Their Voice in Verse: WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop & Showcase of Songs

“Write about something you absolutely must tell the world,” WriteGirl Executive Director and songwriter Keren Taylor told the 134 teens at the start of WriteGirl’s 20th Annual Songwriting Workshop on Feb. 20, 2021. “What are you passionate about? Love so much? Miss so much? Desire so much that you need a song to help you with the gigantic emotions you’re feeling?”

The 200 teens and mentors, and 32 professional women songwriters gathered online for a WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop that was part workshop, part dance party and part concert all rolled into one high-energy event!

WriteGirl Alum Amaya McGinnis announced a surprise special guest – multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban, whose Find Your Light Foundation supports WriteGirl. Groban fired up his piano and shared his creative process with the teens. Joining him in another Zoom square was ‘90s house and pop singer-songwriter Janice Robinson, who accompanied Groban on the piano. 

Taylor had a challenge for the surprise guests: Take a few lines that the teens would soon drop in the Zoom chat and turn them into a song. The lyrics flooded the chat and Groban and Robinson made live music magic, showing the teens how to play around and tinker with a song before even thinking about refining it. 

The duo began with the lines “Trapped in the comfort of her fantasy / Not fully present in reality.” Robinson continued improvising, singing about a woman escaping what she knows, eventually finding her way home. Groban, built the melody as she riffed, backing up her vocals. The Zoom chat was swimming with awed teens and volunteers:

AHHHH Josh Groban is singing my lyrics! I’m about to cry!
Chilllllsssssssss
My wifi cant handle this genius
Wow it's so amazing you can take a verse and WRITE A SONG
This is like the best zoom ever

For the past year, WriteGirl has transitioned all monthly in-person workshops into virtual ones. The WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop is usually a six-hour event that ends with dozens of women singer-songwriters adding melodies to the teens’ lyrics. It’s always electrifying in person, but WriteGirl bottled up that energy and let it explode on Zoom. Despite the roughly 300 attendees being separated by screens and many miles, they still wrote and even danced together as they learned about choruses and verses. 

In addition to the impromptu concert by Groban and Robinson, the teens also brainstormed rhyming words on an interactive board and had small breakout sessions with more than 30 women singer/songwriters.

Much of the advice during the workshop centered on a recurring theme: Don’t overthink it. 

Groban said it, Robinson said it, Michelle Lewis, a songwriter who has helped WriteGirl put on the workshop for two decades said it, and so did Taylor. 

“It’s very very easy to overthink writing to try to be extra clever, too this too that,” Groban said. “The best thing I had to learn was not to have a delete button for a long time.”

Robinson added that songwriters should be open to the feelings and emotions that visit them throughout the process. 

“It’s a spirit when you pick up your pen to write,” she said. “The spirit will fall into you and it will come, so never be afraid.”

Songwriter Janet Robin encouraged mentees to let go of their inner critic during the songwriting process.

“Don’t judge yourself. Being creative is about throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks,” she said.

Once everyone returned from their breakout rooms, songwriters quickly gathered song lyrics from the teens and instantly put the lyrics to music during a showcase!

By the end of the workshop, teens gained the tools they need to write a catchy hook, break down the parts of a song, and fine-tune their writing skills to write lyrics for a variety of genres.

“I learned how to take a melody and focus words to express what you are feeling” WriteGirl mentee Zoe F. said.

“I loved seeing how the mentees reacted to having their songs sang! So moving!” WriteGirl mentee Abigail H. said.

The following weekend, WriteGirl hosted a Showcase of Songs for an extended performance of original songs from other teens.

More than a dozen women singer/songwriters including Blush and Natalie Carol brought the teens’ lyrics to life in an online concert, where different indie, pop, and soul genres converged.

GRAMMY-winner Lisa Loeb and rock vocalist Nina Diaz reflected on their experiences in the online space.

“Doing showcases like this help me re-energize. It’s healing,” Diaz said.

“When you see yourself in other people’s stories, it makes you feel more human, less alone,” Loeb said.

Later, songwriter Rhonda Nicole took the group through a co-writing activity during the Showcase of Songs. She gave a lyric and had the teens finish it in the chat.

One prompt was, "What am I supposed to do?" Some of the suggested lyrics to finish it were:

"....when you're always stuck on mute."

"...when everything I color keeps turning blue."

"...when the train left this afternoon at two."

WriteGirl’s traditional Threads, an opportunity for all attendees to rave for the rest of the Zoom, closed out the Showcase of Songs.

“Everyone's lyrics are so heartfelt and beautiful! This event is a wave of inspiration!” said WriteGirl Mentee Samantha B.

Keren Taylor embraced the hope and possibilities of the online workshop and showcase, “The power of young people’s words. There is a world beyond this pandemic and it’s going to be a young person that pulls us out of it,” she said.

Lucy Schwartz, songwriter known for original songs on film and TV such as Twilight commended the common ground created during the showcase, saying, “How cool and magical it is to see the combination of lyrics and songwriters coming together...You learn so much from what people actually want to write about. When you’re writing from the heart everyone can relate, no matter what it is.”

Special thanks to our sponsors, SONY Music Publishing, The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, A Girl On The Go and the Looking Out Foundation! Big thanks to the Find Your Light Foundation and Josh Groban for your support!