Florida Jazz and Blues Festival Scholarship

The inaugural Florida Jazz and Blues Festival will bring internationally renowned performers to Tallahassee and Leon County for a weekend-long celebration of music. As attendees marvel at the talent and skill on stage, it is important to remember that every world-class artist started somewhere. Supporting the next generation of musicians is an important part of the festival’s mission. To honor America’s jazz legacy and encourage the sustainability of the art form, the Florida Jazz and Blues Festival Scholarship is announced.

Tallahassee and Leon County public and private high school music teachers are invited to nominate 12th grade musicians for this opportunity. Nominees must be serious music students with a jazz focus, intending to continue their studies at FAMU or FSU as music majors. Each music teacher may only nominate one student. Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for use towards college tuition.

Click here to apply

Eligibility Criteria

Nominations must come from a music teacher employed by a public or private high school in Tallahassee and Leon County.

• Each music teacher may only nominate one music student currently participating in a music class/program led by the nominating teacher (more than one student nominee per school is permissible, if there are multiple music teachers employed by that school).

• Music teachers must notify the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) prior to submitting the nomination and obtain parental/guardian permission to publicize the student's name, likeness, and quotes.

• Music teachers must include an unedited video, up to 5 minutes long, of a jazz performance by the student nominee. You may choose to either upload the digital video file to this nomination form or include a web link to a video on YouTube or another website. A high-quality recording from a phone or digital camera is recommended. We cannot accept a physical tape or DVD.

The student nominee must be:

• Currently enrolled in the 12th grade

• Currently participating in a school based music class/program led by the nominating teacher

• Studying music with a focus on jazz (bass, flute, guitar, piano, piccolo, percussion, sax, trombone, trumpet, vocals, etc.)

• Bound for FAMU or FSU with an intent to declare a music-related major (performance, music education, music therapy, commercial music, theory, composition, etc.)

• A serious, mature, and dedicated musician

Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 at 11:59pm
Nomination deadline

• Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016
Notification of selection will be emailed to the nominating teachers

• Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, 10:30-11:30am at the Capital City Amphitheater in Cascades Park
Scholarship winners will be publicly announced at a community music clinic featuring Scotty Barnhart and the Count Basie Orchestra