In LCT’s Songwriting in the Schools Program, middle and high school students engage in a rigorous creative process, writing their own songs from a character's point of view under the guidance of a professional lyricist and a composer. At the end of the 9-session residency, students share their work with their peers and receive a demo recording of their songs.

“The teaching artists helped guide my students to create something so wonderful that they are really proud of.”

— Teacher, IS61 Leonardo da Vinci Intermediate School

Each spring, representative songs written by students during the program are performed by professional artists in a concert setting at Lincoln Center.

LCT's Songwriting in the Schools Program is designed to enrich the writing curriculum with standards-based instruction that addresses the New York City Department of Education's Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: Theater by teaching songwriting vocabulary, character development, and collaborative techniques.

This video captures the excitement of our 10th annual concert of student-written songs that took place in June 2017, the culminating event of that semester’s work in the Songwriting in the Schools Program.