Did you know there are early October deadlines for some of the scholarships specific to music majors?

You may be a contender for one or more scholarships offered by companies, organizations, your parent’s work place, your credit union, and the music schools themselves. Scholarship deadlines start much earlier than you’d imagine. Start checking now. Don’t wait until you start applying and auditioning to music schools; some of the deadlines will have passed and others will sneak up on you before you know it.

Six keys to getting one or more scholarships:

1. Pay attention to deadlines!

• There’s no leniency here. Either they get your application on time and consider you, or you’re out. You’re smart to get your application in earlier than the final deadline. You’re also wise to check to make sure your application and audition, if required, are actually received.
• Check the actual website where the scholarship is offered as soon as you find out about it. Sometimes sites that list several scholarships are not updated, and you may miss out on good opportunities.

2. Some scholarships include essay questions.

• Proofread your answers carefully! Typos may disqualify you in some cases. Have someone else look at your essays before you hit “send.”
• Save your essays – put them in a labeled file where you know you can find them. You may be able to cut and paste for other applications.

3. Apply to as many scholarships as you qualify for. Some of them are small, so you may have to cobble a few or more together to make a dent in your tuition etc.

4. Just about every music school offers their own scholarships to qualified students. Find out if you are automatically put on the list of contenders if you apply to the school, or if you have to apply separately for them.

5. Check the Scholarships section of MajoringInMusic.com. These are updated regularly and cover many areas of music, age ranges, etc.

6. Beware of scholarship scams. They ask you to pay to apply. Don’t do it!

If you’ve got additional ideas on getting scholarships as a music student, please let us know!