Songwriting TherapyAs music varies across the world, cultures also use the songs and lyrics created. Songwriters may quickly scribble words on a piece of paper or have a melody in their head, hoping that those sounds and words will turn into the lyrics of a song. A song or melody can evoke both positive and negative feelings in anyone's life, especially in the author. Music is used for countless activities (ceremonies, celebrations), which is why the ideas discussed in this article focus on whether the process of songwriting acts as a therapeutic outlet. Accordingly, the goal is to examine a musician's ideas about songwriting and review the literature on how songwriting is currently used in music therapy. Musicians have claimed that songwriting is their therapy. By its very nature, the process of writing a song can be both liberating and emotionally stimulating for a writer. “The text of songs often provides an initial experience of how to represent the world symbolically and how we can use metaphors to understand the meaning of what is happening to us” (Baker et al. 9). The lyrics express people's values ​​and beliefs, which find their way into the lives of others. In the midst of writing a song, an important phenomenon occurs: the writer communicates and shares their thoughts in an intimate way, much like how psychological counseling is perceived and used today. To understand a musician's work, it may be necessary to understand their personal background. While exploring the effects of music therapy, I had the chance to interview Matt Jennings, a songwriter/musician who plays piano in a worship group at Bear Creek Community Church in Merced, California. On Saturday, February 19, I sat down with Matt...... middle of paper...... providing natural musical support for the therapeutic process” (Wigram 264). Songwriting through music is able to reflect the state of the human soul in a way that words cannot. Works Cited American Music Therapy Association, Inc. 2011. Web. www.musictherapy.org.Web. February 21, 2011. Baker, Felicity, Wigram, Tony. Songwriting: Methods, Techniques, and Clinical Applications for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators, and Students. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005. Print. Day, T. (August 2005). Songwriting: Methods, Techniques, and Clinical Applications for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators, and Students. Chapter 4.Gardstrom, S. and J. Hiller. “Song discussion as musical psychotherapy.” MusicTherapy Perspectives 28.2 (2010): 147-156. Print.Wagner, H. "Music therapy at the end of life. Journal of Music Therapy47.2 (2010): 190-195. Print.