Sweet Briar Music Scholarship

Dear future Sweet Briar student,

Thank you for your interest in the Sweet Briar College Music Scholarship. I am really looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your experience and interest in music.

In your essay, I'd love to hear about why you want to pursue an education in music, and what you hope to accomplish at Sweet Briar. Also include details about the performances or compositions you are submitting. How did you choose them? What were your inspirations? What was the process of rehearsing or composing like?

At Sweet Briar, we focus on contemporary work and encourage our students to develop their voices as originators of new performance pieces. To that end, I encourage you to think expansively about the possibilities of music, and how sound might intersect with visual as well as performance art, new media, web-based art, video, engineering, creative coding, and more! How will you use sound to tell the world your story?

I look forward to seeing your application!
Joshua Harris, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Music
Music Program Chair

Preferred Name

First Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Birthdate

Email Address

Mailing Address

Country

Street

City

Region

Postal Code

Are you a first year student or a transfer student?

When do you plan to start college?

When will/did you graduate from high school?

For all applicants: a one page essay describing their intentions for pursuing music at Sweet Briar College and your prior experience in music.

Performance Applicants:
For performance applicants, two performance videos shared through Vimeo, YouTube, or other video sharing site. Each performance should be a solo, a solo with collaborative piano, or a chamber ensemble performance that showcases your musical ability. In order to provide the faculty with the most complete picture of your ability, the two performances should contrast with one another in some element. For example, they may come from different historical periods, different styles, different cultures, different folk traditions, different genres, etc. The video and audio quality will not be evaluated (a mobile phone video is acceptable).

For Composition applications:
For composition applicants, documentation of one or two original works for music or sound art. This documentation could be any of the following items:

Musical score (PDF) + audio or video (link) of an original composition. The score should be neat and legible (either handwritten or computer engraved is fine), and the recording should be a live performance if possible (MIDI realizations are acceptable if a live recording is not available)
Audio or video recording (link) of an original song in a popular or folk style. This could be a studio recording, a demo, a “bedroom production," or a TikTok-style video.
Audio or video recording (link) of an improvisatory work without a score.
Audio or video (link) of a fixed media work without a score.
Video (link) of an installation work for which you created original sound.
Excerpt of a film or video game (link) containing your original sound.

Please use the appropriate section below to provide your link or PDF.

Composition Application video/audio link:

Composition Applicants can upload their original scores here:

Additional information:

Music Scholarships are $1,500 and renewable each year based on a specific GPA
All majors are encouraged to apply
All students must be admitted to the College to be considered

Admissions

Sweet Briar Music Scholarship