Berklee Entering Student Talent (Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship) Application Guidelines

Eligibility and Guidelines

• Applicants must also participate in a live audition & interview to be eligible for the Berklee Entering Student Talent (Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship) scholarship
• The scholarship is available for applicants to the college who wish to have their music-writing abilities taken into consideration for scholarship, in addition to their performance abilities (live audition).
• Applicants should submit at least three (3) original compositions accompanied by written scores as outlined in the Composition Recording Guidelines below.
• The Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship scholarship is not available for any of the programs offered through our Summer Programs Office.
• The maximum award amount through the Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship scholarship is $8,000 per year.
• Applicants may only submit a Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship application once per year while they are actively applying for admission to the college.

Submission Periods

Applicants should submit their original compositions on CD accompanied by written scores to the Office of Scholarships and Student Employment following the corresponding deadlines of their application for admission:

Fall (September) Semester
Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship Submission Period
October 1 - November 1
For early action applicants (November 1st Admissions Deadline)

January 1 - February 1
For regular action applicants (February 1st Admissions Deadline)

Spring (January) Semester
Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship Submission Period
June 1 - July 1
For spring applicants (July 1st Admissions Deadline)

Summer (May) Semester
Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship Submission Period
November 1 - December 1
For summer applicants (December 1st Admissions Deadline)

Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship Application Form

Please click here to view and print the Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship application form.

Composition Recording Guidelines

Please note: All applicants who would like to have their original compositions reviewed MUST also participate in a live audition for admission and scholarship consideration.

• Please submit at least three (3) of your original compositions on a standard format compact disc (CDR); not DAT, DVD or videotape. Please clearly label your CDR with your name, instrument and the names of each of your original compositions.
• An original score for each of the compositions should accompany the CDR in the packet.
• Submit a short description of how your recording was produced (e.g., live performance, MIDI-generated, analog multi-track recorded). Tell us when and where the pieces were recorded and who is performing each composition.
• The recording can be a home, live or studio recording. Recording quality is not a factor in our evaluation. However, be sure to listen to your recording to ensure it is audible before mailing your packet.
• Recordings of the compositions should be recent (within the last year).
• Compositions may be for any size ensemble and scores should reflect the needs of the ensemble. For example: A jazz standard would require a lead sheet with chord changes, possibly lyrics, style and tempo indications; a big band score would also include horn and rhythm section arrangements; a symphony would require a full orchestral score.
• We appreciate that composers come from various music backgrounds. Therefore, you should submit compositions that will Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship display your skills as a composer. If you write in a variety of styles and instrumentations, choose pieces that demonstrate your versatility. If you write in a single style, choose the Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship of your works for submission.

Be sure to review the guidelines carefully. Incomplete scholarship applications will not be evaluated. Before mailing your scholarship packet, make sure it includes the following:

• A completed Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship scholarship application form.
• Title of each selection on your CDR and insert.
• Your CDR and jewel case.
• Your name and instrument on your CDR.
• Your name and instrument on your CDR jewel case.
• A score and/or lead sheet for each composition with the title and name of the composer clearly indicated.

Send your completed application to:

• Berklee Entering Student Talent Scholarship
  Office of Scholarships and Student Employment
  Berklee College of Music
  1140 Boylston Street
  Boston, MA 02215-3693, USA

You may contact our office by e-mail at scholarships@berklee.edu or by phone at (617) 747-8681.

Please ensure that your recording, scores and application for the Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship scholarship are postmarked by the ending date of the Submission Period. This will ensure sufficient time for an evaluation of your material.

The Presidential Scholarship

The Presidential Scholarship Program is founded on the principle that all deserving, talented, and financially challenged students should be provided the opportunity to experience the unique benefits of a Berklee education. Presidential scholars represent the most talented individuals among all young musicians graduating from high school each year. Each will receive full tuition and room and board, which is renewable over four years of study.

Candidates must exhibit outstanding musical merit determined through a live audition. They are also required to demonstrate financial need through submission of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). In order to be considered as a candidate for the Presidential Scholarship you must have a completed FASFA form.

All scholarship applicants are automatically considered through their required admissions audition. Based on the live audition results, Berklee will contact applicants nominated to the Presidential Scholarship pool. Beginning in the 2006-2007 academic year, the Presidential Scholarship will also be available to international applicants to the college. Candidates who qualify based on their auditions will be notified that they have been nominated for a Presidential Scholarship. Final selection of the Presidential scholars will be announced on or before April 15 each year.

Umbria

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The Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Competition

Thank you for your interest in applying for an audition. The application deadline for the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Competition is March 14, 2007. Click here to access the scholarship application form.

We encourage you to visit the Application/Information page to access the new admissions application. To read more about the changes in our admissions process, view our admissions requirements.

The Lyons Scholarship is named in honor of the Monterey Jazz Festival's late founder, James L. (Jimmy) Lyons, who started the festival in 1958 with a jazz education program at its core. Awarded each year to one outstanding student musician from California, it is a full-tuition, renewable award. Satisfactory academic and musical progress in each successive year will allow Lyons scholars to attend Berklee through graduation, entirely tuition-free.

Berklee faculty fly to Monterey each year expressly to audition students during the Monterey Jazz Festival High School Jazz Competition. Twenty-five students are chosen from the anticipated hundreds of Lyons Scholarship applications we receive. While there is only one Lyons Scholarship awarded each year, other sizable scholarships have been awarded to other members of this audition group in years past.

"For Jimmy, a big part of having a festival was the kids, and getting them involved with jazz," said Tim Jackson, Monterey Jazz Festival general manager. "We're thrilled with the relationship with the college, where so many great players have studied, and a full scholarship, at a place like Berklee, is a fitting tribute to Jimmy, who was a real jazz education pioneer."

Fullerton College High School Jazz Festival

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