Scholarships and Auditions

Scholarships, Awards, and Auditions

The Division of Fine Arts at Maryville College offers scholarship opportunities for those who demonstrate both talent and potential in their field. Scholarships are available to both first-year and returning or transfer students based on academic achievement, interest areas, leadership and talent. Students may expect their award to be renewed so long as they have fulfilled the conditions of the award.

  1. Apply for admission to Maryville College
  2. Complete the audition application.
  3. Prepare your audition. Audition requirements may be found here.
  4. Get letter(s) of recommendation.
  5. Submit your letter(s) of recommendation.

Apply and audition process

Applications for Fine Art Major Scholarships and Fine Art Awards are due December 1, 2023. Once a student has applied to Maryville College, they will be given the opportunity to select the scholarship(s) or award(s) for which they are eligible, and complete the application(s) via their MaryVille Portal (MVP). All Fine Art applicants are required to interview/audition with Fine Art faculty in order to receive scholarship funds. Fine Arts auditions for students entering Fall 2024 will be held on campus. Students unable to travel to campus will be interviewed via Zoom on a case-by-case basis. Detailed information about the requirements for the scholarships and awards can be found below.

The art/design scholarship is awarded based on the student’s record of experience and success in his/her field, the potential for the applicant to contribute to the quality of the art department, letter(s) of recommendation, and the quality of the portfolio review. Replaces academic merit scholarship. Application and campus interview required.  Up to $23,000 per year. Renewable for eight fall/spring semesters of full-time study.

REQUIREMENTS

Must have at least one Scholarship Reference Form submitted from your current applied teacher(s) prior to your audition.

PORTFOLIO REVIEW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Applicants should be prepared to present a digital portfolio (JPG, PDF, PPT or URL link) with 10-12 works (can be single or mixed media) during their scheduled zoom interview exhibiting the student’s artistic potential, creativity and talent. Original works are acceptable to be shown on screen during the zoom interview if digital copies are not readily available.

OBLIGATIONS:

The Art Scholarship is awarded to students indicating Art or Design as their major. Students receiving Art Scholarships will be expected to fulfill the academic and artistic responsibilities of the award. Students may expect their award to be renewed so long as they have fulfilled the conditions of the award. The following factors may be grounds for discontinuing or reducing the award: the student’s failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0; the student’s failure to live on campus if stated in the award contract; the student’s failure to make significant progress toward an art degree; or a serious violation of the law or of Maryville College policies and regulations. The Scholarship Award Committee reserves the right to refuse renewal in any of the above cases.

The music scholarship is awarded based on the student’s record of experience and success in his/her field, the potential for the applicant to contribute to the quality of the music department, letter(s) of recommendation, and the quality of the audition performance.

Open to music majors based on individual talent. Recipients are required to participate in a related music ensemble. Replaces academic merit scholarship. Application and campus interview required.  Up to full tuition per year. Renewable for eight fall/spring semesters of full-time study.

REQUIREMENTS

Must have at least one Scholarship Reference Form submitted from your current applied teacher(s) prior to your audition.

QUALIFICATIONS

The Music Scholarship is made with consideration to the following criteria:
• The quality of the audition performance
• The student’s record of experience and success in his/her field
• The potential for the applicant to contribute to the quality of the music department
• Letter(s) of recommendation

OBLIGATIONS:

The Music Scholarship is awarded to students indicating Music as a major. Students receiving Music Scholarships will be expected to fulfill the academic and artistic responsibilities of the award including but not limited to their successful participation in a related music ensemble. Students may expect their award to be renewed so long as they have fulfilled the conditions of the award. The following factors may be grounds for discontinuing or reducing the award: the student’s failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0; the student’s failure to live on campus if stated in the award contract; the student’s failure to make significant progress toward a music degree; or a serious violation of the law or of Maryville College policies and regulations. The Music Department faculty reserves the right to refuse renewal in any of the above cases.

The theatre scholarship is awarded based on the student’s record of experience and success in his/her field, the potential for the applicant to contribute to the quality of the theatre program, letter(s) of recommendation, and the quality of the audition performance. Replaces academic merit scholarship. Application and campus interview required.  Up to $23,000 per year. Renewable for eight fall/spring semesters of full-time study.

REQUIREMENTS

Must have at least one Scholarship Reference Form submitted from your current applied teacher(s) prior to your audition.

QUALIFICATIONS

The Theatre Scholarship is made with consideration to the following criteria:
The quality of the acting audition or the quality of the tech portfolio
• The student’s record of experience and success in his/her field
• The potential for the applicant to contribute to the quality of the theatre program
• Letter(s) of recommendation

OBLIGATIONS:

The Theatre scholarship is awarded to students indicating Theatre as their major. Students receiving Theatre Scholarships will be expected to fulfill the academic and artistic responsibilities of the award. Students may expect their award to be renewed so long as they have fulfilled the conditions of the award. The following factors may be grounds for discontinuing or reducing the award: the student’s failure to maintain a grade point average of 2.5; the student’s failure to live on campus if stated in the award contract; the student’s failure to make significant progress toward a theatre degree; or a serious violation of the law or of Maryville College policies and regulations. The Scholarship Award Committee reserves the right to refuse renewal in any of the above cases.

