Blues Music Grants
The sound of the blues arose in African American communities as the sound of pain and a harsh assessment of reality, but for today's children it can be the sound of opportunity. Playing the blues is a way to become involved in music, to expand your education and to create new opportunities for the future. Organizations across the United States fund scholarships and grants to spread the strains of the blues to new generations and to preserve the work of blues artists for generations to come.
Other People Are Reading
-
Monterey Bay Blues Festival Scholarship
-
The Monterey Bay Blues Festival awards a scholarship to several students each year to further their study of blues music. If you are a music student under the age of 21 and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, you may apply for the scholarship. Applicants may study instrumental or vocal performance, but their focus must be on blues music. Since its initiation in 1990, the scholarship program has given more than $1 million to blues students.
The Mockingbird Foundation Grants
-
Teachers who want to bring blues into the classroom can apply for funding from the Mockingbird Foundation, a group of fans of the band Phish who give money to schools for creative music programs. They fund programs that give children direct experience with music. If you want to teach the blues but don't know where to start, read the lesson plans and teaching tips at The Blues Foundation's Blues in the Schools program, which seeks to combine learning about the blues with traditional subjects such as history, social studies and even math.
-
Illinois Blues Coalition Fund Grant
-
The Illinois Blues Coalition Fund, founded in 2004, sponsors grants to support the blues community and blues education. A wide variety of projects are eligible for funding. Performers may apply for funding for performances, recordings and CD production. The grants can also pay for educational or community outreach programs. Individuals and nonprofit organizations may apply, and for-profit organizations may apply only if they partner with a non-profit. The grants are usually between $250 and $2,500.
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording Program
-
If you are a professional blues artist, you can apply for grants from the Aaron Copland Fund to pay for recording sessions, marketing and distribution. The Fund sponsors the work of modern American composers, including blues performers. The goal is to preserve American music in the form of recordings for future generations to enjoy. These grants can be up to $20,000, and preference is given to first recordings. However, re-recordings may be considered if the applicant can make a case for the significance of the re-release.
-
