living composed and performed 18 songs and stories with Songwriting Works’ founder Judith-Kate Friedman and guest artists. Watch the documentary.
From its initial years as a teaching artist project within San Francisco’s Artworks/Center for Elders and Youth in the Arts (1990-92) until the present, Songwriting Works has always welcomed research collaborations.
