Scholarships for Musical Theatre Composition Majors?

I'm passionate about musical theatre composition and I'm wondering if there are scholarships available for this niche field. Any advice on where to look or how to enhance my application would be greatly appreciated!

Sure, there are definitely scholarships available for students in less traditional fields, like musical theatre composition! Here are a few you could consider pursuing:

1. The BMI Foundation awards the Jerry Harrington Award For Outstanding Creative Achievement to a promising student composer each year. They have historically focused on composers working on musical theatre, so this could very well be a good fit for you.

2. The ASCAP Foundation awards several scholarships to aspiring composers and songwriters in various disciplines, including musical theatre.

3. If you've created a specific piece of music you're proud of, consider the YoungArts competition. They accept submissions in a variety of disciplines, including music composition.

Apart from these, you can also check out resources such as Scholarship.com, Fastweb, and Appily to find specific scholarships related to composition or performing arts.

When applying, focus on displaying your unique voice and experiences as a musical theatre composer. Draw attention to your musical influences, how you create a piece from start to finish, and your inspirations. For performance-based scholarships, make sure the quality of your audio and video submissions are high. This can really affect how your performance is evaluated. In terms of essays, really delve into why you're passionate about musical theatre. The people reading the applications truly want to see why this field is meaningful to you.

Additionally, don't forget to have your music teachers review your applications. They can provide helpful insights into your art and how to showcase it in the best light.

Finally, consider reaching out to the music department of the colleges you're applying to see if they have any scholarships for incoming students. They may have internal awards that aren't widely publicized. Good luck—your choice of major is really unique and exciting!