Why Teaching Teens Songwriting Can Make the World a Better Place | Anne Heaton | TEDxSIUC
Award-winning singer-songwriter and educator Anne Heaton reveals how teaching teens to write songs cultivates empathy, connection, and authenticity, equipping them with lifelong leadership skills. With a blend of artistry and science, she shares how creative expression helps young people navigate challenges while strengthening their emotional intelligence. Anne is an educator, performer, and teaching artist (Berklee College of Music, GRAMMY Camp) who merges music with human connection. A veteran touring artist featured by NPR and The New York Times, she’s shared stages with icons like Jewel and Sarah McLachlan. Her mission? Using songwriting to unlock self-awareness and collaboration in the next generation. Anne Heaton is a singer-songwriter and teaching artist who has captured audience imaginations with her songs that are, by turns, “tender, barbed and spiritual” (Washington Post). She’s been featured by the New York Times Music Podcast, NPR, the Sundance Film Festival and Lilith Fair (2010). Anne has shared the stage with artists such as Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and jazz drummer Max Roach. She has taught songwriting at Berklee College of Music and GRAMMY Camp and recently researched social emotional learning outcomes of songwriting with teenagers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Anne lives in Milwaukee, loves coffee, Lake Michigan and being a mom to two freethinking daughters. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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