Welcome to our communal listening room.

Take It to the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You includes 16 of the most successful songwriting assignments that Steve has presented to his Old Town School of Folk Music classes. Each covers at least one of the five key aspects of songwriting: form, lyrics, harmony (chords), melody and rhythm. These exercises have led to some wonderful songs — and we know they’ll inspire many more.

You should turn to the book for the assignments’ complete texts and explanations, but here is where you can listen to and share the songs that spring from them. We’ve created a page for each assignment and encourage you to interact: Listen to the songs that have been posted, add your own songs that result from these assignments, and offer the kind of constructive comments that you might make if you were sitting face-to-face with the musicians putting themselves on the artistic line.

We can’t wait to hear all you have to say and play.