Scholarships

The SAA offers course scholarships and travel funding to teachers committed to learning, fostering quality music education experiences, and advancing the Suzuki Method. SAA members can apply for scholarship support for Teacher Development core courses such as Every Child Can!, Filosofia, Unit Courses, Teaching Strategies, Practicum, and Suzuki Principles in Action.

Scholarship awards, ranging from partial to full course tuition, will be paid directly to course hosts: Teacher Trainers, Institutes, Universities, or sponsoring programs. Read below for further details. 

Travel funding will be paid as a reimbursement after travel has taken place and the travel receipt has been submitted. If you have been awarded travel funding and are facing barriers to making your travel arrangements, please email scholarships@suzukiassociation.org with details.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Active SAA membership
• Residence within the SAA region: North, Central, or South America
• 18 years of age or older
• Applicants must successfully pass any relevant audition requirements. For example, if you are applying for a scholarship for a Unit 1 course, you must have a Basic, Intermediate, or Comprehensive audition on file. If your audition is pending when you submit your scholarship application, scholarship results will not be determined until the audition results are known. Visit the Auditions page for audition repertoire and criteria.
• SAA members should be taking a course for the first time and as a participant in order to use scholarship funds. Audits and repeat courses are not eligible for scholarships.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

Basic Information

• First / Last Name
• Membership # (optional)
• Country of residence
• Upload your resume
• Primary instrument or area of study
• Name of the core course that you plan to take (eg. Bass Unit 2, Suzuki Principles in Action, etc.).
  Please note: Enrichment & Supplementary courses are currently ineligible for scholarships.
• Course format: in-person or online?
• Identify the instructor, Institute, or host of the course (optional)
• Indicate the dates and cost of the course (optional)
• Are you requesting travel funding? If so, how much?
• Age (optional) 
• Gender (optional) 
• Ethnicity (optional) 
  • To be eligible for the Michele Higa George Scholarship, this question is required
• Studio size (optional) 
• Identify which types of areas you teach in: urban, suburban, rural, other (optional)

Application Questions
Please answer using no more than 350 words in the language you are most comfortable with.

• Why is music and/or Suzuki education crucial in our world?
• What impact do you hope this course has on your teaching?
• Submit a statement of your financial need, including any pertinent information that will help us better understand your situation.
• Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Letters of Recommendation (2)
We suggest these come from teachers, musical mentors, or colleagues. We are looking for insight into who you are as a student, teacher, leader, and community member. You (the applicant) will upload these letters as part of the application.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

APPLICATION RUBRIC

Applications will be rated on a 10 point scale, with 10 being the highest score, using the following rubric.

The application demonstrates the candidate’s

• commitment to and application of the Suzuki philosophy (up to 2 points)
• commitment to learning and growth (up to 2 points)
• leadership within their community (up to 2 points)
• financial need  (up to 4 points)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Applications are accepted year round. The submission deadlines below are firm, as are the earliest start dates. If you have a particular course in mind, please use the start date of that course to find the submission deadline.

Applicants will be notified of their application status within one month of the relevant submission deadline.

Review Process

A volunteer scholarship committee reviews scholarships applications. If you are interested in being on the committee, please apply here.