Alright, I'm doing it. I'm jumping that vast crevasse lipping up to senior year of high school, and dead ahead is freshman year of college. Thing is, I could definitely use a few buoyant bags of greenbacks to keep me aloft as I sail on, eyes squeezed shut, praying my parents still have a house. Does anybody know of opportunities whereby a Rhode Island fiddle player at the tender age of 17 can nab himself some of the papery goodness? I would be much obliged to know!
Is Boston College your only choice?
There are several other schools that are offering fiddle, and other styles, in addition to the regular "classical" style program. Contact those colleges, arrange an audition. and get on it as many audition dates are now through March.
Have you done FAFSA yet? another "to-do" if you are looking for any financial aid.
Do you have a fiddle teacher? If so, discuss this ASAP. Also, the guidance counselor at your school should be able to point you in the right direction as far as data bases to use to get info (in my day, it was the college blue books).
I speak as a teacher, but more importantly as a mother of two college-age children currently in school.
Boston College is not my only choice, but it is my top choice, considering the academic and musical resources they have available. I did a demo CD for Amherst College as well, and those two are the most expensive on the list.
I have indeed done FAFSA, and the need-based financial aid situation is in the works as we speak.
I do have a teacher, and a guidance counsellor...but to be honest, neither of them are too helpful on the college money front : P
That is a fine authority on which to speak, indeed! I'll be in your situation in a few years too...
Wow, it's great to find another person in the exact same situation! I've been playing fiddle for most of my life. I'm a high school junior this year, and I'm considering applying to Boston College for the '09 school year. Have you looked into the Irish studies program? You can take Irish music/language, some classes for credit. Looks awesome. Wouldn't be my main area of study or anything like that, but it would be fun. I'm not sure how much help I'll be able to offer, as far as scholarships, since I've still got another year or so before I really have to worry about that stuff. I've only just started seriously looking at this kind of thing.
However...you should look into whether or not Boston College offers arts, music, humanities, etc. type of scholarships. At many schools, this doesn't have to be your major but can be applied for in addition to academic merit scholarships. Also, try foundations for the arts and that sort of thing. Lots of them offer scholarships for young, talented musicians, especially in more unique and obscure branches of music. Many festivals (Milwaukee Irish Fest, for example) offer scholarships. They're not very much, most only up to about a thousand dollars, but every little bit helps. I don't know how many of them can be used toward college, but most say that they can be used toward futhering your music education, so if you're studying music at BC I guess that counts. The thing that sets us musicians apart from all the other young talented musicians out there is that we are not just the average, Suzuki-trained, orchestra violinists. Being able to offer a unique talent makes you more desirable to colleges and scholarship funds. Just something to keep in mind. Let me know if you find anything useful, I've been trying to find the same sort of things.
Yeah, I'd be doing the Irish Arts minor, lessons with Seamus Connolly, study abroad to hit the Archives in Dublin and meet Paddy Cronin and all...majoring in English though, so a lot of lit study too.
So far as I know BC has 14 full scholarships on general academic merit (way to make me feel inferior, BC) and then it's all need-based henceforth.
Good call on Milwaukee Irish Fest though! Just found them via engooglation. Whatever else I may find I'll be sure to post back to.
Would you be getting Seamus as a private instructor or in class? I'd heard that he didn't really have private students these days. If it is private, I'd say do what ever you have to to raise the money to go there.
Interesting point, Clayton. I'd heard from a flautist at BC that the group lessons Seamus does are actually mostly filled with ex- or pseduo-concert violinists, rather than straight fiddlers. As such she recommended I ask specifically for private lessons if I really wanted to push off. Plus, Seamus knows my fiddle teacher pretty well (did a house concert, we met, played some tunes), so presumably I could wheedle my way into the circumstance if I put myself to it : )
College scholarships for fiddlers?
College scholarships for fiddlers?
Holy WOW, Boston College is expensive.
Alright, I'm doing it. I'm jumping that vast crevasse lipping up to senior year of high school, and dead ahead is freshman year of college. Thing is, I could definitely use a few buoyant bags of greenbacks to keep me aloft as I sail on, eyes squeezed shut, praying my parents still have a house. Does anybody know of opportunities whereby a Rhode Island fiddle player at the tender age of 17 can nab himself some of the papery goodness? I would be much obliged to know!
