Manley H. Thaler Crescendo Award to
Honor a Member of the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras
Purpose/General Information: The Manley H. Thaler Crescendo Award has been established to honor long-time music devotee Manley H. Thaler. Its purpose is to provide one deserving Tallahassee Youth Orchestras (TYO) student a monetary award to help cover costs associated with attending a nationally recognized summer music festival or institute of study. The length of the festival or institute should be between 4-10 weeks with competitive admittance procedures, and esteemed faculty and programs. The program should include, in addition to private lesson study, a component of chamber music or participation in an orchestral ensemble.
Please CLICK HERE for a sample acceptable institutes.
Rationale for Award: A summer festival/institute experience can help set a student on a path to achieving his/her professional goals by 1) providing an opportunity to work consistently alongside other serious music students, 2) allowing the student to witness the level of talent that exists outside their immediate surroundings at home, and 3) making it possible for a student to network with faculty and students from other prestigious music programs.
Amount/Length of Award: Up to $3000, to be paid directly to the summer program (also commonly called “institute” or “festival”) is available to one student for one summer session. The award will be used solely for tuition, room and board costs. In the event that, because a student receives a scholarship from the summer program, less than $3000 is necessary to cover the costs of tuition, room, and board due, the award amount will be adjusted to cover the balance.
Eligibility/Letter of Inquiry: For the 2011-2012 season, any student who is actively involved in the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras program and is a junior in high school or below may submit a letter of inquiry expressing interest in the Manley H. Thaler Crescendo Award between February 1—March 1. The letter should state why the student is interested in the award, where the student has applied for summer study, a summary of the summer study program, and an estimate of its associated costs. The Crescendo Award committee, which will include the TYO Music Director, TYO Executive Director, and five members of the Manley H. Thaler Family will then invite select students to submit a full application based on an evaluation of the student’s seriousness of purpose, desired personal characteristics displayed when attending TYO rehearsals, and choice of summer institute.
Application: Applications for the Manley Thaler Crescendo Award will be due by April 1st. The application will include, but is not limited to: a personal essay by the student, a letter of recommendation from the student’s teacher, a letter of recommendation from someone who is able to speak of the student’s personal qualities outside the realm of music study, a letter verifying admittance to the institute, any scholarship offers from the institute, and a recorded performance of the student. A qualified outsider will anonymously evaluate and rank the recordings. The Crescendo Award committee will then evaluate the applications based on these rankings alongside 1) musical ability and/or potential and 2) strength of application.
Final Decision: A final decision of the winner of the Manley H. Thaler Crescendo Award will be made by May 6th.