[musictlk] scholarships to buy new instruments

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

My clarinet professor organized a clarinet day which was held this
past weekend.  It was a great experience.  She had three Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra clarinetists come and give a masterclass for me,
the other clarinet major at my school, and a student who recently
auditioned and accepted to the university and was able to make it to
the event.  After the masterclass Buffet, one of the top knotch
clarinet manufacturers, gave a presentation and then had clarinets
available for us to try.  I found a professional model which suited me
really well.  The clarinet I have now is intermediate; it's a nice
horn, but it's not professional grade.  I've had it for almost 5 and a
half years and I'm told the average lifespan of a clarinet is 6 to 7.
The intermediate clarinets aren't made from wood that is as high
quality as the professional models, so their lifespan tends to be
slightly shorter.  Two of the CSO clarinetists who heard me play the
masterclass and on the new clarinet commented that the professional
model made a huge difference in my playing; that my tone was richer
and my sound was much more stable.  The clarinetist who specifically
taught me in the masterclass also said that he felt I didn't have to
fight with the professional one like I did on my clarinet.  When I
told my professor these comments she agreed.

I would love to get this instrument and there is a deal for a limited
amount of time where I could get it for $2,000 off the initial retail
price.  However, I am in college and my sister will start college this
fall.  My parents are understanding of the fact that I'm going to
outgrow clarinets every couple of years, but we don't even have the
fafsas back so we don't even know what we'll be paying for two
students to attend college.  My parents said they would love to help
me get the horn, and realize that it would make a big difference in my
playing and would be an investment in my future schooling and
employment as a music therapist and musician in general, but we don't
have the funds available right now.  I was wondering if anyone had any
experience or ideas of how to get money for new instruments; I have
googled new instrument scholarships and found a few, but a lot have
either already cut off their deadlines, or make you wait a long time
to find out if you've won.  I realize I probably won't be able to get
the particular clarinet I've tried this weekend, but if anyone has any
ideas that might help secure funds so I could get a new one soon I
would appreciate hearing them.

-- 
Kaiti