Louisiana’s Songs for Veterans, a program that helps vets cope with their experiences through songwriting, is gaining nationwide acclaim, and the attention of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says early results show promise as a new form of therapy for struggling vets.
“We get 12 veterans in a room that are suffering, and a songwriter, David St. Romain, an incredible writer and therapist, and they talk about their pain and suffering,” says Nungesser.
The program is run through the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development.
Four workshops have occurred across the state so far, and the plan is to have two more in 2020. Nungesser says the workshops take place over four days.
“They write down all of these things, and then they put it into song, and the first song was so incredible it is on it’s way to Nashville to be recorded,” says Nungesser.
The song is called “Fall of Saigon.”
Nungesser says he was particularly touched by the story of one vet who attended the workshop, and now has a new way to process their difficult experiences.
“One of the young ladies said at night when she can’t sleep, and she doesn’t want to bother her family, she can now touch her phone and play that song, knowing she had a part of making something so beautiful,” says Nungesser.
The program held workshops in Alexandria, Shreveport, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge. You can sign up for future workshops here.
