High School Scholarship
Chairperson: RICHARD WOO (hsscholarship@njmta.com)
DATES/DEADLINES:
Wednesday, September 13 at 11:59pm: Registration deadline (entries will include the essay and list of participation in NJMTA events).
Wednesday, October 4 at 11:59pm: Scores, recordings, and other optional materials due for the Composition category.
*NEW for 2023: Composition students will submit a short video (1-3 minutes) introducing themselves and their compositions.
Sunday, October 29 at Rowan University: Live auditions will be held for the Performance and Music Education/Pedagogy categories. NOTE: this is the same date and location as the MTNA Performance Competition.
November 17-19: NJMTA State Conference. The Performance winner will perform one of their selections, the Music Education/Pedagogy winner will read their essay, and the Composition winner will arrange to have their composition(s) performed with live performers on acoustic instruments.
ABOUT:
Three scholarships (each $2,500) are offered to high school seniors who will be pursuing music study in college with one of the following majors:
Performance
Music Education or Pedagogy
Composition
Students may only register for one category.
At the 2023 NJMTA State Conference, the Performance category recipient will perform one of their selections, the Music Education/Pedagogy category recipient will read their essay, and the Composition category recipient will arrange to have their composition(s) performed with live performers on acoustic instruments. If there is more than one recipient in any category, then the award will be shared.
For each winner, one half of the scholarship amount will be awarded in the student’s first semester of college music study, and the second half will be awarded in their second semester. Awards are contingent upon the student’s continuation of their college major.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY:
Any student of an NJMTA teacher who is graduating from high school and plans to major (not minor) in music for their college studies. The major of Music Performance, Music Education or Pedagogy, or Composition must correspond to the scholarship category that they enter. The student must have studied with the current NJMTA teacher for at least six months preceding the event.
TEACHER ELIGIBILITY:
The teacher must be a member of NJMTA in good standing and must have paid dues for the past two years including the current year. The payment must be made by September 1 of the current year. Please see the “General Guidelines to Student Activities” for detailed eligibility guidelines.
REQUIREMENTS:
This criteria holds all of the categories:
70% - Performance and Music Education/Pedagogy: Performance in competition (see REPERTOIRE below). Composition: Two original compositions and introductory video (1-3 minutes, see COMPOSITIONS on NJMTA website).
20% - Essay of 1,000-1,200 words stating the student’s musical goals, their vision for the community in music, and what they hope to learn in college. NOTE: For Composition students, the essay should not include an explanation of the two compositions. The judges of this essay will not see or hear the compositions.
10% - A list of participation in NJMTA-sponsored events (but not necessarily awards received), including events for the current Fall season.
REPERTOIRE (for Performance and Music Education/Pedagogy categories):
The program should include repertoire from all four musical time periods. The chairperson must approve the program should the four periods not be represented.
Baroque - for piano, any Prelude and Fugue from J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 or 2
Classical - a sonata movement or work of similar difficulty
Romantic
Contemporary
The judges are only required to listen to 30 minutes of the program. The judges reserve the right to withhold an award if they think that either the repertoire or the performance is below that of a college entrance standard for a music major.
COMPOSITIONS (for Composition category):
Composition students will submit a short video (1-3 minutes) introducing themselves and their compositions.
Two original compositions will be submitted through PDF scores and audio/audiovisual recordings. The compositions will be of contrasting styles, and they will each use different instrumentation. No arrangements will be accepted. The pieces must be able to be performed by acoustic instruments without extended techniques (i. e. introducing foreign objects into the workings of the piano to change the sound quality, strumming or plucking of piano strings, etc). Electronic music will not be permitted.
The scores will be generated by music-notation software and will not be handwritten. Standard notation must be used (i.e. no notations for extended techniques, electronic music, etc). The scores will be converted to a PDF file. Other file types will not be permitted.
Audio/audiovisual recordings are required for both pieces. Acoustic instruments are preferred, but MIDI is acceptable. NOTE: the Composition winner will arrange to have their composition(s) performed with live performers on acoustic instruments at the state conference.
Optional:
-Accompanying explanations and multimedia (i.e. artwork, videos, etc).
-Repertoire list of past compositions with approximate dates.
-Past composition events with dates (can include events outside NJMTA).
The judges reserve the right to withhold an award if they think that the level of the compositions are below that of college entrance standards for a music major.
HOW TO ENTER:
Teachers are to complete the online HSS Competition registration form. No paper forms will be accepted. The teacher (but not the student or parent) will correspond with the chairperson.
Please see the fee schedule for the entry fee. The student may register for only one of the three categories.
The entry fee must be submitted online. Paper checks will not be accepted. NOTE: The essay of 1,000-1,200 words as well as the NJMTA participation list must be submitted at this time.
Contact: hsscholarship@njmta.com
TEACHER DUTY DEPOSIT FEE:
Please see the fee schedule.
NAME CHANGE FEE:
Please see the fee schedule should a request for a spelling change be made after the registration form is submitted. The name spelling will appear as submitted on the certificate and the recital program.
ACCOMPANISTS:
Teachers are responsible for obtaining and appropriately compensating their own accompanist prior to the events, and they must list them on the registration form to avoid scheduling conflicts with other students using the same accompanist. Teachers may not accompany their own students. NJMTA will provide a recommended list of accompanists should one be requested.
