Grants & Music Education
There are many opportunities to get funding for music education programs. From grants started by Phish fans and the Fender guitar company to the Save the Music program started by VH1, the importance of music education has led many to give resources toward helping children learn music and young artists develop their art.
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The Mockingbird Foundation
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The Mockingbird Foundation, established in 1996 by fans of the rock group Phish, helps provide funding for music programs. Their funding generally supports programs that emphasize self-esteem and self-expression and teach music to children 18 years old and younger. The programs can involve various forms of musical expression and creativity such as composition, improvisation, vocalisation, and learning an instrument. The Foundation aims to support youth who are part of marginalized groups--foster home residents, those who with low income or little education, the terminally ill, those in jail or in hospitals, for example. The programs must be at a school or a non-profit organization with 501 (c)(3) status or a public schools. The grants range in amounts from $50 to $5,000.
VH1 Save the Music
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Started in 1997 by an executive at VH1, the Save the Music program gives public school students new instruments in order to participate in school music education classes. The programs target middle school and elementary school programs, and the organization has given instruments to many schools throughout the U.S.
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Chamber Music America
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Chamber Music America gives residency grants to world, classical/contemporary and jazz groups who are in non-traditional residency programs. The purpose of the grant is to increase appreciation and awareness of small ensemble music. The amounts of the grants vary depending on the size of the ensemble and the duration of the project. Short-term projects, for instance, may be funded with $2,500 to $6,000, while longer projects may receive $5,000 to $12,000. Projects may include master classes, workshops, interactive performance and lecture-demonstrations.
The Chopin Foundation of the United States
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The Chopin Foundation of the United States holds competitions for young pianists aged 14 to 17. Participants must be enrolled at an undergraduate institution or a secondary school and can continue to get funding for up to four years. To continue receiving grants, participants must maintain good grades and continue studying piano; they are also required to submit unedited recordings of Chopin pieces chosen by the foundation. Among other requirements, for example, students entering the competition for the first year are required to play two Chopin etudes. The foundation awards scholarships to help students prepare for the National Chopin Piano Competition, which takes place every five years in Miami, Florida. The six finalists are then flown to the International Chopin Competiton in Warsaw, Poland, the country of Chopin's birth.
The Fender Music Foundation
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The Fender Music Foundation gives grants to music programs throughout the U.S. To qualify for aid, candidates can be after-school programs which are independent of any school, in-school music classes or music therapy programs in which the participants play music. They must be established, continuous and viable programs, however. In addition to donating musical instruments and equipment such as amplifiers, the Fender Music Foundation also donates signed music memorabilia to music program administrators, who can then sell or auction off the memorabilia to raise money for equipment and instruments.
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References
Resources
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