In addition to scholarships, Maryville College provides opportunities for additional awards to interested or qualified students. Many institutions only have scholarships for their majors; at Maryville College awards are set aside specifically for non-majors to provide academic options that help each student reach his or her potential, in life and in the workplace.

Open to non-music majors. Prefer at least two years prior participation in a high school chorus. Up to $2,000. Renewable for eight fall/spring semesters of full-time study with continued involvement in a choral ensemble with 2.5 GPA. Application and campus interview required.

REQUIREMENT:

Must submit at least one Scholarship Reference Form from a music teacher or director with whom you have worked closely.

Open to non-music majors on the basis of individual talent. Recipients are required to participate in a related music ensemble. Up to $2,000. Renewable for eight fall/spring semesters of full-time study with continued involvement in a music ensemble with 2.5 GPA. Audition required.

REQUIREMENT:

Must submit at least one Scholarship Reference Form from a music teacher or director with whom you have worked closely.

Open to non-theatre majors. Prefer at least two years of prior participation in theatre productions. Up to $2,000. Renewable for eight fall/spring semesters of full-time study with continued involvement in theatre productions with 2.5 GPA. Application and campus interview required. 

REQUIREMENT:

Must submit at least one Scholarship Reference Form from your current applied teacher(s) prior to your audition.

Instrumental Award Guidelines:

(The following are the musical requirements for students seeking instrumental awards.)

Woodwinds, Brass, and Strings applicants should:
  1. Students should state their first and last name.
  2. Play the chromatic scale (full practical range in a tempo that demonstrates skill with clarity).
  3. Play a short lyrical section of a solo, etude, or excerpt.
  4. Play a short technical section of a solo or etude.
Percussion applicant should:
  1. Students should state their first and last name.
  2. Play a section of a snare drum solo, etude, or excerpt.
  3. Play a section of a xylophone or marimba solo, etude, or excerpt.
  4. Play a section of a timpani solo, etude, or excerpt.
Choral Award Guidelines

(The following are the musical requirements for students seeking Choral Award.)

Applicants should:

  1. State their first and last name.
  2. State their voice part.
  3. Sing vocal scales that demonstrate vocal range.
  4. Perform two contrasting solo selections.
  5. Demonstrate or discuss experience with sight-singing

The student should perform three selections from the repertoire indicated.* Auditions are judged by three or more members of the music faculty. Candidates who wish to demonstrate the breadth of their talent and experience may audition in more than one area. The Office of Admissions can arrange for an accompanist if notified at least two weeks before the audition and provided with copies of the music at that time (not applicable for online auditions).

PIANO
  1. A Bach Two- or Three-Part Invention or one of the Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier
  2. One movement of a Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven Sonata.
  3. A composition of the candidate’s own choosing from the Romantic or Contemporary periods.4.At least one selection must be played from memory.
ORGAN
  1. A Bach prelude and fugue or chorale prelude.
  2. A composition from 17th- or 18th-century organ literature.
  3. A composition from 19th- or 20th-century organ literature.
VOICE:
Three contrasting selections of the candidate’s choice, with:
  1. At least one song in English,
  2. At least one sacred piece, and
  3. At least one secular piece.
  4. All selections must be sung from memory.
STRING INSTRUMENTS
  1. An etude of the difficulty of the easier Kreutzer Etudes for Violin or Viola,The Dotzauer Violoncello Method, Book III or the Simandl Etudes, Book II for String Bass.
  2. One movement of a sonata or concerto at least of the difficulty of the Vivaldi Concerto in A Minor for Violin,the Handel Sonata in G Minor for Viola, the Golterman Concerto No. 4 in G Major for Violoncello, or the Corelli-Zimmerman Sonata in D Minor for String Bass.
  3. A composition of the candidate’s own choosing from the Romantic or Contemporary Periods.
WIND & PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
  1. Two contrasting compositions or movements from two concertos, chosen to demonstrate the candidate’sfamiliarity with diverse performance styles and techniques. It is preferred that percussionists perform on twodifferent instruments.
  2. An etude of the difficulty found in Arban, Gordon, Kopprasch, Blazevich or Rubank Advanced method (Brass);Klose, Anderson, Terchak or Rubank Advanced Method (Woodwinds).
  3. Percussion candidates should prepare etudes for two of the following instruments: snare drum, timpani, or xylophone.
GUITAR
  1. Three selections in contrasting styles and tempos.
  2. It is preferred that at least one of the preceding be a classical guitar selection.

Performance Emphasis:

The student should prepare two audition monologues. Acceptable formats include YouTube, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Video links to outside performances will not replace the two contrasting monologues requirement and are not necessary.

Technical Emphasis:

The student can present a portfolio, technical project, and/or prompt book. The video should be no longer than 3 minutes in length and the student should also provide a PDF of the documents described in the video.