Berklee offers a variety of full and partial merit-based scholarships for students attending Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive.
Berklee scholarships are not available for any program other than Aspire: Five-Week.
Please review the available scholarships and submission guidelines below:
Available Scholarships
Aspire Scholarship
The Aspire Scholarship highlights students who show strong musical ability and promise in any style. It is awarded to those who demonstrate commitment to their craft and the potential for significant artistic growth.
Award Amount: $1,000 - $3,000
Deadline: Early Consideration Deadline (March 1) or Final Consideration Deadline (April 1)
Berklee Ensemble Excellence Award
The Berklee Ensemble Excellence Award is Aspire's premier full-tuition scholarship, awarded to a small number of exceptional students each year. Recipients will be placed together in dedicated Aspire Featured Ensembles for the duration of the program, offering a focused, high-level collaborative experience under the mentorship of Berklee faculty, with a featured performance in the final week of the program.
Award Amount: Full tuition (housing and meal plan not included)
Deadline: Early Consideration Deadline (March 1) or Final Consideration Deadline (April 1)
Jazz Workshop Scholarship
Led by Grammy Award-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, this scholarship invites top jazz performers to immerse themselves in small-group performance, improvisation, and composition.
Award Amount: Full tuition, on-campus housing, and a meal plan
Deadline: Early Consideration Deadline (March 1) only
Arif Mardin Music Fellowship
In honor of Berklee alum Arif Mardin '61, this fellowship supports selected students of Turkish nationality to attend Aspire: Five-Week.
Award Amount: Full tuition, on-campus housing, and a meal plan
Deadline: Early Consideration Deadline (March 1) only
Submission Guidelines
Jazz Workshop Scholarship
You must submit three videos and your artistic snapshot following the guidelines below:
General Video Guidelines
- Video 1: a fast/up-tempo piece (roughly 130 bpm or faster) with a swing feel
- Video 2: a medium-tempo piece (roughly 110-130 bpm) with a swing feel
- Video 3: an odd-metered piece with an even eighth-note feel
Note: Links for all videos must be accessible. Please be sure that privacy settings for each link are set so that anyone with the link can view.
Your Artistic Snapshot (750 characters or less)
Use your artistic snapshot to briefly share on two key areas:
- Video Description: In 2-3 sentences total, tell us more about your performance selections (e.g., what styles you selected and/or why you chose them)
- Achievements: In 1-2 sentences, tell us about any musical or academic achievements that have shaped who you are as an artist or that you're most proud of
Aspire Scholarship, Berklee Ensemble Excellence Award, and Arif Mardin Fellowship
You must submit two to three videos and your artistic snapshot following the guidelines below:
General Video Guidelines
- Video 1: perform a piece that shows us your best work
- Video 2: perform a piece that showcases your improvisational ability
- Video 3: perform a technical demonstration on your primary instrument, if required based on the additional guidelines below
Voice and Percussion: Submit a short video of scales, arpeggios, or an exercise you use often in warm-up or in practice. Please do not use a band or play-along track for this video submission. If you choose not to submit a technical exercise, you will automatically be placed in the lowest level of your technical lab.
Guitar and Piano: Submit a video of you comping. If you choose not to submit a technical exercise, you will automatically be placed in the lowest level of your technical lab.
Bass: Submit a video of you demonstrating bassline construction. If you choose not to submit a technical exercise, you will automatically be placed in the lowest level of your technical lab.
Singer-Songwriter: Submit a technical video that matches your primary instrument (e.g., voice, guitar, piano, etc.)
A technical exercise video is not required for scholarship consideration or class placement purposes for the following instrument categories: Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, and Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI)
Note: Links for all videos must be accessible. Please be sure that privacy settings for each link are set so that anyone with the link can view.
Your Artistic Snapshot (750 characters or less)
Use your artistic snapshot to briefly share on two key areas:
- Video Description: In 2-3 sentences total, tell us more about your performance selections (e.g., what styles you selected and/or why you chose them)
- Achievements: In 1-2 sentences, tell us about any musical or academic achievements that have shaped who you are as an artist or that you're most proud of
Additionally, Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI) applicants must include a description of the musical ideas, software/hardware used, and creative intent behind the submitted performances.
Recording Tips
- Home, live, or studio recordings are permitted; audio clarity matters more than video quality.
- Be sure that your video links remain accessible to anyone with the link; if you are concerned about copyright issues with YouTube, Google Drive or Dropbox are comparable platforms.
- Original compositions are accepted, but only one of your performance videos may be an original composition.
- Keep within the requested lengths and styles for each scholarship.
- If you choose to submit a video longer than two to three minutes, be prepared that adjudicators may not review beyond the three-minute mark.
- Your video should be no more than one year old.
- Please submit videos in the style choice you wish to focus on during the program.
- Absolutely no editing or overdubbing of performance videos.
- Accompaniment is required for performance videos. Play-along tracks must exclude your instrument.
- Your Artistic Snapshot has a 750-character maximum, including spaces. Please keep in mind that this is not a formal essay, but a way for you to quickly highlight what makes you unique as an artist.
If you're unsure what to record for your videos, here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- a song from a well-known artist or band demonstrating the style choice you wish to focus on during the program (jazz, pop-rock, funk/fusion, pop/R&B);
- a jazz tune, standard, or blues song (in this case, a featured improvisation is strongly suggested);
- a piece from your repertoire or a movement, sonata, concerto, or étude;
- a transcription of a well-known artist’s solo; and/or
- an original song or composition (If you submit one original, the second piece must follow one of the suggestions listed above).
Deadlines
Early Consideration (Workshop-Eligible) Deadline: March 1, 11:59 PM ET
- Aspire Scholarship Round 1
- Berklee Ensemble Excellence Award
- Jazz Workshop Scholarship
- Arif Mardin Music Fellowship
Submissions received by March 1 will be given first funding priority. Decisions will be issued via email by April 8.
Final Consideration Deadline: April 1, 11:59 PM ET
- Aspire Scholarship Round 2
- Berklee Ensemble Excellence Award
Decisions will be issued via email by May 2.