PJS Accepting Applications For 2008 BNY Mellon Jazz Scholarship
General Information
A $5,000 scholarship will be awarded to a full-time undergraduate student who will be enrolled in a four-year university in September 2008.
The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of musical ability as demonstrated by an audition tape/CD submitted by the applicants to the Pittsburgh Jazz Society/BNY Mellon Jazz Scholarship Committee.
In addition to the audition tape/CD, scholarship applicants must:
- Submit a minimum of two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a professional musician or a music teacher. The other letter(s) can be from musicians, teachers or community leaders.
- Submit a short essay describing their background in jazz and their goals as a musician.
- Applied to and been accepted at a four-year university or be a full-time continuing or transfer undergraduate student.
Who is Eligible?
Any high school graduate or graduating senior in the Pittsburgh Tri-State area, continuing student or transfer student who will be enrolled on a full-time basis at a four-year university in September 2008 is eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must be accepted as full-time undergraduate students to be eligible for the P.J.S./BNY Mellon Jazz Scholarship.
How Do I Apply For The Jazz Scholarship?
- Fill out the "Application Form" at www.pittsburghjazz.org for the P.J.S./BNY Mellon Jazz Scholarship. Return the forms with your audition tape/CD on or before June 2nd, 2008.
- Fill out your name on the "Letter of Recommendation" forms that are enclosed, and give them (along with the cover letter to the recommendation form) to the teachers, musicians or community leaders who will recommend you for this scholarship. A minimum of two letters of recommendation must be submitted for your application to be complete.
- Prepare the audition tape/CD using the guidelines outlined on the following page.
Audition Cassette Tape or CD
Prepare a stereo cassette tape or CD that is representative of your abilities as a jazz performer. The recording should be of high quality and should not exceed 20 minutes in length. If submitting a cassette tape, use Dolby B noise reduction and record on one side only.
- The cassette/CD must be labeled with the applicant’s name and instrument.
- An insert card must be included which lists the names of the selections and their timings or the cassette counter numbers (if submitting a cassette tape).
- Only high-quality recordings should be included on the cassette/CD.
- The cassette/CD can include musicians other than the applicant, but the applicant must be featured prominently as a soloist on the recording.
- The selections on the cassette / CD must include:
- One "Blues" (your choice); approximately 3-4 minutes
- One "Ballad" (your choice); approximately 3-4 minutes
Examples of ballads: Round Midnight (e-flat minor); Stardust (D-flat);
Lover Man (d minor)
- Two songs from the "Standard Jazz Repertoire" approximately 3-4 minutes each.
Examples of standard jazz songs: All the Things You Are (A-flat); Stella By Starlight (B-flat); I’ll Remember April (G major); Oleo (B-flat)
If desired, the remainder of the time on the tape or CD (up to twenty minutes) can be used for any other style of jazz, original music, or other period of jazz that you feel is representative of your interest and ability.
- All or part of the cassette/CD may be from a live performance.
- Vocalists must also include an example of "scat" singing.
You can download an application by clicking here:
The application is an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF format). If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed, you can get it by going to the Adobe website at http://www.adobe.com/acrobat to get a free player.
Applications for the Pittsburgh Jazz Society/Mellon Jazz scholarship must be submitted by Friday, June 2, 2008. Please fill the application out completely and send with any requested materials to:
Pittsburgh Jazz Society
RE: PJS/Mellon Jazz Scholarship
932 Bellaire Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15226
We wish all the best of luck!