Music Performance Scholarships Reward Talent, Practice
Just about everyone picks up an instrument at some point in their early education. Maybe it's a toy tambourine in kindergarten, a recorder in third grade or piano lessons after school.
For many students, that experience is the beginning of a lifelong passion for music. And if you're a high school or college musician, you know how deep that passion runs. And fortunately, whether you're a band geek, a church organist or a garage guitar player, you can use your talent with musical instruments to find scholarships.
It's important to keep a couple things in mind before you start seeking music scholarships. First, check the scholarship criteria to see if recipients are required to pursue a specific major. Many awards are available to musicians no matter what their field of study, but others are open only to music performance or music education majors, so spend your application time accordingly.
[Find scholarships that reward performing arts students.]
Second, know that scholarship applications will sometimes come with a fee. Ordinarily, we advise students to be wary of any fees associated with scholarships, but they're sometimes a necessary evil when it comes to music scholarships.
Unlike typical scholarship programs, awards for musicians often require live auditions, accompanists, performance space rentals and professional judges who spend several days listening to submissions, and your fees are generally used to pay for these extra necessities. It's still good to be careful, but don't look at application costs as a deal breaker.
One program where a $35 application fee can pay off with a big award is the Sphinx Competition, aimed at young black and Latino string players , which awards almost $100,000 to its six annual winners along with the chance to perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and other national orchestras.
Violinists, violists, cellists and bassists can enter in the junior -- ages 17 and under -- or senior -- ages 18-26 -- division from now through Nov. 11. The video audition process is arduous, so get started early.
[Check out these additional scholarships for aspiring music majors.]
String players should also be aware of the Strings magazine Edith Eisler Scholarship Award. One college player who demonstrates financial need will earn this $3,000 award. Applications are open through May 15, 2015.
If drums and percussion are more your thing, don't miss out on the Kerope Zildjian Concert Percussion Scholarship. Sponsored by the well-known cymbal manufacturer, the program asks applicants to record snare drum and cymbal etudes and a marimba solo.
In addition to the $5,000 tuition award, the scholarship recipient also gets a trip to the Zildjian factory and the chance to hand-select complimentary cymbals. Applications are currently closed, but the deadline is usually in May.
The Percussive Arts Society also provides percussion awards. In addition to general scholarships, the organization provides instrument-specific scholarships for drum set, timpani, vibraphone and more. Applications for all awards will be available in November.
[Learn how to use your talents to earn money for college.]
Thousands of drummers and wind instrument players devote their summers to marching in competitive drum corps. If you're a corps member and a college student, your summer fun can turn into scholarships. Drum Corps International's Friends of DCI Foundation offers two $2,000 scholarships to marching students with any major.
Applications in recent years have opened in April and closed in mid-May. In addition, the Sponsors of Musical Enrichment provide the $3,000 Jim Ott Scholarship for corps members majoring in music.
Finally, if you're an instrumental performance major, no matter what instrument you play, you should check out the Blackwood Theater Organ Society Scholarship.
The society was established to help preserve classic pipe organs from silent movie theaters, and proceeds from their annual concert series go to fund scholarships worth $3,000 to $5,000. The application process is open to all performance majors and requires a live interview and performance in the Pittsburgh area. The extra effort is worth it to participate in this unique program.
These regional and national scholarships for instrumental music are just the tip of the iceberg, and we encourage you to check with your band director, orchestra conductor and your college's music department or school of music for more options.
Matt Konrad has been with Scholarship America since 2005. He is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota and a former scholarship recipient.
