Growing Music in MASS, a giving arm of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association, provides financial assistance to school programs, identified by association members, that are chronically underfunded, require start-up funding, or need additional assistance for underserved student populations. In addition, the foundation will provide scholarships to students needing assistance to participate in state festivals.

Goals:

To provide a comprehensive program of giving initiatives, three categories of awards and scholarships are designated:

Future Symphony Hall Scholars, inspired by the original mission, will specifically help students prepare for future active festival participation and events of growth.
Classroom Innovations is designed to help music educators expand their range of instructional strategies and methods, and to better meet the musical needs of all students in all settings and at all levels.
Symphony Hall Scholarships will provide qualified young musicians with the financial resources to audition for and participate in the All State Music Festival.

The foundation will provide giving opportunities in these categories, to be awarded on an annual cycle.

Please click below to learn more about each opportunity.

GMM Supervising Committee

Thomas Walters, Chair

Dr. Christina Whittlesey

Cynthia Grammer

Dr. David Neves

Gregory Shannon

Lisa Leach

Matthew Cunningham

Rachel Rivard

Dr. Ruth Debrot

Sara Allen Santos

Thomas Westmoreland

Dr. Walter Pavasaris

SHCS Low Brass Quartet

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Cameron lesson with Mr. Hickman

SHCS Low Brass Quartet

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Honorary Board of Directors

Terre Blair (Mrs. Marvin) Hamlisch

Ernie Boch, Jr., Music Drives Us Foundation

Zachary Green, WBZ News

Robin Cook, Celebrity Series of Boston

Classroom Innovations Grants-Apply Here

Classroom Innovations grants are specifically designed to enhance a teacher’s range of strategies and methods of musical instruction. Falling into, but not limited to these categories, grants are available to all levels of music education.

Specific non-traditional instruments and ensembles (for example: folk or culturally inspired instruction).

Composition-based or improvisation-based instruction.

New or expanded technology-based instruction

Student learning centers and individualized instructional programs

Programs designed for special learners (as distinct from modifications or adaptations of regular lesson planning)
Developing methods, tools, and strategies that measure student growth and achievement
Curriculum integration in which music is a lead or primary component.

Grants exist to foster the development of school music programs that encourage and enable all students, without regard to financial condition, to receive the types of high quality music instruction that can eventually lead to participation in life-enriching musical experiences.

The primary goal of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association is to support and promote music making for all students. This grant program directly helps teachers target broad participation and promote a school’s musical culture, allowing teachers to employ varied and diverse strategies to engage students in the classroom.

Application Guidelines

1) The grant proposal will have clearly articulated goals, with specified, measurable objectives.

2) The grant proposal’s curricular design will fall appropriately within the state curriculum frameworks and / or the national standards.

3) At the conclusion of the grant’s time frame – typically the school year in which the programs are funded, the recipients will submit an evaluation of the program’s participation, successes, and possibilities for future expansion to the awarding committee, and the grant recipients may be asked at some point to share an overview of the program’s purposes and techniques with others in a professional development format at the district or state level.

Future Symphony Hall Scholars Grant-Apply Here

The primary purposes for Future Symphony Hall Scholars grant funding are specifically instrumental and vocal/choral performance skill enhancement, and typically fall into these categories:

Private, semiprivate, or small group lessons and targeted instruction
Master classes by visiting professional musicians, conductors, or musical mentors
Sponsoring or attending performances and performance-related events
Financial support for students participating in advanced college, conservatory or music school programs
Instructional and support materials

The primary goal of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association, through its association members, is to support and promote music making for all students. Our current district and state festivals, as well as other events, are but some of the public manifestations of what we do. The MA MEA Future Symphony Hall Scholars grant program directly targets a range of instructional programs that enhance and promote a school’s musical culture. The seeds sown by these grants are long range, and may or may not result directly in festival participation, but there is great value in nourishing and supporting them.

Symphony Hall Scholars-Apply Here

Building on the original purpose of Symphony Hall Scholars, this scholarship fund will provide qualified young musicians with the financial resources to audition for and participate in the All State Music Festival. GMM will still offer scholarships for this year’s remote festival fees and expenses.

Each year, a number of students from under-served communities struggle to find the funds to audition for, or participate in the Massachusetts All State Festival because of the fees and costs associated with them. The purpose of these scholarships is to provide funding for these students, and thus address issues of equity and access for students. The funds raised and distributed will promote greater All State equity and diversity with a broader representation of communities across Massachusetts, and will provide greater access to MMEA events for those that, due to lack of local resources, cannot effectively compete or participate at their appropriate skill levels.

Symphony Hall Scholarships, through the Growing Music in MASS Foundation, will award scholarships to individual students for participation in the All State Festival. Scholarships will fund all or part of the student registration fee, depending on need. Need will be determined and verified by the sending school and the school’s director.

Eligibility:

1) Only students of NAfME / MA MEA members whose memberships remain active are eligible to apply for a GMM scholarship. Students will apply through their school’s director or designated agent.

2) Students must be active participants in their school music programs and ensembles, if those ensembles exist, and must be members in good standing as verified by the ensemble directors.

3) Scholarships may NOT be transferred to anyone other than the student whose name appears on the application.

4) Scholarship funds will be used only for registration and associated festival fees. They may NOT be used for transportation, instrument rentals, or other personal costs incurred by the participant.

John P. Casey Scholarship-Apply Here

Vision and Mission: This program, funded by K & C Music Company and administered by MMEA’s Growing Music in MASS Fund, will provide scholarships for graduates of an approved Massachusetts high school program of study that are entering a college level program with a major in Music Education. This program seeks to encourage students that want to become music teachers, and thus foster the perpetuation of high-quality music education for the students of Massachusetts.

Application Guidelines:
Two (2) scholarships, in the amount of $2,500 each, will be awarded to two students that have met the full requirements for graduation from an approved Massachusetts high school and have been accepted into an approved music education program at an accredited institution of higher learning. Successful scholarship awardees will have participated fully (to their best extent) in their school’s music program, which may include appropriate ensembles or sequencing of coursework within the music curriculum, and has received a recommendation from their school’s music director.

Eligibility, Criteria and Procedures:
1) Only NAfME / MMEA current members whose memberships remain active may recommend a student or students for a John P. Casey Scholarship.

2) A letter of college acceptance will be submitted from the recommending’s Guidance Department for consideration.

Scholarship funds will be used to defray tuition costs only, not for books, instruments or instrument supplies, transportation, or any other costs that a student may incur.
Scholarship funding will be paid directly to the college or university, not to the student or his / her/their family.

Timeline for the Administration of Scholarships:

May 1st-- Deadline for submitting a John P. Casey Scholarship application
July – Scholarship recipients notified
March - Scholarship recipients recognition ceremony at the All-State Conference General Assembly (if they are able to attend)

Massachusetts Music Educators Association
a federated state association of NAfME

Thank you to all of the incredible students, music educators, parents, volunteers, exhibitors, conductors, clinicians, venue support staff, and so many more for making the 2024 MMEA All-State Conference and Concerts a success! Click here to access the pdp reflection page.

Application Guidelines

Future Symphony Hall Scholars Grant-Apply Here

1) Only students of NAfME / MA MEA members whose memberships remain active are eligible to apply for a GMM scholarship. Students will apply through their school’s director or designated agent.

Massachusetts Music Educators Association

MMEA District Sites: