The Division of Fine Arts at Maryville College offers prestigious scholarship opportunities exclusively for new, incoming first-year and transfer students who demonstrate exceptional artistic talent and academic potential. These renewable awards support students committed to enriching our vibrant creative community while pursuing comprehensive liberal arts education.
Application Process & Timeline
Application Deadline: December 1
Required Steps:
- Apply for admission to Maryville College
- Complete the Fine Arts scholarship application via MaryVille Portal (MVP)
- Submit audition materials or portfolio according to discipline-specific requirements
- Provide letters of recommendation from qualified arts professionals
- Participate in faculty interview/audition on Scholar’s Day
Scholar’s Day Selection Process
Exceptional candidates are invited to this exclusive on-campus experience featuring:
- Individual auditions and portfolio interviews with distinguished Fine Arts faculty
- Peer meetings and facility tours
- Networking with current scholarship recipients
Scholar’s Day creates an immersive environment where candidates demonstrate artistic abilities while experiencing Maryville College’s collaborative creative community.
Comprehensive Fine Arts Programming
Music Excellence
- College ensembles: choir, band, chamber groups, and specialized ensembles
- Private lesson instruction with accomplished professional musicians
- Regular performance opportunities on campus and throughout East Tennessee
- Collaborative projects with regional arts organizations and visiting artists
Theatre Innovation
- Multiple productions annually spanning classical and contemporary works
- Technical theatre and design opportunities in lighting, set design, and sound
- Acting, directing, and playwriting workshops with professional guest artists
- Professional theatre partnerships and summer internship programs
Visual Arts Distinction
- Studio concentrations in painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and digital media
- Gallery exhibition opportunities for student work in campus and regional venues
- Artist residency programs and visiting artist workshops
- Museum internships and curatorial experience opportunities
Scholarship Benefits & Value
Financial Support
- Substantial renewable awards significantly reducing educational costs
- Four-year funding commitment contingent upon maintaining program requirements
- Priority registration for advanced coursework and specialized instruction
Professional Development
- Faculty mentorship with accomplished artists, performers, and educators
- Performance and exhibition opportunities building professional portfolios
- Regional arts partnerships providing internship and collaboration experiences
- Study abroad programs focusing on international arts traditions
Faculty Excellence & Standards
Our Fine Arts faculty consists of professional artists, performers, and educators committed to nurturing creative leaders. Students receive personalized attention through small class sizes characteristic of premier liberal arts education.
Scholarship recipients are expected to:
- Maintain active participation in department ensembles or programs
- Demonstrate consistent artistic development and academic excellence
- Contribute meaningfully to College cultural programming
- Serve as ambassadors for Fine Arts excellence
For detailed audition requirements and application materials, see below or visit your MaryVille Portal after you begin your admission application or contact our Admissions Office and Fine Arts faculty directly.
The Art Scholarship awards $500 to $5,000 per year to outstanding students who have declared an Art major, recognizing individual talent and dedication to excellence in the visual arts. This competitive award celebrates the creative achievements and growth of students who contribute to Maryville’s vibrant campus arts community through studio practice, exhibitions, and departmental activities.
Your Art Experience:
Focused on Art Majors:
From the moment you enter the program, you’ll immerse yourself in a rigorous curriculum featuring drawing, ceramics, painting, photography, mixed media, and art history. You’ll refine your artistic voice in a supportive academic environment where experimentation and critical feedback fuel your growth.
Exhibition and Collaboration:
Scholars regularly showcase their work at the Clayton Center for the Arts and participate in department exhibits, portfolio reviews, and collaborative projects. Faculty mentors and peers challenge and inspire you, helping you expand your creative boundaries and professional readiness.
Professional Development:
Maryville’s studio-based program prepares graduates for success in creative fields by encouraging independent inquiry, technical mastery, and engagement with contemporary and historical art practices. Career guidance and networking are integrated with the curriculum to help you launch your path as a working artist, designer, or educator.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open only to declared Art majors
- Award amounts based on portfolio, artistic record, and creative potential
- Recipients must remain actively engaged in departmental programs, exhibitions, and campus art events
- Maintain academic and artistic responsibility (e.g., minimum 2.5 GPA and progress within the Art major)
The Music Scholarship at Maryville College awards $500 to $5,000 per year to outstanding student musicians and vocalists, whether pursuing a Music major (instrumental or vocal) or simply passionate about performance and creativity. One exceptional Music major recipient each year earns the prestigious full-tuition Music Scholarship, which replaces the academic merit scholarship and requires on-campus residency.
