Scholarships and Grants

To be eligible for a Memorial Scholarship, the candidate must:

• Be a member of the Dalcroze Society of America. (Student memberships are $25/year.)
• Intend to enroll in a qualified Dalcroze teacher training program in the United States or at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Submit a completed application, including required references and documentation.

Preference will be given to students who:

• Intend to teach in the United States

Each applicant must submit (via our website):

• Specify whether you are a new or returning teacher trainee
• Intent to teach in the USA (Yes/No)
• Program you are applying for
• Brief responses to these questions (1000 characters or fewer each):
  • How have you engaged with the Dalcroze practice through classes, workshops, research, or self-guided learning? What is it about the Dalcroze practice that attracts you to the work?
  • How do you plan to integrate Dalcroze principles into your teaching, performance, or creative work? You may share any specific goals or projects you have in mind.
  • Please describe your community participation such as collaborations, leadership, innovation, research, outreach efforts, and/or mentorship (can be non-music related).
  • How would receiving this scholarship impact your pursuit of Dalcroze training?
  • Briefly describe your prior experience in movement, improv, pedagogy, piano. (New teacher trainees only.)
• Three professional references (name/email)
  • These references may come from any area of your life, but should be aware of your interest in Dalcroze. They do not need to be certified Dalcroze teachers.
  • If applying for funding toward study at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze, two of your references must hold the diplôme supérieur, at least one of which is US-based.
• Resume/C.V.

Please provide the name and email of three references, and we will invite them to fill out a five-question online form. These references may come from any area of your life, but should be aware of your interest in Dalcroze. They do not need to be certified Dalcroze teachers. References from relatives are not accepted.

If applying for funding toward study at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze, two of your references must hold the diplôme supérieur, at least one of which is US-based.

References will be asked to reflect on the following questions, and submit their responses via an online form.

• How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
• Consider how the candidate ranks in the following areas by selecting “No Evidence, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Top 5%”:
  • Engagement with the Dalcroze practice (through classes, workshops, research, or self-guided learning)
  • Expressed or demonstrated interest in using Dalcroze in their teaching or professional work
  • Community participation (collaborations, leadership, innovation, outreach efforts, and/or mentorship—can be non-music related)
  • Musical skills
• Free text response for any other comments.

Contingent on funding, we award scholarships in the following categories:

1. New Student Scholarship: Open to individuals beginning their professional Dalcroze training at any qualified teacher training program.
2. Returning Student Scholarship: Open to individuals continuing their Dalcroze studies at any qualified teacher training program.
3. T2 Program Scholarship: Open to individuals attending a school that participates in the DSA T2 Program

To ensure fairness and equity, each applicant will be considered for all memorial scholarships they are eligible for. If an applicant is awarded a scholarship in one category, they will not be considered for other categories.

Applicants do not need to select specific scholarships when applying. Instead, eligibility is automatically determined based on the information provided in their application.

Applicants will be notified in mid-April after the review process is complete.

While we strive to recognize a diverse pool of candidates, the number of awards and their distribution will depend on the composition of the applicant pool in a given year.

• Awards may be used for summer institutes or for one-semester courses within the academic year (June to May of the following year).
• Awards may be used for study at a qualified Dalcroze teacher training program in the United States or at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, Switzerland.
• In order to serve a number of applicants, all scholarships are for partial tuition. Awards may not exceed the cost of the program.
• Awards may not be transferred to other institutions or used for virtual study.
• Awards may not be deferred to future years.
• Awards are sent directly to the institution. Scholarship recipients do not receive the funding directly.
• Applications are evaluated by a Scholarships Task Force. If an adjudicator has a conflict of interest in evaluating a student, they will recuse themselves from evaluating that application.
• Awards are made primarily on the basis of demonstrated merit and/or potential for success. However, the following factors are also considered:
  • The applicant’s commitment to pursuing Dalcroze certification and practicing Dalcroze education in the United States
  • Whether or not the applicant has previously been awarded a DSA scholarship
  • Whether or not the applicant, as a previous awardee, provided a follow-up report on the training the scholarship helped to fund

To be eligible for the Impact Scholarship, the candidate must:

• Have been a member of the Dalcroze Society of America for at least two years
• Be a returning teacher trainee. (Not a first-year student.)
• Be pursuing a credential at a qualified Dalcroze teacher-training program in the USA (diplôme studies at the IJD are ineligible).

