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 Funding for cellists
Playing the cello is one of the most enriching experiences that life can
offer, but financing the study of music and the purchase of an
instrument and bow is a major challenge for most players and their
families.
Over the last few years we have encountered a number of cellists who
have received substantial support from a wide range of funds and
charities which have helped them to acquire vocational training,
instruments and bows. With their help and some further research we have
put together an introduction to fundraising for cellists. Preparing the ground. It pays to plan well ahead. Not only is the research and application process time-consuming but each charity has different application deadlines and dates of trustee board meetings, so if you’re hoping for help in buying an instrument or attending a summer course, it is best to start your research 18 months in advance. It is also a good idea to approach teachers or mentors, to ask if they would be willing to provide open or confidential references to support your applications. It’s well worth giving stamped addressed envelopes to referees to reduce the time and expense taken in helping you. Some charities such as Future Talent ask for regular reports on the progress of the young people they support, so potential candidates should ask themselves and their teachers if they are willing to take on this extended commitment. Most funding applications are means tested so you’ll need to have your financial details to hand. Some charities specify an upper income threshold, while others will also take into account your outgoings, particularly music lessons, summer courses, instrument and travel costs, which cut deeply into what might otherwise appear to be a healthy budget. Specialist music charities will ask for proof of musical achievement as well as potential. Copies of examination certificates are usually requested, but references from music teachers are generally accepted if an applicant hasn’t taken any exams recently. Even when planning the timing of music exams it’s worth bearing funding applications in mind. Taking Grade 8 aged 13 may sound impressive but if the mark is low, it may disqualify the student from support well into the future. It might be worth waiting until the student can achieve a high distinction and therefore earn greater respect and support. Many musical charities, such as the Countess of Munster Trust or specialist cello charities such as the Guilhermina Suggia Gift (administered by the Musician's Benevolent Fund) and the Muriel Taylor Scholarship Fund ask applicants to audition for certain awards, so do check their audition requirements carefully to ensure that you are well prepared. Some charities offer interest-free loans rather than grants and it is well worth applying to these as well as to charities offering financial contributions. Finding a sympathetic charity. The first big task is to find charities whose funding criteria match your credentials. There are two main angles to follow when seeking suitable charities: one is to research charities which specifically support string players and musicians; the other, equally productive approach is to explore charities in your geographical area which have a remit to support local people. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for support, it is worth emailing or telephoning to check; this could save you quite a lot of stamps and time. If you like working online, a useful search tool is provided by the Musician’s Benevolent Fund: www.mbf.org.uk/fundingwizard Just indicate your age, gender, instrument and funding requirements and their funding wizard will identify a list of charities which might support you. The Countess of Munster Trust also publishes an impressive amount of charity information. Go to their home page www.munstertrust.org.uk, find the bottom of the blue left hand address bar and click on Funding Guide, then consult the address bar on the left for General Music, String Instruments, Instrument Purchase & Loan Schemes and Junior Funding. www.charitiesdirect.com has a huge free-access database of general charities. From their home page, click on Find a Charity which takes you to a search page. If you know the name of a charity which has helped a friend, for example, you can type it here and get their details. If you’re starting your search from scratch, you could select Arts and Culture in the drop-box next to Causal Area and then type in your county or city in the Location or Area of Operation box: this will give you a list of charities in your area which are involved in the arts. Then click on each charity to see a summary of their aims and objectives and contact details. You’ll need patience to sift through all the scout groups and community projects, but useful individual trusts can be found here. Many public and college libraries subscribe to a charity search engine called ‘Funderfinder’ which is free for library users but you can also buy access to Funderfinder for £5.50 for twenty-four hours: www.funderfinder.org.uk/ If you are happier using a book, the Directory of Grant Making Trusts is available at most libraries. This allows you to find charities by geographic area and also by field of interest. You’ll need a good few hours and a fat notepad to work through this volume! Most music colleges have an affiliation with certain charities who give annual grants to students, so it is well worth asking your college and also your local council for advice on possible funding sources. When researching charities, it is wise to pay careful attention to their eligibility criteria: for example, many charities will not consider applications from individuals, while some, such as the Tom Acton Memorial Trust, will only support people resident in their county (in this case, Essex); others may have an upper age limit.
Application forms. Most
of the larger funds have an application form which you can complete
online, download from a website or request in the post. If completing
an application online, we would recommend printing it out and completing
it by hand first. In this way, you will have all the necessary
information to hand when you start working online and if the computer
crashes or reboots unexpectedly, you won’t have lost all your data! Be
as patient and painstaking as you can, filling in the form as completely
and legibly as possible. The Arts Council say that 40% of the
applications they receive cannot be considered as they are illegible.
Some charities prefer to receive typed forms if possible. Take the time
to fill in every section and don’t expect the recipient to gather
information from a CV or biography if you haven’t fully completed the
form.