Your Music Experience:
Open to All Students:
Whether you are an instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, Music major, or non-major, this scholarship welcomes students from every discipline. Awards are based on audition performance, musical achievements, and the potential to enrich our campus music culture.
Ensemble Opportunities:
All recipients participate in at least one of Maryville College’s acclaimed ensembles, which include band, choir, orchestra, and more. Musicians perform in collaborative, supportive settings with peers and faculty, sharing their talents in campus and public concerts. Vocalists have opportunities to join choral and sacred music groups, while instrumentalists contribute through wind, string, and percussion ensembles.
Comprehensive Audition Experience:
- Instrumentalists may audition for ensembles focusing on woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, guitar, or piano, with repertoire requirements tailored to demonstrate technique and artistry.
- Vocalists prepare selections in English, sacred and secular pieces, with ensemble placements in choirs or specialty groups.
- Both majors and non-majors are eligible, provided they maintain active participation and contribute musically to campus life.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Available to Music majors (instrumental and vocal) and non-majors
- Award amounts based on audition and musical record
- One full-tuition Music Scholarship awarded per year for a Music major, replaces merit and requires on-campus residency
- All recipients must participate in a music ensemble
The Theatre Scholarship awards $500 to $5,000 per year to actors, directors, designers, and technicians—majors and non-majors—who demonstrate talent and promise in the performing arts. Recipients are selected through auditions or technical portfolios and are invited to immerse themselves in a vibrant, supportive campus theatre community.
Your Theatre Experience:
Join a Dynamic Production Season:
Theatre Scholars at Maryville College collaborate on a variety of productions throughout the year, from classic dramas and musicals to innovative contemporary works. Past seasons have featured everything from Shakespeare and modern plays to student-created projects, allowing students to stretch their skills and build a diverse performance résumé.
All Roles Celebrated:
Whether you’re electrifying audiences as an actor, designing compelling sets and costumes, or managing backstage direction, opportunities abound. The Theatre program values artistry in every aspect of production—performance, technical theatre, stagecraft, and design.
Mentorship and Collaboration:
Work closely with faculty mentors and guest artists who guide students through every phase of production, offering one-on-one feedback, practical instruction, and encouragement for creative exploration.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to theatre majors and non-majors; actors, directors, and technicians
- Audition or portfolio review required for scholarship consideration
- All recipients participate actively in productions, ensembles, or backstage work
- Maintain good academic standing and meaningful engagement with the theatre program
Instrumental Guidelines:
Woodwinds, Brass, and Strings applicants should:
- Students should state their first and last name.
- Play the chromatic scale (full practical range in a tempo that demonstrates skill with clarity).
- Play a short lyrical section of a solo, etude, or excerpt.
- Play a short technical section of a solo or etude.
Percussion applicant should:
- Students should state their first and last name.
- Play a section of a snare drum solo, etude, or excerpt.
- Play a section of a xylophone or marimba solo, etude, or excerpt.
- Play a section of a timpani solo, etude, or excerpt.
Vocal Guidelines
Applicants should:
- State their first and last name.
- State their voice part.
- Sing vocal scales that demonstrate vocal range.
- Perform two contrasting solo selections.
- 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
- A Bach Two- or Three-Part Invention or one of the Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier
- One movement of a Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven Sonata.
- 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
- A Bach prelude and fugue or chorale prelude.
- A composition from 17th- or 18th-century organ literature.
- A composition from 19th- or 20th-century organ literature.
VOICE:
Three contrasting selections of the candidate’s choice, with:
- At least one song in English,
- At least one sacred piece, and
- At least one secular piece.
- All selections must be sung from memory.
STRING INSTRUMENTS
- 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.
- 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.
- A composition of the candidate’s own choosing from the Romantic or Contemporary Periods.
WIND & PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
- 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.
- An etude of the difficulty found in Arban, Gordon, Kopprasch, Blazevich or Rubank Advanced method (Brass);Klose, Anderson, Terchak or Rubank Advanced Method (Woodwinds).
- Percussion candidates should prepare etudes for two of the following instruments: snare drum, timpani, or xylophone.
GUITAR
- Three selections in contrasting styles and tempos.
- It is preferred that at least one of the preceding be a classical guitar selection.
Performance Emphasis:
The student should prepare two audition monologues.
Technical Emphasis:
The student can present a portfolio, technical project, and/or prompt book.