PERFORMERS
For the Composition category, teachers are responsible for obtaining and appropriately compensating performers prior to the events. NJMTA will provide a recommended list of performers should one be requested.
Recipients of 2022 High School Scholarship:
Composition: CHARLES LOVE (student of Nancy Modell)
Performance: Christopher Shin (student of Veda Zuponcic)
From the past scholarship recipients…
Elizabeth Yang, 2021 Recipient
I am currently studying Neuroscience and Piano Performance at Northwestern University under the dual-degree program. While this is definitely a difficult track to balance, my first-year experience has been very eye-opening and rewarding. In the music department, I have various opportunities to perform and often take advantage of watching concerts featuring fellow Bienen students or guest artists (including Yunchan Lim!). The facilities are wonderful and the presence of other great musicians motivates me to improve without creating a cutthroat, overly-competitive environment. Outside of music, I have greatly enjoyed taking other classes related to my science major, as well as writing and language classes. Overall, simultaneously learning to manage my studies and transition into college has taken some time but has set a solid foundation for how I will navigate the rest of college. I'm very happy to be here! :)
Sean Baker, 2019 Recipient, March 2021
My experience studying Piano and Music Education at Rowan University has been a fun and positive experience despite the pandemic’s effects on the College of Performing Arts. In the past year my passions for music have grown and ripened to an extent that make me excited for the future, despite how dark the world has been in the past year. The staff here at Rowan has been extremely welcoming and diligent in ensuring we all get a proper musical education, and have adapted to meet my needs as a future educator and musician in this constantly changing world we live in. Our piano program has been lucky to have in-person lessons and masterclasses, with more performance opportunities than one would think. Our choirs have also been granted the ability to rehearse (socially-distanced and masked) on Rowan’s campuses in preparation for a performance in April of this year. It’s been a wonderful experience singing as well as accompanying our choirs here at Rowan, and it’s my hope to continue growing here at Rowan’s College of Performing Arts in the coming years.
Hans-Derek Yu, 2019 Recipient, April 2021
I am incredibly fortunate to be studying at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Despite my first year being off campus and online, I feel that I have learned so much more about music. I find myself surrounded by some of the best faculty and colleagues from around the world, including my wonderful new teacher, Distinguished Professor of Piano Arnaldo Cohen. Our lessons are as pleasant as they are enlightening, and they have already changed my approach to playing piano and understanding music as a whole; I cannot imagine how much I will improve once in-person lessons resume next semester. As my freshman year draws to a close, I am excited to see where my musical studies take me in the coming years, and I am extremely grateful to NJMTA for their help in making all of this possible.
Kelsey Lee, 2018 Recipient, July 2020
My first year at the Eastman School of Music was unforgettable (for so many more reasons than the Covid-19 interruption of the spring semester). I am currently studying piano performance with professor Marina Lomazov; I learned so much about music making, piano technique and repertoire from her this past year and I can’t wait for what the next three years will bring. My favorite part about being at Eastman has to be the musical community that I get to be a part of. I met so many dedicated and talented musicians from all over the world who inspire me everyday. At the same time, the music world is a small one, and it’s amazing that I get to go to school with friends from high school youth orchestras, previous music festivals and piano competitions. In fact, I was planning on having a spring recital with an incredible freshman oboist who also happened to be my stand partner from high school youth orchestra. Our recital was unfortunately canceled due to Covid-19 but we’re so excited to put together another recital soon as Eastman will be resuming in the fall with a hybrid in-person/online model. The Eastman School of Music is also part of the University of Rochester, which means even as a music student, I have access to the incredible resources at the School of Arts, Science, and Engineering of the university. In high school I’ve always been interested in interdisciplinary projects with music. This past year I took some classes at the UR main campus in math and optics, and I’m hoping use some of my knowledge in these areas for an interesting senior project as part of Eastman’s musical arts major program. I can’t say for sure what the next school years will look like especially with the recovery process from Covid-19, but I’m beyond excited for the rest of my four years at Eastman. I want to also say a huge thank you to my high school teacher Beatrice Long and NJMTA for preparing me for my experience at Eastman, as well as the NJMTA High School Scholarship Competition for helping me attend Eastman!
2021 WINNERS
Performance Scholarship Recipient: Elizabeth Yang, piano (student of Grace Yang)
Alternate: Sammi Li, piano (student of Ingrid Clarfield)
Music Education / PedagogyScholarship Recipient: N/A
Composition Scholarship Recipient: N/A
Judges for Essays and NJMTA Activities: Yining Wang and Betty Stoloff
Judges for Performance: Gulimina Mahamuti and Diyi Tang
2020 WINNERS
Performance: Kenneth He, piano (student of Stella Xu) Alternate: Jasmine Meyer, piano (student of Julia Lam)
Music Education / Pedagogy: Lorelei Eck, voice (student of Lisa Casia)
By participating in any NJMTA event, parents give permission to the New Jersey Music Teachers Association(NJMTA) to use photographs or videos of your child taken by NJMTA representative, with appropriate captions, in NJMTA publications, on the NJMTA website, social media and/or in the local newspapers. If you do not wish NJMTA to use your child’s photos/videos in any way, kindly notify the chairperson of the event in which your child is participating.