From the classroom to the stage of Caffe Lena

One of the more unique benefits of attending school at Skidmore College is the campus’s proximity to the longest continuously running folk music venue and coffeehouse in the United States. Nestled next to a chicken shack in downtown Saratoga Springs, Caffe Lena has hosted some of America’s most renowned songwriters; Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan, award-winning creator of the Broadway musical “Hadestown” Anaïs Mitchell, and folk legends Arlo Guthrie and Don McLean are just a few of those who have played there. Thanks to a course taught by Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Joel Brown, Skidmore’s talented student songwriters are earning college credit as they take the stage there, too.  

When Professor Brown, an acclaimed classical guitarist who has been at Skidmore for nearly four decades, was approached about teaching a songwriting course, his intention was to create a supportive environment where everyone could share their work and exchange feedback. At the end of each semester, the students perform the original songs they wrote for class to an audience for the first time at Caffe Lena.  

Charles DeVos ’25, a psychology major and music minor from Litchfield, Connecticut, decided to take Professor Brown's Songwriting Workshop because he’d heard so many great things about it on campus. Charles primarily plays piano but also sings and says he “dabbles” in harmonica, ukulele, and drums. Though he has written music his whole life, he started taking songwriting seriously in his senior year of high school and saw the class as a perfect opportunity to grow his talent.  

I think the biggest thing I learned about myself as a songwriter (this semester) is that I often doubt myself without even knowing it; the workshop has really helped me get more confident in my songwriting and my singing.

Charles Devos '25

Each week, the small group of students (each class only has about six or seven seats) is given a new theme, such as love, food, or time. They are instructed to write songs based on the prompt and then present their work in class, where their classmates offer advice and constructive criticism. 

Sarah Libov ’24, a business major from Ridgewood, New Jersey, initially decided to take the songwriting class as a way to engage academically with a longtime hobby; she had been writing songs since she was 14 years old. “I was very interested and excited about the opportunity, especially given how strong the Music Department is here,” she said.  

Sarah remarked that partnering to write songs with classmates was one of her favorite parts of the class, since it gives students a chance to branch out and combine styles with someone else. “Co-written songs are typically some of the best to come from the semester — the energy of two people writing together tends to create something really special.”  

She expressed how beneficial the workshop format of the class has been to her learning. “One week I came to class with a verse of a song I ended up finishing and playing at our show. My classmate suggested I incorporate the words ‘passenger seat’ into the song. When I went to finish the song later that week, the phrase fit right in, and I ended up putting it in the first line of the chorus,” Sarah explained. 

The November performance at Caffe Lena went “amazingly,” as expected. Sarah noted, “I was so excited to see the different ways that everyone grew this semester, and I had a deep connection to each of the songs I created, so I had a great time performing them onstage. Despite this being my third time taking the class, this show has been my favorite.”  

Charles echoed Sarah’s sentiment. “It was so much fun! Everybody played so well and had a wonderful time,” he said. 

Professor Brown explained that the end-of-the-semester performance is a big part of what makes the class so fruitful.

Caffe Lena is a nationally known venue; it has a rich history of presenting some of the very best songwriters. Knowing that we are going to have the privilege of presenting our work there makes everyone take their songwriting much more seriously.

Joel Brown, Distinguished Artist-in-Residence

Teaching the class has had a positive impact on Professor Brown, too. “It’s really great to hear what my class is thinking about when it comes to some of our topics,” he said. “Time is a great example of an area where our perspectives differ. But I’ve also learned to recognize the uniqueness of each student through the ways that they express themselves.” 

This class has proven to be successful over its short lifespan — in large part due to the community of respect and support it fosters for its students. Evidence of the students’ dedication to their classmates can be seen in their commitment to the Caffe Lena performance; this year, it occurred on the second day as Skidmania, a beloved Skidmore musical tradition. Professor Brown and several students in the course, including Charles, performed at both events.  

Students in Skidmore’s Small Jazz Ensemble program, coordinated by saxophonist and Associate Professor of Music Russell Haight, also perform at the historic venue, which hosts an eclectic range of other musical genres in addition to folk. This year’s jazz concert took place the day after the songwriters’ concert.  

In addition to Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs is home to other celebrated cultural venues, including the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and Universal Preservation Hall; Skidmore students have partnered with both. Skidmore is also home to the acclaimed Arthur Zankel Music Center, home to Skidmore’s acclaimed Music Department.