Scholarships
Invest in the future of the performing arts with a gift for an annual or endowed scholarship
One of the world’s foremost music conservatories, Manhattan School of Music is dedicated to the personal, artistic, and intellectual development of aspiring musicians, from Precollege through graduate studies. Now in our second century, MSM offers highly talented students from across the globe exemplary classical, jazz, and musical theatre training and grants a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees, including the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts. The success of our graduates speaks to the high-caliber music education the School provides. They are soloists on the stages of the great concert halls and opera houses of the world, play in major orchestras internationally, lead important music organizations and are training the next generation of artists. MSM graduates have earned Grammy, Tony, Oscar, Avery Fisher, and Emmy awards; MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships; the Pulitzer Prize; Met Opera Laffont competitions; and NEA Jazz Master status. They have forged successful careers of impressive scope and renown, and for all of them, MSM was foundational. Since our founding as a community music school in 1918, the education of K-12 schoolchildren has also been central to our mission. MSM’s Precollege is a Saturday music program that provides young musicians ages 5 to 18 with professional instruction and multiple performing opportunities in a supportive environment, challenging them to be their musical best.
Providing the in-depth, personalized training Manhattan School of Music students receive—including weekly private lessons with world-class teaching artists—is costly, and the demand for scholarship support is great. Nearly 90% of all students in the School’s college division rely upon the vital support provided by scholarships. We aim to ensure that no gifted young musician is deprived of the opportunity to receive a music education of the highest quality due to financial need.
A robust scholarship program enables the School to attract and retain students of the best technical and artistic ability in a highly crowded enrollment landscape, enhancing our reputation for excellence in music education and the entire MSM Community. The amount of financial support offered is often the deciding factor for students choosing which conservatory or university music program to attend. Importantly, providing scholarships to college students whose financial means do not equal their exceptional musical gifts enables them to fully focus on their rigorous studies, to take wing after graduation, and to enter the workforce in orchestras, ensembles, and as soloists, teachers, and arts administrators, without the heavy burden of student debt.
Your scholarship gift helps MSM carry out its important work preparing immensely gifted young musicians to be accomplished and passionate performers and leaders in the arts and society and ensures the continued vitality of the performing arts. Scholarships may be supported with an annual gift, fully expended in the year in which it is received for direct scholarship support, or by establishing an endowment that provides scholarships to talented students with need now and in the future. Donors may choose to direct their contribution to an existing scholarship fund, or to establish a new scholarship in their name or in honor or memory of a loved one. Scholarships are based on artistic merit and financial need.
Annual Scholarships
An annual College scholarship may be established in your name or in the name of one you choose to honor with a gift of $5,000 or more and can be designated to a specific instrument or area of study. An annual Precollege scholarship may be named beginning with a gift of $2,500. Annual scholarships are fully expended in the year in which they are received to support an outstanding student with financial need and must be renewed on an annual basis to continue.
Endowed Scholarships
An endowed college scholarship may be established in your name or in the name of one you choose to honor with a gift of $100,000 or more. An endowed Precollege scholarship may be named with a minimum gift of $50,000. An endowed scholarship exists in perpetuity and provides essential financial support to future generations of aspiring musicians. The principal of an endowed scholarship is permanently invested, and the income it earns is awarded to students as scholarship money. At a spend rate of 5%, a gift of $1 million endows a full-tuition College scholarship and $250,000 endows a full Precollege scholarship. Scholarship donors are invited to scholarship recipient’s concerts, performances, and recitals; receive updates on their academic and artistic progress; and attend an annual luncheon hosted by MSM’s President where they learn about the difference they are making in the lives of young musicians and enjoy their thrilling performances. Additionally, they receive invitations to a host of special events planned throughout the year where they have an opportunity to meet like-minded patrons, talented students, distinguished faculty members, and guest artists.
We
thank you for sharing our belief in the transformative power of music and for your interest in supporting exemplary performing arts education.
MSMNYC.EDU/GIVING
For additional information, please contact: Advancement Office 917-493-4595 | advancement@msmnyc.edu
MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, Advancement Office 130 Claremont Avenue, New York, New York 10027
