North Valley Music School launches American Indian Music Scholarship

North Valley Music School, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching Montana communities through music education, appreciation, and performance by offering musical opportunities for all ages, is now accepting applications for its American Indian Music Scholarship.

The scholarship provides financial assistance to American Indian high school and college students pursuing professional degrees in music. Applicants must be a US citizen, national, or permanent legal resident of Montana who is of American Indian ethnicity, and be either a high school senior or a college student currently enrolled full-time at an accredited U.S. vocational, junior college, or four-year college/university. Two $500 scholarships will be awarded.

Montana has a culturally-diverse population representing a broad spectrum of music genres, styles, and instrumentation. Montana is home to urban Indian populations, several Indian reservations, and more than two dozen distinct tribes, each with their own forms of music including Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Cheyenne, Chippewa-Cree, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Sioux, and Little Shell.

North Valley Music School founded this scholarship to encourage the pursuit of music education, provide philanthropic funding for American Indians and indigenous communities, and enable broader public awareness of the diverse musical contributions of Montana's American Indians to the culture of the state and region.

“This scholarship is rooted in our mission to serve people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and our belief that music education should be readily available to everyone,” says Executive Director Deidre Corson. “Through the American Indian Music Scholarship, NVMS hopes to encourage students to follow their passion and their pursuit of music education and strengthen our service to all people of Montana.”

Applicants will be asked to provide letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and examples of their academic strengths, musical endeavors, and civic engagements. Applications are due March 31, 2023. Award winners will be announced May 31, 2023.

For more information about NVMS’s American Indian Music Scholarship or to make a tax-deductible donation to the music scholarship fund, visit northvalleymusicschool.org/scholarships. Prospective applicants with questions can email info@northvalleymusicschool.org or call 406-862-8074.