SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
Scholarship Applications must be postmarked by April 10, 2023.
Results for scholarships applications for Summer 2023
will be postmarked no later than May 15, 2023.
All applicants will be notified of the results.
Please read the information in the section below along with the
before completing the scholarship application.
Scroll down for the Scholarship Application for Summer 2023.
SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS
Arrowbear Music Associates grants scholarships to any accredited instrumental or choral music camp in the United States. Applications are available beginning February 1 and are due in mid-April. For Summer 2022, we granted $54,775 in scholarships to 52 recipients. Most scholarships awarded are for one-half to three-fourths of the cost of a session. There are a limited number of full scholarships available. We grant scholarships to both choral and instrumental applicants. Recipients are chosen based on both need and merit. Nearly all of our recipients would not have been able to attend a summer music camp without financial assistance. We notify all applicants by the middle of May. Contact our Scholarship Chairperson, Laura Kusaba, at arrowbearmusicassociates@gmail.com or call her at 562-634-5158, if you still have questions after reading the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below.
The process includes:
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a written application
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a CD or a flash drive in MP3 format of a solo with or without accompaniment for instrumental applicants OR a CD or a flash drive in MP3 format of two vocal selections (one classical and one popular selection) with or without accompaniment for choral applicants. Do NOT send a DVD or use MP4 format.
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a letter written by the applicant explaining why he or she needs a scholarship
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a recommendation letter from a private or school music teacher
All components must be completed as explained in the directions and postmarked by the due date to be eligible for a scholarship. Late applications are NOT accepted for any reason.
***Please be sure of your summer plans before you apply for a scholarship. Once awarded, scholarships are NOT transferable to another session, music camp, or person. Scholarship recipients are expected to attend their entire session without arriving late or leaving early unless there is an emergency.
Questions? No problem. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions link.
This application is for those who wish to fill out the form by hand using an ink pen.
It is also best for making multiple copies.
This application is for those who wish to type directly onto a fillable form.
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 2022
It’s so difficult to decide who should receive assistance. We agonize, argue passionately for students who touch our hearts in some way, and finally reach a consensus on who gets a scholarship, and who we are unable to help. We walk a delicate line trying to balance merit with need, those who have the advantage of lessons versus those who have potential but whose parents can’t afford private lessons. These last two years have been difficult on all the arts with learning from home on Zoom. Enrollment in music classes is down and the progress is slower than usual. It’s going to take time to rebuild programs. Students are eager for the musical challenge and the camaraderie that a session at camp provides.
We are excited to announce that we awarded $54,775 in scholarships to all 52 young musicians who applied for Summer 2022. Congratulations to them all!
Morey’s Music Store Scholarship
Tyki Cantu-Wang violin
Dominic Guevara violin
David L. Schechter Scholarship
Brenden Watson alto sax
Emily Silvernail euphonium
Robert “Bob” Dill Foundation Scholarship
Rogelio Raya violin
Robert Simmergren Scholarship
Zachary Gerhart cello
Ivanna Moore flute
Newton and Elsie Wrench Scholarship
Avi Kenyon tenor sax
Robert Collins Choral Scholarship
Lillian Dunlap soprano
Arnold & Judy Hogarth Scholarship
Giovanni Carroll percussion
Liam Ellison cello
Angela Frerichs violin
Emily Gil euphonium
Christian Maya alto sax
Nolan Sheets violin
Sunne Oscislawskibeck choral
Matisse Tari violin
Christian Velez alto sax
Raye Fairchild Scholarship
James Fenton cello
Walter Norwick Scholarship
Natalie Whiteside string bass
