Music Scholarships
Finding Music Scholarships
Browse the list below to see the many scholarships available to music students. Music scholarships can come unusual scholarship sources, including music competitions, which are often not well-known.
People study music for different reasons. Whether you want to work in the entertainment industry, be a performer, or go into the recording field, with a degree in music, you will be able to go into almost any career in the music business. Performance, composition, teaching, business work, and production are all related careers. A degree in pure music will give you the widest options. However, if you're sure you want to go into a certain field, take coursework in that specific area.
List of Music Scholarships
| Scholarship & Link | Organization | Application Deadline | Award Amount | Notes |
| Broadcast Music Incorporated Student Composer Awards | Broadcast Music Incorporated | Febraury 15 | $500 - $5000 | The BMI Student Composer Awards is a competition for young composers of classical music. Founded in 1951, the competition has become one of the most coveted and prestigious awards for young composers in the Western Hemisphere. |
| The Joseph and Vivian Steele Scholarships for Architecture and Music | The Foundation for Enhancing Communities | 15-Jan | $1,000 - $4,000 | This fund provides scholarships to students of serious classical music in the fields of composition, composition/teaching, performance and performance/teaching who are pursuing or intend to pursue their education at an accredited post-secondary institution. |
| Jim Ott Scholarship | Sponsors of Musical Enrichment | See website | $3,000 | The Jim Ott Scholarship is a national scholarship offered by SOME to members of the Drum & Bugle Corps activity. |
| The Glenn Miller Scholarship Competition | The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society | 15-Mar | $4500, $2000 & $1000 | The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society is offering six scholarships, $4500, $2000 & $1000 to both instrumentalists and vocalists. These scholarships, which are awarded without regard to any other award, may be used for any education-related expense. |
| National Association of Pastoral Musicians Academic Scholarships | National Association of Pastoral Musicians | Varies, see website | $1000 - $3000 | Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate study |
| Musical Scholarships | National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) | Varies | Varies | Applicant can win $50,000 in awards and two years of performance bookings if they win the Biennial Young Artist and Ellis Duo-Pianists competitions award. |
| Young Artist Awards | National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) | 1-Feb | $10,000 first prize | This competition is held every two years. |
| Omaha Symphony Guild New Music Competition | The Omaha Symphony Guild | 15-Apr | $3,000 | To be eligible for this musical scholarship, the applicant must be a junior or senior at graduate level. |
| American Berlin Opera Foundation Scholarships | American Berlin Opera Foundation | Varies | Scholarships of up to $15,000 plus travel stipends | These prestigious awards are given to outstanding operatic performers. Scholarships of up to $15,000 plus travel stipends are given to those chosen to study with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. |
| Women's Music Commission | BMI Foundation | Varies | $5,000 | The Women |
| The peermusic Latin Scholarship | BMI Foundation | 20-Feb | $5,000 | Awards are given to an outstanding piece of Latin music composed by a student. |
| Charlie Parker Jazz Scholarship | BMI Foundation | Varies | $3,500 | Jazz musicians with the best new piece may earn scholarship up to $3500 and an opportunity to perform. |
| Robert Sherman Scholarship for students in musical theatre | BMI Foundation | Varies | $1,000 | This $1,000 scholarship is awarded each year to a talented student composer studying musical theatre. |
| The ASCAP Foundation Music Scholarships | The ASCAP Foundation | Varies | Varies | The ASCAP Music Foundation sponsors and administers many musical scholarships. |