How Freedom Sings USA transforms veterans’ stories into music

By Laura Michaud and Melissa G. Wilson

The phone rang in the middle of the night.

On the other end, a veteran’s voice, raw, quiet, alive. “Brother,” he said, “you just saved my life. I had the gun in my hand, finger on the trigger. Then I laid my gun down and listened to my song one more time. I just wanted to call and say thank you.”

That phone call is just one reason why Freedom Sings USA exists. On May 28th, in honor of our country’s 250th anniversary, the Encore Center for Performing Arts (ECPA) presents an Intimate Series program that utilizes music as a form of therapy – offering relief and healing to veterans carrying invisible scars such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety while they served our country or transitioned to civilian life.

During a powerful and unique one-day experience, Grammy-nominated songwriters from Freedom Sings USA meet one-on-one with local veterans, turning deeply personal stories, often shared for the first time, into original songs. By evening, those songs are performed at the Elmhurst American Legion. What began as a memory in the morning becomes something real, heard and felt by night.

This concert is not a typical performance. It is intimate, reflective, and deeply human. The songwriter performs each piece, sharing the story behind its creation and the collaboration that made it possible. The room often falls completely still as audiences lean in, listening not just to music, but to healing.

Why songwriting? Because music can express what words alone often cannot. A single lyric can unlock a memory.
A melody can carry emotion where conversation falls short. And when a veteran hears their own story reflected back through song, it can be profoundly healing. It’s not unusual for tears to flow and for the community to gain a deeper understanding of the sacrifices our veterans make for all of us. As co-founder songwriter for Freedom Sings USA, who has written songs for Elton John and Reba McIntyre, to name a few, Don Goodman says, “Music is good medicine.”  Don recalls a moment when a veteran’s young son approached him after a performance and said, “Now I know why my daddy cries sometimes.” That is the impact of this program: connection, understanding, and compassion.

“Bringing this program to the community during Memorial Day week feels especially meaningful,” says ECPA President Mark George. “It reminds us that honoring service goes beyond ceremonies. It means listening and creating space for stories that might otherwise go untold.”

Because long after the uniforms are put away, many veterans continue to carry invisible scars such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety that can make civilian life a battlefield of its own. Programs like this don’t erase those struggles, but they do offer something just as vital: connection, expression, and hope.

And sometimes, as one late-night phone call proved, a song can do more than tell a story. It can save a life.

Tickets for ECPA’s impactful Intimate Series with Freedom Sings USA can be found at EncoreCenterForPerformingArts.org

About the Authors:

Laura Michaud

Melissa G. Wilson

Laura Michaud is a founding member of the Encore Center for Performing Arts and Stage 773.
For more information visit EncoreCenterforPerformingArts.org

Melissa G. Wilson is a performing arts enthusiast, author, and renowned networker.