Ad Lib. Mentoring Programme for Young Songwriters

MONTHLY MENTORING PROGRAMME
AD LIB. is a unique private community of talented young songwriters (aged 13-18) around the world, passionate about having a career in the music industry.

🎵 Welcome to Ad Lib.

The place for talented young songwriters worldwide

Tailored to the needs of talented young songwriters, Ad Lib. demystifies the music industry, explores the latest trends, and provides a springboard to launch your career. It’s the perfect opportunity to:

Advance your knowledge of the music business
Collaborate with peers and industry professionals
Build your CV with real-world experience

📅 Programme Format

When: First & third Wednesdays of each month
Time: 6:00–6:45 PM (UK time)
Where: Zoom (join from anywhere)
Structure:
- Session 1: Masterclass with a leading music industry expert
- Session 2: Mentoring session to apply what you’ve learnt
Access: Join any time; all sessions are recorded for later viewing

WHY JOIN OUR MONTHLY MENTORING PROGRAMME, AD LIB.?

Benefit from the kudos of being an Ad Lib member. An excellent achievement for your CV
Learn what’s important to know about the music industry from industry experts
Have mentoring opportunities to answer any questions and receive feedback
Gain exposure through Song Academy announcing your new song releases/gigs on our social media channels
Build connections to talented young songwriters around the world
Springboard your career and create the future you’d like in the music/creative industries

Apply Now – Ad Lib. Membership Form

❓ Topics We Explore

How the music industry works
Career paths and roles
Revenue streams for songwriters
Creating a unique artist identity
Building a fanbase and brand
Social media & promotion strategies
Copyright and legal essentials
Do you need a manager or a record deal?
Improving your music production
Gaining work experience in the industry
Finding collaborators and building a community
Personal goals: what should you focus on now?

👤 Guest Mentors & Speakers Include

Fraser T Smith
Luke Williams (Closer Artists)
Gareth Mellor (Downtown Music)
Emily Phillips
Kenny Barber (PRS for Music)
Dani Sawyerr (Universal Music Publishing)
Jodie Bryant & Clare Dove

“Defo sign up – the mentors you are able to speak to is such a great opportunity for young singer-songwriters aspiring to have a career in the music industry.”

Freddie, 16

“Do it. It’s amazing. You learn so much!!”

Madi, 17

“Being an Ad Lib. member is an incredible experience. You get to meet other young talented songwriters and explore the industry further than I ever imagined.”

Joseph, 13

“I didn’t know so many things about the industry until Ad Lib. — and I’ve made new friends too!”

Tamara, 17

✍️ How to Join

If you’re a talented songwriter aged 13–18 looking to take your musical journey to the next level, we’d love to hear from you.

Membership is by invitation or successful application
Apply anytime using the form below
Co-writing groups are age-matched for comfort and creativity

💰 Membership Options

We aim to keep Ad Lib. accessible to all talented young songwriters:

Monthly Membership: £25 per month (~£6 per week)
Annual Membership: £270 per year (£22.50 per month)

Please note: Ad Lib. is separate from the weekly Song Academy songwriting clubs, which are open to all and tailored by age and experience. Ad Lib. focuses on small-group skill development with termly performances, and many young songwriters may wish to join both.

Apply Now – Ad Lib. Membership Form

OVERVIEW OF MONTHLY PROGRAMME

Upcoming Months

June 2025

TOPIC: Distribution & Release Strategy + Campaign and Marketing Fundamentals

Charles Kirby-Welch is the CEO and founder of Kartel Music Group – Independent Global Music Services. Charles has over 20 years of experience working in the industry, launching Kartel in 2002 to provide integrated solutions for marketing, campaign management, distribution and business services. Their clients include managers, record labels and some of the world’s best emerging and established independent artists including Kiesza, Liz Lawrence, Morcheeba & Mr Bongo.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 4th June 25 with Charles Kirby-Welch

Mentoring session 18th June 25 with Natalie McCool.