Applicants may apply for both the Memorial Scholarship and the Impact Scholarship (if eligible), with the Impact Scholarship considered first. If an applicant is not awarded an Impact Scholarship, they may be considered for the Memorial Scholarship.

Each applicant must submit (via our website):

• Essay (approx. 500–750 words) that addresses each of the following:
  • In your own words, a brief (one or two sentence) description of the Dalcroze practice.
  • Which Dalcroze principle most resonates with you and why.
  • Ideas of how you plan to integrate Dalcroze principles into your teaching, performance, or creative work. (Be as specific as possible.)
  • The biggest challenge you’ve experienced in teacher training and how you’ve overcome it.
  • Your greatest strength as a future Dalcroze teacher; what will your impact be?
• Musical and Pedagogical Examples
  • For each requested example, provide a link to a recording (audio or video). The link can be to an unlisted YouTube video, shared Google Drive file, etc. Applicants are welcome to consult with the scholarship committee chair regarding repertoire at scholarships@dalcrozeusa.org.
  • Improvisation Example
    • Recordings (video or audio) of two short (less than one minute) examples of you improvising at the piano for any of the following locomotor skills: walking, marching, running, skipping, galloping.
  • Teaching Piece Example
    • Recording (video or audio) of a short teaching piece. This may be instrumental repertoire, a harmonized folk song, or vocal piece that exemplifies a music subject.
    • In addition to the recording, the applicant should provide brief descriptions of three activities they might use when teaching the piece (one or two sentences each). E.g., “Students sway when the music is in compound meter, and tap the rhythms with a partner when it’s in simple meter.”
• Resume/CV
• Three professional references (see below)

Please provide the name and email of three references, and we will request formal letters of recommendation on your behalf. Letters from relatives or current students are not acceptable

• One reference must be the program director or diplômée who represents the teacher training program you are applying to.
  • We will ask them to specifically address your ability to succeed in a training program, potential for success after completing training, and your musical and teaching skills. The letter should provide an honest assessment of all three areas.
• The other two references should be from other people with whom you have a professional relationship, and who are able to address your teaching and/or musical skills and character. This may include colleagues, other teachers at the training program, private teachers, etc.

Applicants will be notified in mid-April after the review process is complete.

This is a merit-based scholarship and will be granted only to a qualified candidate whose application shows the potential to impact the community in the future. If no applicant meets this standard in a given cycle, the committee reserves the right not to award the scholarship.

• Awards may be used for summer study only.
• Awards may be used for study at a qualified Dalcroze teacher training program in the United States.
• Awards may not be transferred to other institutions or used for virtual study.
• Awards may not be deferred to future years.
• Awards are sent directly to the institution; if funds are remaining after tuition is paid, they will be sent directly to the recipient for costs associated with training (housing, child care, travel, etc.)
• Applications are evaluated by an Impact Scholarships Task Force. If an adjudicator has a conflict of interest in evaluating a student, they will recuse themselves from evaluating that application.

Submit the following information via our website. Responses are confidential and will not be shared outside of the review committee.

Applicant Information

1. Name:
2. Dalcroze Credential:
3. CV/Resume (Note: CV should include current or recent teaching experience and conference presentation experience). Email to ptos@dalcrozeusa.org
4. Please name and provide contact information for two DSA members with Dalcroze teaching credentials to endorse your work.

Conference and Presentation Information

1. Name, date, and location of conference:
2. Title and brief description of your presentation.
3. Intended audience of your presentation (preschool teachers, music ed, instrumental teachers, teachers in other disciplines, etc.):
4. Please provide a short (150-200 word) description of how your presentation will benefit the DSA and serve the local music practitioner community.
5. Has your conference proposal already been accepted?
6. If not, what is the anticipated notification date?

Compensation and Anticipated Expenses

1. Are you being compensated for your presentation by the host organization?
   • Yes / No
     • If so, complete the following to indicate your total compensation:
     • $50–100 
     • $100–250 
     • $250–500 
     • $500+ 
2. Your estimated budget:
   • Housing/board
   • Travel (mileage, to be paid at current IRS rate, rental car fee, airfare)
   • Conference Registration (if applicable)
3. Please list any expenses that will be paid by the hosting organization or other sources of funding.