If you are
looking for funding for an instrument or bow, application forms may ask
for details of the item you wish to buy. If you have not yet found what
you are looking for, you could ask an instrument maker or dealer to
provide you with a written estimate of the cost of an appropriate
instrument or bow which you could then forward to the charity. If you
are successful in receiving a grant, most charities prefer to pay their
contribution directly to the seller of an instrument or bow, rather than
to give you the funds for the purchase. Keeping track of multiple applications can be quite a headache, so it is worth keeping a detailed record, perhaps in the form of a chart or year planner, including the names and contact details of your chosen charities, their application deadlines, the date you posted your application and a summary of their reply. This information can be recycled in future years if you plan to fund-raise annually. It is also important to keep photocopies of all your completed forms, in case they get lost in the post and to remind you exactly what you have said! If, as we hope, all your hard work is rewarded by several offers of support, it is worth while staying in close touch with your supporters, letting them know of any successes, developments, important concerts or changes to your circumstances. There must be considerable satisfaction for a charity in knowing that they have supported someone who has made good use of their funds.For a list of information sources and music charities, see below: Information sources for cellists in the United Kingdom: Musician's Benevolent Fund Funding Wizard: http://www.mbf.org.uk/fundingwizard
Countess
of Munster Trust: Charities Direct www.charitiesdirect.com Charities: Countess of Munster Trust The advancement of education in all branches of music in any part of the world, chiefly by the provision grants to assist music students with the cost of their studies Awards and loans for assistance in acquiring musical instruments considered when applicant about to enter or just entered musical profession, under age 28. Applications available from secretary from 1st Jan. Closing date 14th Feb. www.munstertrust.org.uk Awards for Young Musicians: Awards of between £200 and £2,000 are made annually to outstanding young instrumentalists under the age of 18, in any musical genre http://www.a-y-m.org.uk The Emanuel Hurwitz
Chamber Music Charitable Trust Felicity Belfield Music Trust. To advance the education of students of music by either the making of grants or the payments of fees or the provision of musical instruments. Telephone 01747 853250O
Loan Fund for Musical
Instruments.
Assistance
with instrument purchase by loans, at nominal rates of interest,
repayable over max. period of 5 years. Because of fund’s limited
resources, assistance restricted to those who have already started
professional careers. Preference is given to British nationals. Not
available to children of school age or students in early stages of
training. The Secretary, 16 Ogle Street, London, W1W 6JA. EMI Music Sound Foundation. The Foundation was established by EMI in 1997 to commemorate the centenary of EMI Records. It is an independent charity which is dedicated to the improvement of music education. Applications can be made for the following: non-specialist schools to fund music education; individual music students in full time education to fund instrument purchase; music teachers to fund training. The Foundation also funds bursaries for music students through selected colleges and is a major sponsor of performing arts colleges as part of the government's specialist schools scheme. www.emimusicsoundfoundation.com/ Dulce Haigh Marshall Trust. Grants for financial help to string players resident in Devon, including help towards the purchase of an instrument. Age limit 25. 01647-277276 Musicians Benevolent Fund Young Talent Awards. Offers from £200 to £1,000 for young musicians and are made to those with a high level of musical achievement who are in financial need. The Musicians Benevolent Fund Postgraduate Performance Awards, a flagship funding scheme formerly known as the Music Education Awards. Awards are offered to outstandingly talented instrumentalists to help with full-time postgraduate study costs or towards the costs of buying a musical instrument. Individual awards range from £1,000 to £5,000 and include a number of named awards and scholarships. http://www.mbf.org.uk/awards Myra
Hess Trust. Open to postgraduate level (over 20 & under 28 on closing
date) pianists, violinists, violists, cellists and double bass players
of exceptional ability for assistance towards final study costs,
instrument purchase and costs of first recital. See Musicians Benevolent
Fund website
www.mbf.org.uk/ for up-to-date
information. The Administrator, 7-11 Britannia Street, London,
WC1X 9JS. Tel 020 7239 9100 Fax 020 7713 8942
Muriel
Taylor Scholarship Fund
Annual award
for further study, of £2,000, open to any nationality aged 17-23 on 31st
Mar Abbado European Young Musicians Trust. Intended to help those, normally under 30, aiming for a professional career in music. Assistance (usually interest free loans) for young musicians to help buy suitable instruments, mainly strings, woodwind and brass. email: john.hughes@speechlys.com
The Tom
Acton Memorial Trust. The trust supports young musicans from Essex
(born, educated or resident) aged 25 or under with financial help for
instruments, tuition, and other expenses.
http://tomacton.org/application-form Cherubim Music Trust. Cherubim's Fine Instrument Loan Scheme offers a range of professional quality instruments to talented performers between the age of 15 - 28, normally for a period of 5 years. Awardees are assisted in various other ways with concert opportunities and public relations advice. www.cherubimtrust.org
Gerald Finzi Charitable Trust. Small grants to music students in UK to assist with
instrument purchase. PO Box 137, Shaftesbury, SP7 0WX
www.geraldfinzi.org Wingate Scholarships. Wingate Scholarships are awarded to outstanding individuals of great potential or proven excellence who need financial support to undertake creative or original work of intellectual, scientific, artistic, social or environmental value and to musicians for advanced training. Applicants need to be at least 24 and there is no upper age limit. http://www.wingate.org.uk/ Worshipful company of musicians http://www.wcom.org.uk/template.php Future Talent is a registered charity that identifies, funds and nurtures young musicians between 5 up to 18 years old with supporting their musical development either through funding instruments or tuitions. http://www.futuretalent.org Take It Away. This scheme run by the Arts Council of England allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ © Sarah Mnatzaganian 2010 This article was first published in our newsletter News for Cellists of which there are three editions a year. To receive our newsletter by post (UK only) or email, please contact us. |
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