July 2025

TOPIC: Music royalties & contracts

DATES:

Masterclass session: 2nd July 25

Mentoring session: 16th July 25

August 2025

Collaboration project

Previous Months

September 2024

TOPIC: Being a songwriter. Working with other songwriters, artists, musicians, producers, managers, labels etc.

Miranda Cooper is a British songwriter who has penned 4 UK number 1s with over 30 of her tracks reaching the top 10. At one point her songs spent more years on the English chart than any other female songwriter in history.

As a partner in the songwriting and production team Xenomania, Miranda found commercial success and critical acclaim writing songs for Girls Aloud and Sugababes, Pet Shop Boys, Franz Ferdinand, Kylie, Alesha Dixon and many more. 25 years on she is still celebrating success having written emerging Warner artist Griff’s debut single ‘Mirror Talk’ and multiple tracks with rising star Maisie Peters including her singles ‘John Hughes’ and ‘Elvis Song’. She has also been working with hotly tipped artists Cloves and Mae Muller.

Alongside her work in pop music Miranda has also been focusing her talents on writing musicals.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 11th September with Miranda Cooper.

Mentoring session: 18th September with Natalie McCool.

October 2024

TOPIC: Creating production concepts for different artists’ song briefs

Sophie Ackroyd is a London based songwriter and producer. Her music has been played on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 6, featured in TV shows on the BBC & ABC network’s Grey’s Anatomy, chosen for Universal Production Music’s ‘100% Her’ album and has been a mainstay in Spotify’s editorial New Pop UK playlist for the past few years – with the majority of her releases also being added to New Music Friday both domestically & around the world.

Sophie is continuously working with some of the industry’s most up-and-coming artists and writers and has played an integral role in the development of new talent such as Kings Elliot, RØRY and Beth Mccarthy. She is currently working with artists such as India Parkman, lleo, Grace Grundy and Natalie Shay to name a few.

In 2020 she was resident at Spotify’s Songwriting Studio for 6 months, working out of Metropolis Studios. With Spotify, she engineered for Future Cut, Trakgirl, Nina Nesbitt, Plested and many more.

DATES:

Masterclass session with Sophie Ackroyd: 2nd October 24 at 6pm

Live event: 7th October 24, YouTube Music x Song Academy Young Songwriter event at YouTube Studios, Google Headquarters, Kings Cross, London

Mentoring session: 16th October 24 with Natalie McCool at 6pm

November 2024

TOPIC: Songwriting for different projects, how to create your own success

Dan Haggis is the drummer with English rock band The Wombats and an exceptional songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He’s 1/2 of the band Sunship Ballon and has his own solo artist venture.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 6th November 24 with Dan Haggis at 6pm

Mentoring session: 20th November 24 with Natalie McCool at 6pm

December 2024

TOPIC: Writing in different genres, developing your musical identity

Hannah V is a pioneer in a new generation of entrepreneurial female producer/songwriters. She has worked with some of the world’s most in demand major label artists including Stormzy, TOBi and JP Cooper.

After producing and co-writing tracks for JP Cooper’s Top 10 album Raised Under Grey Skies (Island Records) in 2017, Hannah scored her first Gold certified album and now continues to regularly produce tracks for JP Cooper.

Other writing and production credits include five-time GRAMMY-winning Lalah Hathaway, Yola, Misha B, Shystie and MOBO nominated artist Andreya Triana. Hannah was appointed to the Ivors Academy Songwriting Committee in 2020.

Alongside her undeniable skills as a songwriter and producer Hannah has balanced a stunning performance career. Her performances included playing stadiums and arena tours with Rihanna, Jessie J, Eminem, Lalah Hathaway, Jason Derulo, Taio Cruz and Anastasia.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 27th November 24 with Hannah V at 6pm

Mentoring session: 18th December 24 with Natalie McCool at 6pm

January 2025

TOPIC: Top tips on sound engineering – what quality should you be aiming for? Some useful techniques.

