The ASCAP Foundation Workshops
The ASCAP Foundation Harry Chapin Songwriters Workshop
The ASCAP Foundation Harry Chapin Workshop focuses on the discovery, development and education of a hand selected, advanced group of east coast based contemporary pop and rock songwriters, artists and producers. Those who are chosen for the workshop will have the chance to speak with and learn from hit songwriters and industry professionals, and the opportunity to refine and enhance their work with the contribution and guidance of these experienced mentors. Participants will also receive feedback on songs from their peers, collaborate on a new song, and form relationships that will long outlive the workshop.
The workshop will be held virtually across three intimate online sessions and chosen participants are required to attend all online sessions with a reliable internet connection. There is no fee to participate in the workshop.
When: This workshop will be held virtually on October 16, 23, and 30, 2025.
Two participants from this year's Harry Chapin Workshop will be selected for The ASCAP Foundation Robert Allen Award. Click here to read the official rules and regulations for the award.
How to Apply: Please fill out the online application by 11:59pm ET on Monday, October 6, 2025 at: www.ascapfoundation.org/chapinworkshop. Selected applicants will be notified by 11:59pm ET on October 10, 2025.
About Harry Chapin: Harry Chapin, who made an indelible mark on the world with his musical storytelling, was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger. Known for his hit songs including "Taxi," "W*O*L*D" and the #1 hit "Cat's in the Cradle," (co-written with his wife Sandy), Harry Chapin performed more than 250 concerts every year, and donated the proceeds for half of them to charity. He successfully lobbied Congress and President Carter to form a Presidential Commission on Domestic and International Hunger and Malnutrition, actively serving as a member of the commission. The workshop is funded through the generosity of Sandy Chapin to honor the memory of her late husband.
The ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Songwriters Workshop
About the Workshop: The ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Songwriters Workshop is an experience designed to immerse participants in the Los Angeles Pop/Rock songwriting community. It will provide participating writers and producers the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and hone their craft through both mentorship and collaboration. Those chosen for the program will attend an orientation followed by a series of live panels and feedback sessions with established industry professionals from all branches of the LA music industry.
In addition, all 14 participants (7 writers and 7 producer writers) will be paired off to create and develop a commercially viable demo for feedback from top label and publisher A&Rs. While the workshop is geared toward advanced Pop/Rock songwriters with prior cowriting experience, all writers and producers are encouraged to apply.
Two songwriters who participate in this year's Harold Adamson Workshop will be presented with The ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Lyric Award. Click here to read the official rules and regulations for the award.
When: The workshop will be held in-person in Los Angeles during the week of October 20th, culminating in a final listening party and A&R critique. All sessions will be held during the day and will not be scheduled for the weekend. Writers and producers chosen to participate in the workshop are asked to attend all discussions and are expected to set aside additional time to write & record with their assigned workshop partner.
How to Apply: Fill out the online application by 11:59pm PST by Friday, October 6, 2025: www.ascapfoundation.org/adamsonworkshop
There is no fee to participate, and attendees must be able to attend all sessions. Selected applicants will be notified by Friday, October 10, 2025.
Applicants must be an ASCAP member or unaffiliated with a Performing Rights Organization to apply.
This workshop is made possible through funding by The ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Fund.
About Harold Adamson: Harold Adamson was the great lyricist behind the classic songs "Time on My Hands" and "An Affair to Remember" as well as contributing music to many Broadway shows and movies including Smiles, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Around the World in 80 Days. Mr. Adamson received five Academy Award nominations and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
The ASCAP Foundation Christian Music Songwriters Workshop
Want to sharpen your creative skills for writing a Christian song for radio or for the church worship service? Join hit songwriter Jess Cates as he discusses the foundational pillars of creativity, the art of collaboration and the songwriting and production process that will help take your songs to the next level. The 2025 ASCAP Foundation Christian Workshop will give Christian music songwriters the opportunity to not only ask Jess about his craft and hear his inspiring stories relating to his journey in the music business, but also share one song with Jess and the participants with the goal of improving skills and networking with other songwriters.
