<p>I've heard that some liberal arts colleges award hefty scholarships to students (sometimes music majors, sometimes not necessarily) who agree to play in the band or orchestra. I see that Skidmore has such a program and I've heard that Brandeis does as well. Any others?</p>
<p>(I apologize if this has been discussed in the past - couldn't find anything with the search function.)</p>
<p>Knox does.
Univ. Puget Sound</p>
<p>Many small LACs do, especially if you play an "unusual" instrument, low brass, low winds, etc.</p>
<p>I know a euphonium player who got significant $ at Ripon College...</p>
<p>George Washington University has a $15,000 Presidential Arts Scholarship. They give at least one or two to musicians every year. You need to apply and then audition separately. My S sent in a CD for it and won one. The catch: they deduct it from any needs-based financial aid you receive so it can be a wash if you are otherwise getting money.</p>
<p>I heard of a kid (non-music major) who got significant scholarship money to play saxophone at University of Wisconsin - Lacrosse. He wasn't going to play sax in college, but the music dept asked an incoming strings major if he knew any sax players. . .</p>
<p>stradmom, it depends on how you define "significant". As others note, it is program, instrument, talent, and school need specific.</p>
<p>The main thread is here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/336764-master-list-scholarships-merit-aid.html?highlight=Master+list%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/336764-master-list-scholarships-merit-aid.html?highlight=Master+list</a></p>
<p>There's pertinent info in all.</p>
<p>^ I hit the wrong key, and posted before I had concluded my thoughts. A couple of active posters have non-music majors with music scholarships, and the amounts and qualifiers vary. There are no hard and fast generalities. The best you can do is ask the music department if info is not apparent within the department's webpages. Instrument needs and mix vary from year to year as well, so a program who went for years without a quality bassoon, euphonium, or harpist may have a glut in any given year.</p>
<p>Possibly Oberlin or Lawrence, but I suspect that the student would need extraordinary musical ability for a scholarship. And, of course, the Curtis School of Music in Philadelphia for the truly gifted musician.</p>
<p>Davidson also has a music scholarship by audition.</p>
<p>Great resources - thanks everyone.</p>
<p>Violadad, obviously I need to work on my search skills. ;-) Thanks for the links!</p>
<p>I'm one of those active posters with a non-major musician. She receives a VERY small music performance award each term, plus she gets free instrument lessons...and hour a week. Her scholarship is about $750 per year, and the lessons save us about $3000 per year. It's not much but every penny counts. That scholarship pays for her books..and not having to pay for the lessons is huge. </p>
<p>Just for the record...my kid plays the oboe/English horn...a somewhat "endangered" set of instruments. It really didn't help her in college acceptances...but her school is mighty happy to have her playing in their orchestra.</p>
<p>D won a $15,000 Presidential Arts Scholarship from GW last year in voice. She had to fill out an additional application and write an additional essay. Additional references were also required. She audtioned with I believe 2 songs--one classical, one musical theatre. There was a theory test on the day of the audition as well.</p>
<p>D also won a $15,000 Dean's merit scholarship from Brandeis University. Although it was not music based (I believe it was awarded on the basis of "academics and leadership"), I feel that her music probably separated her from other applicants. She was founder/director of an accapella group and was in all-state for voice. Both of these things interested her interviewer (who was an admissions director) and he even went to her groups website on myspace during the interview to hear the group perform. He seemed less interested in the fact that she was president of her school!</p>
<p>D also was awarded music scholarships at American University and Muhlenberg.</p>
<p>She was awarded a $10,000 talent (merit) scholarship in music from NYU (Steinhardt.) She is currently attending and is a vocal performance major with a specialization in music theatre. And is very happy!</p>
<p>thumper1 :Do yo mind sharing what college your daughter attends?</p>
<p>I just remembered that a friend's daughter is a very gifted singer. She is at Swarthmore and, while they don't award a scholarship towards tuition for music, they are very generous about lessons. She is happy with a voice teacher there, but if she wanted to, they would pay for her to take lessons outside the school (including travel - she considered a teacher in Princeton). I don't know if this is uncommon at LAC's which have small music departments, but it might be worth asking about.</p>
<p>socomom...I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>College of Wooster does as well as Lawrence University, both LACs.</p>
<p>S has been offered admission to Knox College, class of 2013, with a very generous music scholarship (approx 10% of total cost), having presented an informal jazz audition this past fall. He is awaiting the rest of his audition results and acceptances, but I mention this because I feel it shows a pretty extraordinary committment to jazz, music and the “arts in Liberal Arts.” It’s no suprise that this small school (Colleges that Change Lives pick) has a thriving arts program and a great annual jazz festival. Great place for a serious musician also seeking to become scholarly and worldly. We found lots of LAC’s “talked the talk” about wanting strong musicians, but didn’t "Walk the Walk. Knox showed us the money! More importantly, the keen interest.</p>
<p>I’m sure my story is located in one of those links violadad provided. However, here it is again:</p>
<p>My D was awarded music scholarships as a non-major from MiamiU (where she attends - ironically, as a music major after all), Denison, Furman, and St. Olaf. In addition, she was awarded good merit at Allegheny, which doesn’t offer a music-specific scholarship - but their letter implied that they were aware of her musical ability and were hoping she would be part of their orchestra. She plays violin, so it’s not particularly a “rare” instrument. 
However, I think many non-conservatory schools have a hard time getting enough quality violins to fill out an orchestra.</p>
<p>We targeted her applications toward schools that had good violin teachers, but not necessarily elite orchestras. We combed the school websites for details about who was “allowed” in the orchestra. We paid attention to “building programs” - which schools are building new music facilities or have grants to expand their programs? This info is often found in the president’s letter or newsletters. The idea is to know what D had to offer, and find a school that was actively looking for that.</p>
<p>In D’s case, we eliminated schools at both ends of the spectrum: like Rice and Indiana - that fill their orchestras with music majors. And we eliminated schools like William & Mary, who fill out their orchestra with community members (figured the music kids were too scarce there).</p>
<p>D is a good player who will probably play violin for the rest of her life - perhaps even teach in her own studio, or play with a community orchestra. However, she does not have the passionate, all-or-nothing focus of a conservatory-level student. We looked for a program that matched this middle-of-the-road interest and ability. We knew that if the school had too good of a program, D wouldn’t get money, and might not get in the orchestra at all. But if the program was too far beneath her, she would get irritated and quit.</p>
<p>binx - thank you - your D sounds eerily similar to mine, so will do our best to learn from your experience!</p>
<p>Our DD is similar to Binx’s daughter except that she is not a music major. I already posted about her college search (on this thread…I think). She is also talented, and will likely play her instruments in some way her whole life either through community orchestras or pit bands in civic theater productions. We also had to look very hard and carefully for schools that welcomed non-majors into their orchestras. To be honest, that was not easy to find. The key was DD contacted the music department chair, orchestra conductor AND private instrument teacher at EVERY college we visited…and she took sample lessons at ALL the places to which she applied. She met with one music adcom at one school, and with the orchestra directors at two others. She also met the department chairpeople at several other schools. They were very helpful…and very up front about what she could/could not do as a non-major.</p>
<p>She is a happy engineering major playing principal oboe at her small university…and is taking private weekly lessons (no charge because she is IN the orchestra…that is this school’s policy…ymmv), and gets a small scholarship each quarter for her orchestra participation. It’s perfect for her.</p>