Education Committee
Scholarship Opportunities
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Scholarship Opportunities
The Harrisburg Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is pleased to offer several scholarship opportunities to young people who wish to pursue study of the organ.
In 2011 we awarded seven Shenk Scholarships. Application materials for the 2012 Shenk Scholarships are now available: Shenk Guidelines. See below for more details on this scholarship. The deadline for applying for this scholarship is April 30 each year.
In 2011 we awarded one Yocum scholarship for a student to attend a POE. Applications for the 2012 Yocum Scholarships to attend a Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) will be due February 28, 2012. Application materials for 2012 are now available: Yocum Guidelines. Visit the National website for up-to-date information on POE.
An informative brochure is also available. Please print one for a young pianist who you may know.
The Shenk Scholarship Fund was established in August of 2001 with a generous gift given to us by Chapter Member Melvin Shenk from the Violette I. Shenk memorial. Incidentally, Violette, Melvin’s mother, was a first cousin to Violette Cassel for whom our biannual student competition is named.
The Shenk Scholarship was set up to promote and encourage the study of organ to interested students throughout the Central Pennsylvania region. The Executive Committee approved the scholarship to be used for organ lessons to qualified students. Each summer the selected students receive ten half-hour lessons (or the equivalent) from a member of the Harrisburg Chapter. Recent teachers have been Victor Fields, Josephine Freund, Richard Frey, and Shelly Moorman-Stahlman.
This fund has given 71 awards over the past 9 years giving each recipient the equivalent of 10 thirty-minute lessons during the summer months. Numerous students who were scholarship recipients continued study and are now serving churches, studying music in college, and otherwise continuing their study.
Please help us continue to make this scholarship possible. See below for information on how to donate to this outreach to young organists.
In 2003 a scholarship fund was established through a gift from Faith Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg to honor Guild member Chuck Yocum on his retirement as music director of the church. The scholarship was established to honor Chuck's commitment to the AGO, and to acknowledge the respect he holds with our membership. Chuck designated the fund to benefit students wanting to attend Pipe Organ Encounters (POE) in the summer months. This scholarship may only be received three times.
Since its establishment in 2003 this scholarship has provided 20 full-tuition scholarships for students to attend a POE, an intense 4 to 5 day experience in studying and hearing and learning. Our students have attended POEs from Georgia to Massachusetts and everywhere in between.
Please help us continue to make this scholarship possible. See below for information on how to donate to this outreach to young organists.
If you know of a student who would benefit from either attending a Pipe Organ Encounter or having reduced cost organ lessons, please print the application for them or contact our Education Committee Chairman, Shelly Moorman-Stahlman.
Financial donations are always appreciated. Please contact our Treasurer, Brian Rice, to make a contribution or mail your check to Brian Rice, 1430 Green Street, Harrisburg PA 17102.