There is no fee to participate. Selected applicants will be notified by 11:59 p.m. CT on October 10, 2025.
This is an in person workshop and participants are required to attend the entire workshop.
**You must be a current writer member of ASCAP or unaffiliated with a PRO.**
How to apply: Please fill out the online application at www.ascapfoundation.org/christianworkshop by 11:59 p.m. CT on October 6, 2025.
When: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. CT
Where: Nashville, Tennessee. If selected, participants must be able to attend the session in person.
About Jess Cates
Jess is a professional songwriter with over 100 songs recorded, including the Backstreet Boys worldwide hit, “Incomplete,” and Nick Lachey’s top 5 song, “What’s Left Of Me.” He is also a writer on David Archuleta’s debut hit single, “Crush,” and Martina McBride's grammy-nominated song, "I Just Call You Mine.”
His heart and passion for worship music has lead him to write some of the top worship songs in the industry; such as Chris Tomlin's "Even So Come," Bethel Music's "Reign Above It All," and Mandisa's "You Keep Hope Alive." Jess also has cuts with various other artists, including One Republic, Jonas Brothers, Vertical Worship, Jesus Culture, Passion, Elevation Worship, Danny Gokey, Jeremy Camp, Jordan Sparks, Leona Lewis, Ben Rector, LeAnn Rimes, Jon Reddick and many more.
In the Film/TV world, Jess has had placements with Hyundai, Mini Cooper, Fortnite, Samsung, Hulu, Starz, The Super Bowl, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance?, America’s Got Talent, Quantico, TLC, HGTV, ESPN, Amazon and many more.
Recently, Cates wrote on “The Lord Will Provide” from Passion, TobyMac’s album title track, “Heaven On My Mind,” and Chris Tomlin’s new single, “How Good It Is".”
The ASCAP Foundation Country Workshop
The 2025 ASCAP Foundation Country Songwriting Workshop will be led by chart-topping country music songwriter Jamie Moore for one session focused on the development and education of promising songwriters. Participants will explore the craft of songwriting, song structure and creative collaboration, and get an overview of the music industry.
There is no fee to participate. Selected applicants will be notified by October 10.
**You must be a current writer member of ASCAP or unaffiliated with a PRO.**
How to Apply: Submit an application at www.ascapfoundation.org/countryworkshop by October 6 at 11:59 pm CT.
When: October 15, 2025
Where: Nashville, Tennessee. If selected, participants must be able to attend the session in person.
About Jamie Moore: Jamie Moore is a 3 time Grammy nominated songwriter and producer from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Jamie honed his craft as a multi-instrumentalist and soon after he arrived in Nashville, began rising to the top of Nashville’s songwriting community. He has a catalog of multi-genre hits and songs recorded by an impressive list of artists such as Toby Mac, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGraw. Jamie is also an elected board member of NSAI and has received the NSAI Honors award for One Of The Top “Songs I Wish I Had Written’ for “Chasin You“ by Morgan Wallen.
ASCAP Urban Team & ASCAP Foundation Present: The Collective, an ASCAP Songwriting Workshop
The Collective workshop focuses on the discovery, development, and education of a select group of songwriters and producers. The workshop features prominent music industry professionals as mentors, leading a creative discussion about the art of songwriting.
This year's workshop will also award selected participants with the Harold Adamson Lyric Award.
There is no fee to participate in the workshop; however, chosen participants must be able to attend all workshop sessions and have access to a reliable internet connection.
Writers and producers chosen to participate in the workshop are asked to attend all discussions and are expected to set aside additional time to write & record with their team members.
**You must be a current writer member of ASCAP or unaffiliated with a PRO.**
When: The workshop will be held virtually on November 6 and November 20, 2025. Writers and producers chosen to participate in the workshop are asked to attend all virtual discussions and are expected to set aside additional time to write & record with their team members. This workshop is made possible through funding by The ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Fund.