Charlie Thomas is a London-based Producer, Songwriter, and Mixer who has been involved in both Brit and Grammy nominated projects. Charlie Thomas is a resident at The Kinks-owned studio, Konk, in North London, where he has a writing and production studio above the main Neve room.

His current credits include Myles Smith, Jax Jones, Kygo, Calum Scott, Lost Frequencies, James TW, James Bay, Sam Fischer and more…

Charlie cut his teeth as the in-house engineer at the Pink Floyd-owned Britannia Row Studios in West London. While at Brit Row, Charlie worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Pink Floyd, One Direction, Paul McCartney, London Grammar, Ella Henderson, Anna Calvi, Little Mix, 5SOS, Adele, Ed Sheeran and more.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 8th January 25

Mentoring session 22nd January 25 with Natalie McCool

February 2025

TOPIC: Creating engaging social media content

Ines Rae is a super talented songwriter singer, live artist, content creator, marketeer, editor and videographer.

Ines Rae has rapidly surfaced as one of the most exciting young UK pop artists of the moment. The 22-year-old has gathered huge support from BBC Radio 1, as well as Spotify, appearing on multiple editorial playlists including New Music Friday UK and New Pop UK. Ines has also featured in Clash, Notion, and Wonderland, and has appeared in Line of Best Fit’s “Song of The Day”.

Ines has also become a social media star with millions of views worldwide across TikTok and Instagram. She has received comments from the likes of Khloe Kardashian, and her content has been broadcast on national television by BBC’s ‘The One Show’.

Although still early in her music career, Ines Rae has already worked with the likes of Bastille and Fickle Friends, and has written alongside prolific songwriters including Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, One Direction) and Adam Rust (Little Mix, Becky Hill, Nathan Dawe). Ines also worked alongside the award-winning artist and producer Shura on a remix of ‘Never Get It Right’ which featured on the official soundtrack for the Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominated Netflix series Emily In Paris.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 5th February 25 with Ines Rae

Mentoring session 19th February 25 with Natalie McCool

March 2025

TOPIC: Skills and experience needed to get ahead in the music industry

John Dawkins is one of the founders of the music management company Various Artists, with offices in both London and Los Angeles.

Over the years John has managed some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Charli XCX, Spice Girl Melanie C, and Tom Grennan.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 5th March 25

Mentoring session: 19th March 25 with Natalie McCool

April 2025

TOPIC: Creating your own opportunities and putting on live events

Abbie McCarthy is an award-winning TV/Radio presenter & DJ, you’ll find her hosting BBC Music Introducing in Kent on the airwaves every Saturday night and also bringing great new music & fun interviews to your TV screens on E4 Extra & The Box Network with Fresh This Month. Abbie has been highlighted by the Radio Academy as one of the brightest young stars in radio, recently featuring in their esteemed 30 under 30 list and winning Silver for Best Music Presenter at the ARIAs 2020.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 2nd April 25 with Abbie McCarthy at 6pm

Mentoring session: 16th April 25 with Natalie McCool at 6pm

May 2025

TOPIC: Listening Party!

Honor is a new music presenter and producer and freelances across Radio 1, BBC Introducing, 1Xtra and BBC Sounds. She’s also the curator and presenter of a new music night in London called ‘Good Vibes Only’.

DATES:

Masterclass session: 7th May 25 with Honor Morrison

Mentoring Session: 21st May 25

Apply Now – Ad Lib. Membership Form

MONTHLY MENTORING PROGRAMME

🎵 Welcome to Ad Lib.

The place for talented young songwriters worldwide

📅 Programme Format

WHY JOIN OUR MONTHLY MENTORING PROGRAMME, AD LIB.?

❓ Topics We Explore

👤 Guest Mentors & Speakers Include

✍️ How to Join

💰 Membership Options

OVERVIEW OF MONTHLY PROGRAMME

Upcoming Months

Previous Months

GET LATEST NEWS FIRST. JOIN OUR MAILING LIST.

Our Services

Learn More

Legal

Our Sponsors