Who We Are
The SongWorks Educators Association (SWEA) is a community of educators who engage learners through SongWorks, a principles-based approach to teaching music.
SongWorks principles and practices offer teachers both grounding and flexibility in making purposeful, caring choices in their interactions with people and music. Songs are the foundation for study and learning experiences that nurture playfulness, responsiveness, and musicality.
Through developing and sharing ideas centered around the SongWorks teaching approach, SWEA members support each other in growing as educators and learners.
Events
Certification Courses
July 13-17, 2026
Salt Lake City, UT
Annual Conference
April 2026
Online
News
Movement and Meter: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Kayla Buchanan, one of this year’s Emerging Pioneers in Music Education, offers her reflections on how SongWorks has enriched her teaching practices. For one of my assignments as an Emerging Pioneer for the 2025 SongWorks Conference, I chose to create an activity that...
The Joy of Learning How To Enjoy Teaching Again
Amy Watson recently completed her Level 3 SongWorks Certification Teaching Practicum to become a SongWorks Certified Educator. The final level of certification is unique because students have the opportunity to dig into the details of their teaching with two mentor...
Remembering Fleurette from Z to A
Kate Smith shares a story remembering our dear friend and mentor, Dr. Sister Fleurette Sweeney. For many decades Fleurette lived, studied, and taught in the lower mainland of British Columbia. My husband, Bill, and I visited with her frequently in Vancouver and often...
Movement and Meter: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Kayla Buchanan, one of this year’s Emerging Pioneers in Music Education, offers her reflections on how SongWorks has enriched her teaching practices. For one of my assignments as an Emerging Pioneer for the 2025 SongWorks Conference, I chose to create an activity that...
The Joy of Learning How To Enjoy Teaching Again
Amy Watson recently completed her Level 3 SongWorks Certification Teaching Practicum to become a SongWorks Certified Educator. The final level of certification is unique because students have the opportunity to dig into the details of their teaching with two mentor...
Resources
Looking for Songworks I & II or other printed resources?
Head over to our Books page for these and more!
Get Involved
• SWEA Newsletter & Teaching Ideas
• SWEA Membership
Available in Members Access Area
Become a Member, Gain Access to 50+ Sturdy Songs & Study Activities
From the Archive
Take a Musical Field Trip: Play an Experience Game
Teaching is a journey in more ways than one. In her very first publication from 1975, Dr. Peggy D. Bennett explores one facet of this metaphor as she draws connections between field trips and song game experiences, highlighting the social, emotional, and educational benefits of both.
Voice Discovery in a “Safe” Atmosphere: What Every Child Needs
Singing alone is a key factor in developing skills in healthy, accurate singing. This article offers ideas for creating a “safe” atmosphere for children to sing alone and for giving feedback about the singing.
We’ve Had a Good Time Playing the Game: Now What? (Revisited)
Have you ever felt stuck or unsure what to do next after you’ve played a game with your students? In this article from the August 2013 MEI (SWEA) Newsletter, Dr. Peggy Bennett gives us specific ideas for how to progress from sounds to symbols in order to study a song.
Take a Musical Field Trip: Play an Experience Game
Teaching is a journey in more ways than one. In her very first publication from 1975, Dr. Peggy D. Bennett explores one facet of this metaphor as she draws connections between field trips and song game experiences, highlighting the social, emotional, and educational benefits of both.
Voice Discovery in a “Safe” Atmosphere: What Every Child Needs
Singing alone is a key factor in developing skills in healthy, accurate singing. This article offers ideas for creating a “safe” atmosphere for children to sing alone and for giving feedback about the singing.