Brian Schriner, Dean of FIU College of Architecture + The Arts, is proud to announce the College has partnered with the New York, Los Angeles, and Miami offices of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) to offer a two-day songwriting workshop open to all currently enrolled FIU students and alumni. The workshop will be led by three of Miami’s leading bilingual songwriters along with industry veteran Karl Avanzini facilitating the workshop at the Miami Beach Urban Studios Gallery on November 3 and 4.
“The partnership provides our students with yet another opportunity to work alongside distinguished songwriters, composers, and producers,” stated Dean Schriner.
The intensive, tuition-free workshop will be offered in Spanish and English is designed to focus on the development and education of promising new songwriters. As part of the collaboration, a panel of artist-faculty from the FIU School of Music will select six aspiring student musicians to partake in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The panel will include the Director of Music Business and Music Management Programs Karen Fuller and Director of the Jazz Vocal Program Lisanne Lyons.
Chosen participants will have an opportunity to work collectively and privately with professional songwriters to develop original works as well as participate in a music business seminar which will cover areas such as marketing, copyright, and publishing. This year’s workshop will be led by Latin Grammy winners Yoel Henriquez and Fernando Osorio, along with Latin pop hitmaker Jorge Luís Piloto.
According to Interim Director of FIU School of Music Dr. William Hipp, “Miami has long been a fertile ground for songwriters and the recording industry, and ASCAP’s commitment demonstrates very special support for the next generation of hit-makers.”
The workshop will conclude with a private reception in the Miami Beach Urban Studios Main Gallery, where the students will perform their new works for music producers and invited guests. Afterwards, each student will receive a Certificate of Completion.
How to apply: Writers interested in applying to the ASCAP/FIU Spanish Music Songwriters Workshop should submit the following information electronically to music@fiu.edu; Panther I.D. (if current student), a brief biography including address, phone number, and e-mail address, and MP3s of two (2) original songs (in Spanish) with lyric sheets. The subject line must include: “ASCAP Songwriting Workshop.” If selected, participants must be able to attend all sessions at the FIU College of Architecture + The Arts | Miami Beach Urban Studios on 420 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL. The submission deadline has been extended to October 24th.
For any questions, contact Karen Fuller at fullerk@fiu.edu.
About Karl Avanzini
Karl Avanzini has been the Director of Creative Affairs, Latin Membership East Coast at ASCAP for over a decade. He is responsible for signing most of ASCAP’s successful songwriters and has served as panelist, creator, and educator in the music industry. He is well-known for his artist showcases during the Billboard Latin Awards including Enrique Iglesias, Kany Garcia, LENA, Debi Nova, Nahuel, Daniel Santacruz, Victor Manuelle, and many others.
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 500,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers of every kind of music. Through agreements with affiliated international societies, ASCAP also represents hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide. ASCAP is the only US performing rights organization created and controlled by composers, songwriters and music publishers, with a Board of Directors elected by and from members.
ASCAP is home to the greatest names in American music, past and present — from Duke Ellington to Katy Perry, from George Gershwin to Jay-Z, from Leonard Bernstein to Beyoncé, from Marc Anthony to Alan Jackson, from Henry Mancini to Hans Zimmer — as well as many thousands of writers in the earlier stages of their careers across the entire musical spectrum. Members are individuals who make their living writing music. There are many steps between creation and compensation; a music creator is like a small business, and ASCAP exists to ensure members are paid promptly and fairly when their compositions are performed publicly.
