Brandi
What kind of scholarships are available for music students?
I've been in marching band and show choir 2 years and advanced concert choir a year. I also plan to be apart of 4-8 musical theater productions as well at my high school. Im a sophomore in high school and plan to take music theory class my junior or senior year and am on track to letter in music. My main college degree would be clinical psychology but I love music and want some sort of degree in it so I can use it for my "dream job" which would incorporate both degrees. I would be paying for lots of my schooling myself and am interested what kind of scholarships I can get for my musical involvement?
#music #scholarships #musiceducation
2 answers
Judeanne Armenti
Judeanne’s Answer
Hi Brandi!
Finding scholarships is not easy but it can be done. Let me say this first, if you are not already aware, every January, starting in your senior year of high school, you'll need to file a FASA form. It is the road map to all financial aide. (https://fafsa.ed.gov/) Next, try websites like this one, FastWeb... https://www.fastweb.com/. There is Scholly, which is available as an app. https://myscholly.com/
These will get you started.
I suggest you visit the financial aid office of any school you want to attend to discuss the possibilities of scholarship. See, your future school will get copies of your FASA form and, from that, they will be able to consider you for scholarships only available through the school. Alumni most often provide these scholarship. I would not have been able to finish my degree without an alumni who paid the $250 balance on my tuition one semester. I was very poor but the chair of my music department liked me and selected me to receive this scholarship so I could finish my degree. The point to this story is, even if you don't find something to apply for before you start school, if you build a relationship with administrators and faculty, they will, 95% of the time, go out of their way to help you with financial aide.
I hope this was helpful.
Best of luck to you!
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Paul Bordenkircher
Paul’s Answer
Most scholarships in music are for performance majors, and can even be based on the instrument you play. Beyond that, the available scholarships will heavily depend on the school, or state, where you plan to attend.
Other scholarships may be available, but most others you'll qualify for will probably be related to your high school GPA.
Another possibility is community groups you or your family are current members. Things like the Rotary, the Lions Club, VFW and others have scholarship programs you could look into.
Then there's always the chance of other, more highly specialized scholarships. For example, if you're of Native American heritage, you may find scholarships related to continuing the tradition of Native American music, something like that.
Hope that helps.