How to Apply: Submit an application at www.ascapfoundation.org/collectiveworkshop by 11:59pm PT on Monday, October 6, 2025, and selected workshop participants will be notified on Friday, October 17, 2025.
This workshop is made possible through funding by The ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Fund.
About Harold Adamson: Harold Adamson was the great lyricist behind the classic songs "Time on My Hands" and "An Affair to Remember" as well as contributing music to many Broadway shows and movies including Smiles, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Around the World in 80 Days. Mr. Adamson received five Academy Award nominations and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist Workshop
Musical theatre creators have the chance of a lifetime to workshop their new musicals at the 2025 ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist Workshop. The workshop will take place in person in Los Angeles on May 6, 2025, and sessions will be open to the public
Applicants nominated to participate will present 40 minutes of their musical and participate in a discussion with Stephen Schwartz and other panelists.
Read the official rules for The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist Workshop.
We are not accepting applications at this time. Stay tuned for more info in Spring 2026.
The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop
Aspiring musical theatre creators have the chance of a lifetime to workshop their new musicals at the 2026 ASCAP Foundation LA Musical Theatre Workshop. The workshop will take place in Los Angeles from May 11-13, 2026, and sessions will be open to the public. The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2026.
Applicants selected to participate will present and receive feedback on their original musical works-in-progress from a panel of composers, producers, and librettists.
How to Apply:
To be considered for the workshop, eligible Entrants must submit the following (the “Submission Materials”):
1. Biographical information and headshots for each composer, lyricist, and book writer;
2. A brief synopsis of the musical;
3. Four (4) original songs from a musical composed by Entrant(s);
4. Lyrics sheets for each of the songs to be submitted; and
5. A brief description of the placement of each song.
All Submission Materials must be uploaded using the following link:
https://www.ascapfoundation.org/programs/awards/la-musical-theatre-workshop/application
Files containing Submission Materials should be labeled with the first and last name of the Entrant(s) for identification purposes. Please do not upload submissions in a .zip format.
Submissions will not be considered if they are (a) incomplete (e.g., missing one or more Submission Materials), (b) not identifiable to specific Entrant(s), or (c) received after the application deadline.
Up to four (4) musicals will be selected for the workshop. Those invited to attend the workshop will receive an email invitation by Friday, April 3, 2026.
Workshop Rules:
By uploading Submission Materials for this workshop, all Entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules.
The ASCAP Foundation Film Scoring Workshop
Supported by The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund, Vanacore Music and the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund
Sponsored by Local 802
Directed by Alex Steyermark (Columbia faculty; director, The 78 Project, One Last Thing, Prey for Rock & Roll; music supervisor for directors Ang Lee, Spike Lee, etc.), this workshop takes place during the spring semester at Columbia University, New York City, culminating at the annual Columbia Film School Film Festival.
Columbia University Film School opens the workshop to 65 graduate film school students who have the opportunity to submit their films. Four or five films, approximately 10-20 minutes in length, will be selected. ASCAP will curate a list of East Coast-based film composers who will submit to be hired by the selected filmmakers.
Steyermark will walk the filmmaker through the process of looking at the film with music in mind, determining how they envision the music in their film, and making an appropriate selection of film composer. He will then guide each filmmaker-composer pair through the process of spotting the film, mocking up the score, and the director-composer collaboration. He will prepare the directors and composers for a studio recording and mixing session with 11 players.
Each of these films will be submitted to the annual Columbia University Film School Film Festival, for screenings in NYC and LA.
We are not accepting applications at this time. Stay tuned for more info in Fall 2025.
The ASCAP Foundation Concert Music Workshops
Programs Administered by ASCAP's Concert Music Department
The ASCAP Foundation Concert Music Workshops target areas of interest to the membership and are presented in New York and, from time to time, other locations where ASCAP Concert members reside.
Dates: Please refer to the Events Calendar on ASCAP's website: www.ascap.com/calendar.