Like with nearly any other form of art, making music can sometimes be exhausting.
It requires persistence, creativity, inspiration, and, oftentimes, discipline. While all of that can be obtained independently, many still might need some help in order to take the right direction and learn musicianship faster.
That’s why lots of aspiring young musicians often pursue learning music in colleges. While many of them do provide quality education, with most students being able to become professional musicians right away, music education also has one major downside, and that’s its price.
Priced/Prized Education:
Art is oftentimes priced extremely high, and there are many reasons for that. Correspondingly, education in arts is also priced very highly. For example, studying at Berklee College costs around $45,000 per year, which is just a little bit lower than the average salary in the United States.
And while Berklee is considered to be one of the top music schools in the world, this doesn’t change the fact that getting into one of the 10 best colleges with music technology degrees is quite hard financially. Such an education is often priced too high, which might be extremely disappointing for lots of students.
Luckily, however, lots of different organizations (including the colleges themselves) provide a chance for talented and enthusiastic musicians to ease their burden. There are many different scholarships to choose from and many also give young people a chance to show their talent.
At the same time, these scholarships are of different value, from covering the tuition completely to helping students get their basic setup to start learning. Here are some of the best of them.
Top Music Scholarships:
● Berklee Merit-Based Scholarships.
It was already mentioned that Berklee is one of the most prestigious music schools. And it has correspondingly prestigious and most sought-after scholarships as well. For example, the Berklee Presidential Scholarship covers the tuition completely, with the student’s required laptop. However, only the students found to be the most talented and in the greatest financial need can be awarded this scholarship.
● John Lennon Scholarship.
Launched by Yoko Ono and Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) Foundation in 1997, the scholarship awards a total of $20,000 to any 3 students and alumni aged between 17 and 24 for the most original songs. Such an award wouldn’t cover every semester at Berklee, yet it can seriously help students with housing, setup, and some other aspects of student life at the start. At the same, earning a chance to get it is relatively easy with absolutely nothing to lose.
● National YoungArts Competition.
A government-sponsored contest for musicians has been held every year since 2002 and awards some of the most excellent and talented instrumentalists, singers, and dancers up to $10,000 to pay for the college expenses, including tuition, housing, and required equipment.
The talent is often generously rewarded and there can be lots of winners, so applying for this scholarship is definitely worth it if you’re a truly passionate performer wanting to earn a degree, after all.
● Music Teachers National Association Young Artists Performance Competition.
If you feel like you’re great with jazz or classical music, you should apply for the MTNA Competition to earn a chance to win a generous $5,000 award that you’ll be able to use to cover your tuition and other student expenses. The competition welcomes all students of brass, string, woodwind instruments, as well as piano and vocal.
● BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship.
Another award given by the BMI Foundation is given to some of the most talented jazz performers of any instrument. Judged by some jazz icons like Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter, and Ahmad Jamal, the award comprises $5,000 given to pay for college tuition and other expenses related to studying jazz and making music overall.
● Yates and Wheland Family Adversity Scholarship.
Sponsored by a private legal consultancy company, the award recognizes talented young performers, awarding them $1,000 for their initial expenses in music college. One great thing about the award is that it only requires an essay about personal experiences and aspirations, which can be easily prepared for with TopEssayWriting and some essay samples available from the best writing sites.
While not much, the reward is relatively easily obtainable and can help a lot with such expenses as housing or basic setup at the very beginning.
Talent Will Always Find a Way:
While music education can be very expensive indeed, it’s certainly no match for true talent. Requiring to demonstrate exactly that, the yearly scholarships and awards sponsored by different organizations and individuals generously help some of the greatest talents of the world to earn decent education.
If you’re into music and feel like it’s something you’d love to do professionally for the rest of your life, don’t hesitate and apply for the scholarships you see that can help you in your beginnings.
Article provided by Elizabeth Baldridge
Being extremely talented and enthusiastic, Elizabeth covers only some of the most interesting manners. Even when she doesn’t know much about them, she still goes for it with high enthusiasm. Elizabeth believes that only by exploring new frontiers, a person can truly grow.
