MY STORY, MY SONG

This program is presented in partnership with The Samaritan Center with a grant from the

Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

The workshop series is available to women veterans in the following counties in Texas:

Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Coryell, Guadalupe, Hays, Travis, and Williamson

Online via Zoom

A Four Part Series, Saturdays in August 2024:

Aug. 3, 10, 17 and 24

9am to 12pm (with a break)

The goal of this project is to work with women veterans in order to:

● Create a safe space for them to be with their stories and, if they choose, to tell their stories to others.

● Collaborate with a professional songwriter who will transform their stories into songs.

Creating a Safe Space:

The project begins with an interactive program focused on self-compassion, empathy, vulnerability, and shame which draws on the work of Brené Brown and Dr. Kristen Neff. These classes will be led by Terry Pierce, an Episcopal priestess and spiritual director whose qualifications include Masters in Divinity and Masters in Spiritual Formation from Seminary of the Southwest.

*The material in this program is not religious

Turning Stories Into Songs:

The second half of the project is focused on helping veterans turn their stories into song. As the veterans begin to tell their story and own their story, they will have the opportunity to work with Kelley McRae to transform their stories into song. Kelley is a professional musician, songwriting teacher, and the Executive Director of Song Rise Arts.

“You don’t need to be a songwriter to do this work. Through writing exercises, you will discover the story you want to tell. From there, we will work together to shape that story into lyrics and melody. It is a mysterious, joyous and healing process.”

- Kelley McRae

Bio for Terry Pierce:

The Reverend Terry Pierce is an Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of Texas where she serves as pastor of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Taylor. Terry teaches and mentors priests as part of the Iona Collaborative of Seminary of the Southwest and worked for several years as a hospital chaplain. She is a member of the Diocesan Commission on Recovery Ministries and the Clergy Wellness Taskforce. Terry has been active in twelve-step Recovery programs for more than twenty-years. Terry has a Masters Degree in Spiritual Formation and a Masters Degree in Divinity from Seminary of the Southwest. She was ordained in January 2015. Terry also has university training in social work and accounting and completed a year long residency in Clinical Pastoral Education in the Seton Hospital System.

Bio for Kelley McRae:

Over the past two decades, Kelley McRae has dedicated her life to the craft of songwriting. As a professional musician, she has toured the US and Europe, released six albums and been featured on NPR, Billboard, and Paste Magazine. As a teacher, she has taught hundreds of students from all over the world and developed a serious songwriting curriculum. Kelley is the Music Program Director for the School of Creative and Performing Arts in NYC, where her songwriting curriculum was approved for college credit in 2017. Kelley is the founder and Executive Director of Song Rise Arts, a nonprofit that brings the healing power of songwriting to underserved communities in the Austin area.