Marching bands are the spirit of a school. Many scholarships celebrate this by giving financial aid to marching band members who stand out in their communities. These marching band scholarships can support you in your academic journey, be it musical or otherwise. Some marching band scholarships don’t even require you to continue playing in marching band.
Below is a list of scholarships for students who are musicians and those who participate in marching band. We’ve also compiled a list of some school-specific scholarships, offered by universities with prominent marching bands. If you’re a driven marching band member, don’t hesitate to apply for multiple scholarships. College is expensive, and with the help of these opportunities, you can capitalize on your passion to make it more affordable.
School-specific marching band scholarships
Many universities offer scholarships for marching band members. Check out these 5 below! If your dream school is not listed, go to the marching band page on their website and see if they provide scholarship money.
Jan Arthur and Herbert B. Van Gorder Memorial Scholarship
- Eligibility: University of Bowling Green trumpet players involved in marching band
- Amount: Varies from year to year
- Deadline: Varies (see website for more information)
UNC Charlotte Marching Band Scholarship
- Eligibility: UNC Charlotte students involved in marching band
- Amount: Varies from year to year
- Deadline: Varies (see website for more information)
Lowe Family/Mustang Band Scholarship
- Eligibility: Cal Poly students involved in marching band
- Amount: $500 to $2,400 per year
- Deadline: Varies (see website for more information)
University of South Alabama Marching Band Scholarship
- Eligibility: University of South Alabama students involved in marching band
- Amount: $12,000
- Deadline: March (see website for more information)
North Carolina A&T University Marching Band Scholarship
- Eligibility: North Carolina University students involved in marching band
- Amount: $3,000
- Deadline: May (see website for more information)
University of Oklahoma Marching Band Scholarship
- Eligibility: University of Oklahoma students involved in marching band
- Amount: Varies year to year
- Deadline: May (see website for more information)
How to win marching band scholarships
Like any type of scholarship, marching band scholarships are highly competitive. You’ll be competing with a large number of students, and so it’ll be important to make sure that your applications stand out to the reviewers.
One of the best ways to put together a compelling application is to take some time to reflect before you begin writing. Think about what marching band has meant to you, and take it a step further. Try to reflect on the skills and values it has imparted on you, and write them down. Think about anecdotes and lessons learned and jot them all down in an informal way that you can come back to reference.
It’s also a good idea to thoroughly review each of the prompts you are responding to in order to ascertain what types of values the organization is looking for in a scholarship recipient. Try looking into the organization’s mission and core values. Once you get an idea of them, write your essays and tailor your resume to suit them.
Essay and application tips
In addition to coming up with good material for your responses, it’s important to know how to structure them in a compelling and concise way. Luckily, we have a whole host of tips and tricks to help you ace your application materials. These include guides on writing an essay about yourself, writing a winning scholarship essay, and tailoring your response to 250 or 500 word limits.
We also understand that sometimes it can be tough to get started or put the finishing touches on your essay. That’s why we have guides on how to start and end scholarship essays! Finally, be sure to check out our guide to responding to the most common scholarship essay prompts. You’re sure to see these prompts throughout your scholarship search.
Resources for marching band students
Marching band students are members of a tight-knit community, both at their schools and beyond. There are many organizations out there that serve as ties between marching band students. They can help you to make connections, earn scholarships, and could even help set you up with a job as a band teacher or playing in a professional band.
Here are a couple of marching band organizations to check out. We have focused on larger-scale organizations but don’t forget to look into regional and local orgs as well!
National Band Association
The National Band Association offers mentorship programs, subscriptions to band publications, and access to a directory of band members across the nation to all its members. Students can join for a discounted rate of $5 per year.
Drum Corps International
Drum Corps International produces events for marching bands and offers scholarships to band students. Don’t be fooled by the name – they have opportunities for any instrument in the marching band, not just drums!
Winter Guard International
For students interested in Color Guard and percussion specifically, this is a great organization to check out. They produce Color Guard events and put on competitions for those who are involved in the practice.
Frequently asked questions about marching band scholarships
Do marching bands give scholarships?
There are many scholarships out there for students who participate in marching band. We have a whole list above. Sometimes the marching band itself gives out the scholarships, while other times the school or a third-party organization gives it out.
Do colleges recruit for marching band?
Most colleges do not actively recruit prospective students for marching band. That being said, like all extracurriculars, participation in marching band looks good to college admissions officers. Students also can earn a great number of scholarships through marching band. However, the same recruitment systems that are in place for athletics do not typically exist for marching band.
What marching band instrument gets the most scholarships?
Although there is no hard-and-fast rule about which instruments get the most scholarships, the rarer instruments generally earn higher scholarship amounts. So, if you play an instrument that not many other students play, a college may be more willing to offer you scholarship funds.
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