I absolutely cherished learning from such amazing faculty while at Snow Pond. I learned so much about storytelling and writing for musical theatre, and it was so inspiring to be around such talented artists. While doing all this, I also loved getting to chill by the water, or take a stroll in the woods with my guitar. It was an outstanding time that I will always be grateful for!
Because of ATP-LA programming, students and teachers are able to get exposure to the Great American songbook while having the opportunity to learn songwriting skills and experiment using their voices through personal lyric-writing. It’s so rewarding and exciting to see students come alive while learning about Johnny Mercer’s music while being inspired to create something on their own! I have been fortunate enough to be working with the Johnny Mercer Foundation for well over a decade, and I continue to see how this work continues to create an impact in our communities.
Funding from the Johnny Mercer Foundation affords early-career music teachers the opportunity to obtain master’s degrees while contributing to the educational efforts of the Foundation. Qualified students propose areas of study related to The Great American Songbook and partner with library personnel and music education faculty to envision, write, and field-test extended curriculum units for use in PK-12 schools throughout North America. Graduates leave with published materials, field-specific knowledge about curriculum and pedagogy, and a new appreciation of Johnny Mercer’s legacy.
The JMF Songwriters Project was one of the best weeks of my life! Thank you, The Johnny Mercer Foundation, for the opportunity to grow as a solo composer-lyricist/songwriter; the incredible mentorship by Stephen Bray, Victoria Banks, and Craig Carnelia; the extraordinary collaborations with such a talented cohort of songwriters of all genres; and the encouragement and newly-acquired confidence to write my own lyrics. What I always had in me is now coming to light.
The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project will forever be a part of our journey and partnership. Our week in the program gave us the space and time to create and push ourselves under the guidance of caring, inquisitive teachers. With the inspiring musical world of Nashville as a backdrop, we explored new styles and collaborations with fellow songwriters from across the country. An unforgettable and transformative experience!
The Writers’ Grove at Goodspeed is a treasure. It is, without question, my favorite and most productive place to work. It offers the extraordinary intersection of quiet solitude for focused writing, a community of world-class theatre-makers with whom to discuss and improve the work, as well as a team and facilities to make it all run beautifully. It was at Goodspeed that I met director Sean Daniels; at Goodspeed, we worked together on my show THE LION, which has since won a Drama Desk Award and an Off-West-End Award for Best New Musical.
Ultimately, I believe that the Johnny Mercer Foundation’s Curriculum Development Program helped further my career by providing me with the necessary skills, resources, and experience that directly applied to my career as a music educator.
The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project is the best program of its kind I’ve ever seen or been part of. It embraces any and every genre of songwriting and seeks to nurture each writer’s distinctive musical and lyrical voice.
The Songwriters Project at Northwestern was the first time in my life when I had a dedicated week for only songwriting, surrounded by only songwriters. The project treats songwriting extraordinarily seriously, and while there –from the teachers and my fellow students– I learned the care, focus, and rigor that songwriters should expect from ourselves for every song. The Songwriters Project folk are now some of my closest friends and favorite writers, and they’ve made some of my favorite work.
The Johnny Mercer Project not only taught me what the bar was for a great song, but also introduced me to a community of brilliant and supportive colleagues, collaborators, and mentors. From that one experience came opened doors to writer’s retreats, musical workshops, concert readings, professional orchestration jobs, you name it. JMF gives you the opportunities and the community it takes to be a full time artist.
