Any kid between the ages of 8-15 who loves music and wants to collaborate with a group! No songwriting experience is necessary, and playing a musical instrument is not a requirement.

All participants must be at least 8 years old by the date of the first workshop- September 26th.

What IS REQUIRED of songmakers?

• a written statement, explaining why you want to be a part of song club; there’s a section on the application for you to do this

• attendance at all four songwriting workshops

• availability the weekend of Oct. 24th/25th for a three-hour recording session at a local studio, within 5-10 miles of our facility

• an eagerness to participate (*Parents, we ask that you only sign up if your child WANTS to do it)

• willingness to try vocalizing (singing, chanting, rapping, making vocal sound effects) in a recording setting; we won’t force anyone to sing, but the majority of a band’s contribution to a song is lyric-writing and recording vocal parts.

4 Saturday Workshops: September 26th, October 3rd, 10th and 17th, from 10a - 2p 

1 weekend of recording: October 24th and 25th *During the second songwriting workshop, each band will be assigned a three-hour block of time between these two days, for their recording session. For now, we ask you to keep both days open, between 10a and 7p.

In order to get the full experience, we’d love for all songmakers to be available for all 4 workshops and their band’s recording session. Missing one workshop will be ok, but it will have an impact on one’s ability to fully contribute to the songwriting process. If you have concerns or questions about this, please email stella@spilledmilksocialclub.com to discuss.

spilled milk song club LISTENING PARTY:Saturday, November 7th‍ ‍ *Time and location TBA, though likely in the late afternoon at a venue within 5 miles of spilled milk. At the party, each band will get a chance to talk about their experience and play their song to an audience of eager listeners. We can’t wait to celebrate with all the bands!

All songwriting workshops will take place at spilled milk social club headquarters! 

3804 Cherrywood Road, Austin, Texas 78722

Recording sessions will take place at one of the following studios:

Estuary Recording: 5114 Caswell Ave.

*More recording studio partners TBA

• A chance for kids to connect with local working musicians; Austin’s live music scene is a vital asset to our community. By bringing young songmakers together with our hired producers, kids will have the chance to learn about writing songs, performing live, and everything else involved with being a local musician from folks who are currently doing just that.

• A complete song, written by your child’s band, with the help of a producer! 

• A studio recording of the song, mixed and mastered by industry professionals; At the song club listening party on November 7th, we’ll premier all the bands’ songs together, with family and friends present. After the listening party, we’ll upload all the songs to streaming sites (Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)

• Band merch! During the workshops, each band will suggest ideas and pick a band name, and they’ll get the chance to design a logo. At our facility during one of the workshops, each band will get to screenprint their design onto t-shirts (one design per band, but each songmaker will get their own shirt.) They’ll also have a chance to make bumper stickers and buttons to take home.

• An accompanying visual representation of the band’s song; During the workshops and recording sessions, we’ll take photos to document the process. Using these photos, the band’s logo, and any other original art that songmakers contribute, we’ll create a slideshow that will play along with the band’s song at our November 7th listening party. *Parents will have the option to deny photo consent as part of the participant application, in which case, we won’t use any photos that include the child.

We focus on creative thinking and collaboration! spilled milk song club is designed to make songwriting accessible to kids of all experience levels. Each band will work under the guidance of their producer, who will help them establish a style and structure for their song, with any rhythmic or melodic components needed. We don’t expect our songmakers to have a vast knowledge of music theory or songwriting, nor do we expect them to play an instrument.

Unlike other music education programs, we do not provide instrument instruction as part of spilled milk song club. If your child already plays a musical instrument, they can bring this up within their band. If the song their band writes calls for instrumentation that one of the songmakers can provide, the producer will help figure out which workshop your child should bring their instrument to.

It’s just one song! This is a mantra we’ve clung to for years, when helping young songmakers through the process of working together on a song. Everyone is invited to bring forth ideas, and we’ll try to make decisions about themes, style, lyrics, etc. together as a band. That said, we’re only creating one song to record together, so there will be times that our songmakers have to compromise with one another. Our hope is that after the completion of spilled milk song club, our songmakers will feel inspired to continue writing songs on their own, which can include all the ideas they come up with.

The true cost of song club is $430 per child. Because our Community Education Programs are partially sustained through donations, we are happy to offer this program at a lower cost for families, even at the highest tier. If you are interested and able to participate at an amount in between the listed tiers, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Tier 1: $300 per child

This price is for you if you have access to financial security, own property or have personal savings, or if you would not traditionally qualify for sliding scale services. If you are able to pay for "wants" and spend little time worrying about securing necessities in your life, you have economic privilege and power in our community. Your full price participation helps us sustain a sliding scale policy for others, and we appreciate it. 

Tier 2: $150

Tier 2 requires a written personal statement of need from the applying parent/family. This tier is for you if you are struggling to conquer debt, build savings or move away from paycheck to paycheck living, but have access to steady income and are not spending most of your time thinking about meeting basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care, child care, etc. If you, however, can ask others for financial support, such as family members, partners, or friends, please consider using those personal resources before you use the resources of the sliding scale and limit opportunities for others.

Tier 3: $50

Tier 3 requires proof of the participating child’s enrollment in one of the following programs: Free/Reduced Lunch, CHIP, SNAP, Medicaid. If you struggle to maintain access to needs such as health care, housing, food, child care, and are living paycheck to paycheck or are in significant debt, you belong here and you deserve a community that honors your price as an economic offering equal to that of the person who can pay the highest tier. 

If your child wishes to participate but the cost is a barrier for your family and/or you cannot provide transportation, feel free to reach out to us.

Applications for participants open on August 1, 2026. We will begin processing all applications after August 15th, and families will be contacted with a response to their application no later than September 1, 2026.

If you are a local songwriter who is interested in participating as a producer, see “Wanna Help Make This Awesome Program Happen?” below.

We are currently looking for some help in the following areas:

• Songwriters who are interested in helping kids aged 8 to 15 write a song! Bilingual Spanish speakers to the front of the line but ALL are encouraged to apply. Get more info and apply here.

• Organizations (schools, rec centers, scout troops, PTAs, parent forums, etc) through which to spread the word!

• MONETARY DONATIONS - Our community education programs sustain through individual donations. Help us make our next big, awesome project come to life by making a cash donation following the button below!

Email stella@spilledmilksocialclub.com to discuss/arrange any way in which you’re able and interested in contributing to this super-cool, very fun program!