Purpose
To assist qualified students who have been selected/invited to perform/present at recognized conferences/festivals/competitions.
Eligibility
Music majors, music minors, and graduate students who are enrolled/active and in good academic standing in the Department of Music and Dance.
Criteria
To make these awards in as transparent a fashion as possible, proposals for Department of Music and Dance Student Travel Awards are reviewed considering the criteria listed here.
Highest priority will be given to applicants seeking support for active involvement and meaningful participation in competitions / conferences / performances / readings / festivals. Attendance at events without direct and active involvement will normally not warrant funding. For example, an application from someone invited/selected to make a presentation at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association or American Musicological Society, or to perform at the Midwest Clinic or International Trumpet Guild, takes precedence over simply attending the conference.
The profile of the event is taken into consideration in deciding on funding. Among the considerations could be the geographical scope of an event (international, national, regional); its level of competitiveness, the prestige of the sponsoring organization, and other criteria.
For music minors, the funded events must be related to music or dance and not to their primary majors.
The application is for individual students, but is open to students traveling as a group or ensemble. Groups or ensembles traveling to the same event should submit a separate application for each individual in the group.
Preference may be given to applicants who have not recently received a Student Travel Award.
Awarding Of Funds
All funding is awarded by the Scholarship Committee or Graduate Program Committee with approval from the Department Chair.
Generally, applications cannot be fully funded. Funding is intended to subsidize expenses, not to cover them in full.
Upon the awarding of funds, students should contact the Department’s Business Manager Angelie Peterson (@email) to determine the best way for the funding to be allocated. Any unclaimed award funding will be reallocated after the end of the academic year to assist other students’ travel. Only travel that takes place while a student is in actively enrolled status can be funded.
Awards will normally be approximately $200 for domestic travel, $300 for international travel, and $50 for regional travel per fiscal year and pending submission of acceptable receipts for expenses.
Application Process
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis during the academic year, but funds will prioritized to students that submit by the priority deadlines:
October 15 - Fall travel
February 15 - Spring travel
April 15 - Summer travel
Applications must be submitted as early as possible before travel occurs but absolutely no later than 30 days before travel begins. Students are advised to submit applications promptly since funding is limited. All applications must have a faculty sponsor.
Complete the online application found here
Intersession and summer travel awards will not be paid until students are active in SPIRE in January or September.
The application requires faculty sponsorship. The Committee reserves the right to contact the faculty sponsor and discuss the event for which the student(s) are seeking funding.
Should you have a question, please do not hesitate to contact the Chair of the Scholarship Committee and/or the Graduate Program Director.
*The Department of Music & Dance has a zero tolerance policy and will not reimburse any alcohol for students in travel status.