Scholarships for Earful of Fiddle
Applications and two letters of recommendation are due by May 13, 2024. Application>
A black and white drawing of Algia Mae Hinton playing guitar and dancing. She is a Black woman wearing sunglasses, a baseball hat, and a tie, and she is holding the guitar behind her head while playing it. Artwork by Gray Reynolds.
Algia Mae Hinton Memorial Scholarship
Piedmont blues guitarist and buck dancer, Algia Mae Hinton (1929-2018) was born the youngest of fourteen children to Black tenant farmers in O’Neal Township, Johnston Co., North Carolina. Her mother, Ollie, a multi-instrumentalist, taught her to play the guitar and banjo; her dad, Alexander, taught her the two-step and how to buck dance. For the first five decades of her life, Algia Mae played and danced for her seven children, and for local house parties and her congregation. In 1978, Algia Mae began performing in public, eventually appearing at the National Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. Algia Mae soon became known as one of the foremost exponents of music and dance from the Carolina piedmont.
In 1990, Algia Mae performed at Michigan’s Wheatland Music Festival in Mecosta County mere miles from where Earful of Fiddle Music and Dance Camp is now located. The Algia Mae Hinton Scholarship honors her incredible artistry and commemorates her performances at Wheatland. Initiated by a Black beginner banjo student who enjoyed her experience at Earful of Fiddle, this fund offers BIPOC students a chance to benefit from Earful’s extraordinary music and dance instructors. The scholarship covers full tuition, room, and board for BIPOC students of any skill level. Funding is also available to support room and board for a parent/guardian accompanying a minor student. Scholarship awardees receive full credit for tuition.
Fate Family Scholarship
The Fate family have long been proud supporters of the Weidman, Remus, Mecosta, and Barryton area school orchestra programs. In addition, the Fates are very passionate about the importance of traditional music and dance and hope they can help pass this passion to younger generations. Bringing these two passions together, in 2023 the Fates generously donated funds to provide tuition for one Weidman, Remus, Mecosta, and Barryton area orchestra student to Earful of fiddle Music & Dance Camp. Funding is available to support room and board for a parent/guardian accompanying a minor student.
Susan L Galloup Memorial Scholarship
Susan L. Galloup, along with her husband Bryan, was co-owner of Galloup Guitars in Big Rapids before her death in 2013. Susan loved her family, her community, and the arts. Her family has chosen to honor her memory by establishing an Earful scholarship in her name. The Susan L. Galloup Scholarship will be awarded to a minor (under 18) attending Earful room, board and tuition will be covered for the minor student, and room and board for a parent or guardian accompanying the minor student will also be covered by the Susan L. Galloup Memorial Scholarship.
A heart-shaped linocut print depicting two musicians looking out over farm fields. They are facing away from the viewer. One has long hair and is playing the fiddle, and the other has short hair, a hat, and is playing the banjo. The image is printed with a rainbow gradient going from purple to red. Print by Gray Reynolds.
Earful Artful Heart-full Scholarship
Earful of Fiddle Music & Dance Camp endeavors to be a safe and affirming space for all. Thanks to an anonymous donor, Earful of Fiddle is pleased to offer the Earful Artful Heart-full Scholarship to provide support for people who identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and more to attend camp. Applicants will be offered space in their application to write about their 2SLGBTQIA+ identity, as well other assemblages of self including race, indigeneity, ethnicity, ability, first language, economic background, and place of origin. Earful Artful Heart-full awardees may choose whether their award will be announced publicly or may remain anonymous if they prefer. Awardees will receive full credit on their tuition.
The Earful Artful Heart-full scholarship is funded in part by Elderly Instruments and Great Lakes Music. We thank them for their support!
Elderly Instruments is proud to support Earful of Fiddle Music and Dance Camp. https://www.elderly.com/
Great Lakes Music, founded by Jason Wheeler, was created in 2017 to facilitate and host traditional music educational events. The marquee event, Great Lakes Music Camp, is held each fall in West Olive, MI and brings more than 100 students and faculty together to celebrate traditional music. Great Lakes Music is a proud supporter of Earful of Fiddle. For more information on Great Lakes Music, visit https://www.greatlakesmusic.org
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
We also recommend starting by asking local service groups and community foundations about scholarships, then seeking assistance from your local folk music and dance societies.