Across the country, in different chapters, teenagers with chronic illnesses are making themselves a spot in music. Hear Your Song (HYS) is a non-profit organization that allows these young voices to write and create music through mentorship and collaboration. In their short six year lifespan, they have created over 1,000 songs by more than 800 youth songwriters.

HYS first beginnings came in 2014 from Yale University students Dan Rubins and Rebecca Brudner. A group of students from the university collaborated with pediatric patients at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center in Yonkers. They wrote and recorded three songs, “The Cow Dances With Her Arms,” “A Warm Place,” and “Simba And I Are Not Friends (Just Kidding!)”

The organization later expanded across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapters expanded to other universities, including Arizona State University, Wellesley College, and CUNY Hunter College. These chapters usually have students providing mentorship and partnering with local children’s hospitals.

Besides the college chapters, some volunteers are doctors from NYU Langone, New York Presbyterian, Brooklyn Methodist Children’s Hospital, and more. Composers and musicians also volunteer to help the youth songwriters bring their songs to life in professional recording studios.

For the first time ever, HYS is initiating its two-day Camp Hear Your Song program for 2026. Prior to this, most of the young participants have only been a part of HYS virtually. For most of them, this is the first time they’ll ever get to meet their peers and mentors in-person. Close to 12 students will be coming from seven states across the country to be a part of this special weekend.

The two-day Camp Hear Your Song will take place on August 15 and August 16 at BerkleeNYC’s Power Station recording studio. The first day will have a songwriting workshop that will later turn into production and recording sessions. The second day will feature a showcase to present every student’s work and music journey.

HYS serves to amplify and empower children and teens through the process of music making. Whether they want to write, sing, or produce the music themselves, HYS has helped its students to be creative and not let their illnesses define who they can be. To make it accessible to all, HYS makes all of their programming free of charge.

Hear Your Song currently posts the music made by their youth songwriters on their YouTube channel. You can take a listen to some of the songs created by the kids, which range in lyrical content about living with sickle cell to true love.

Camp Hear Your Song: The Most Inspiring Recording Session Happening in America

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