--DtM
# Posted on January 14th 2008 by Dan the Man
Re: College scholarships for fiddlers?
Is Boston College your only choice?
There are several other schools that are offering fiddle, and other styles, in addition to the regular "classical" style program. Contact those colleges, arrange an audition. and get on it as many audition dates are now through March.
Have you done FAFSA yet? another "to-do" if you are looking for any financial aid.
Do you have a fiddle teacher? If so, discuss this ASAP. Also, the guidance counselor at your school should be able to point you in the right direction as far as data bases to use to get info (in my day, it was the college blue books).
I speak as a teacher, but more importantly as a mother of two college-age children currently in school.
# Posted on January 14th 2008 by wyogal
Re: College scholarships for fiddlers?
Boston College is not my only choice, but it is my top choice, considering the academic and musical resources they have available. I did a demo CD for Amherst College as well, and those two are the most expensive on the list.
I have indeed done FAFSA, and the need-based financial aid situation is in the works as we speak.
I do have a teacher, and a guidance counsellor...but to be honest, neither of them are too helpful on the college money front : P
That is a fine authority on which to speak, indeed! I'll be in your situation in a few years too...
--DtM
# Posted on January 14th 2008 by Dan the Man
Re: College scholarships for fiddlers?
Wow, it's great to find another person in the exact same situation! I've been playing fiddle for most of my life. I'm a high school junior this year, and I'm considering applying to Boston College for the '09 school year. Have you looked into the Irish studies program? You can take Irish music/language, some classes for credit. Looks awesome. Wouldn't be my main area of study or anything like that, but it would be fun. I'm not sure how much help I'll be able to offer, as far as scholarships, since I've still got another year or so before I really have to worry about that stuff. I've only just started seriously looking at this kind of thing.
However...you should look into whether or not Boston College offers arts, music, humanities, etc. type of scholarships. At many schools, this doesn't have to be your major but can be applied for in addition to academic merit scholarships. Also, try foundations for the arts and that sort of thing. Lots of them offer scholarships for young, talented musicians, especially in more unique and obscure branches of music. Many festivals (Milwaukee Irish Fest, for example) offer scholarships. They're not very much, most only up to about a thousand dollars, but every little bit helps. I don't know how many of them can be used toward college, but most say that they can be used toward futhering your music education, so if you're studying music at BC I guess that counts. The thing that sets us musicians apart from all the other young talented musicians out there is that we are not just the average, Suzuki-trained, orchestra violinists. Being able to offer a unique talent makes you more desirable to colleges and scholarship funds. Just something to keep in mind. Let me know if you find anything useful, I've been trying to find the same sort of things.
# Posted on January 14th 2008 by FidDLe01
Re: College scholarships for fiddlers?
Yeah, I'd be doing the Irish Arts minor, lessons with Seamus Connolly, study abroad to hit the Archives in Dublin and meet Paddy Cronin and all...majoring in English though, so a lot of lit study too.
So far as I know BC has 14 full scholarships on general academic merit (way to make me feel inferior, BC) and then it's all need-based henceforth.
Good call on Milwaukee Irish Fest though! Just found them via engooglation. Whatever else I may find I'll be sure to post back to.
--DtM
# Posted on January 15th 2008 by Dan the Man
Re: College scholarships for fiddlers?
Hi Dan the Man,
Would you be getting Seamus as a private instructor or in class? I'd heard that he didn't really have private students these days. If it is private, I'd say do what ever you have to to raise the money to go there.
Clayton
# Posted on January 15th 2008 by iampeterfonda
Re: College scholarships for fiddlers?
Interesting point, Clayton. I'd heard from a flautist at BC that the group lessons Seamus does are actually mostly filled with ex- or pseduo-concert violinists, rather than straight fiddlers. As such she recommended I ask specifically for private lessons if I really wanted to push off. Plus, Seamus knows my fiddle teacher pretty well (did a house concert, we met, played some tunes), so presumably I could wheedle my way into the circumstance if I put myself to it : )
--DtM
# Posted on January 16th 2008 by Dan the Man