Cliff Ervin Scholarship
Maggie Jenkins trumpet
John Ervin Scholarship
Kenny Tran trombone
Carol Lyn Jackson Scholarship
Nina Cantu-Wang violin
Loren & June Collins Scholarship
Akito Kato percussion
Carole Ohlendorf Dockstader Scholarship
Nina Cantu-Wang violin
Suzanne & Juliette Fluchere Scholarship
Andrew Gerhart violin
Renata Raya cello
B.T. "Ted" Mills Scholarship
Branden Berumen tenor sax
Myrtle Seymour Watilo Scholarship
Allison Suárez violin
Wallace Umber Scholarship
Lucas Wheeler trumpet
Katy Henderson Scholarship
Alvin Reyes flute
Frances J Harding Scholarship
Andrew Marquez drums
Mark Masterson Scholarship
Katherine Erber flute
Choral Scholarships
Jacob Connolly baritone
Liam Getzin tenor
Middle School Scholarships
Max Balusik trumpet
Olivia Castro cello
Ciaran Fitzgerald trumpet
Tucker Keele violin
Isabella Luongo violin
Kiana Lee cello
Asher Lowery clarinet
Kaydin Lowery trombone
Christopher Nichols tenor sax
Corey Plooy saxophone
High School Scholarships
Jordan Barnes flute
Shayna Beckerman clarinet
Keyra Ickler flute
Rebekah Rodriguez oboe
Katie Nuñuz violin
Eli Nuñuz violin
Alyssa Plooy clarinet
SPONSOR A SCHOLARSHIP
We currently have twenty-two special scholarships sponsored by individuals and businesses. These special scholarships are awarded in the sponsor's own name, the name of a loved one, or in the name of their business or organization. We are willing to work with you to create a scholarship for a specific age group, instrument, or section such as winds, brass, strings, etc. We will discuss options with you on how to fund the scholarship. Special scholarships should provide at least half of the cost of a session.
Please contact Laura Kusaba at 562-634-5158 or by email at arrowbearmusicassociates@gmail.com if you are interested.
Intermediate I Recipients 2022
Intermediate II Recipients 2022
Advanced Recipients 2022
Jazz Recipients 2022
Choral Recipients 2022
Elementary & Pre-Intermediate Recipients 2022
THANK YOU LETTERS - 2022
I am so grateful for the scholarship that you have given me. I was very happy to receive it. I smiled for the rest of the day. The camp is something I really wanted to do and with this scholarship it has made it possible for me to attend. I love playing the flute, and I also started learning to play the ukulele. I’d like to play more instruments and music, and the camp will give me a chance to learn more about them. Again, I would really like to thank you. I’m looking forward to camp.
Thank you so, so much for making it possible for me to attend Arrowbear Music Camp this summer. I am sure it will be a wonderful experience, and that I will learn a lot about my instrument and how to play in a band. Again, I really can't thank you enough.
Thank you for the opportunity to attend Arrowbear. I will cherish every second. My goal is to absorb every lesson every single hour in order to grow in my music abilities. What I plan to do with all the information that I acquire is to excel in my music abilities so I can qualify for wind ensemble. Music is my passion. Recently I picked up the bass clarinet and I’m doing pretty well. I am so excited to grow this summer. Thank you for this amazing opportunity.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to sing with Arrowbear Music Camp. I am grateful that I get to go to this camp again to sing, learn, and make new memories with the people I meet and make friends with. I hope to sing and learn exciting new music that the choir will perform during our concert. I hope to see you there so I can thank you personally.
I would like to thank you so much for funding my scholarship for Arrowbear. It helps my family and me so much. This is an opportunity that I never thought I would get! Playing in orchestra is so important to me, so I am going to take advantage of this chance and make the most out of it. I will put all my effort into camp and will leave knowing that I learned the most that I could. Again, thank you so much for this opportunity to help me improve at violin. Thanks for making it possible.
A huge thank you for the scholarship! We’re so grateful to the donor and to your scholarship program that helps so many kids attend camp. Our son is so excited to be able to go to Arrowbear for the first time! I have two older orchestra children who never attended any kind of camps like this, and he knows it’s an incredible privilege and is very excited. Thank you for making it financially possible!
I wanted to say that you have made the impossible, possible, because now I can keep sharing my love of music at Arrowbear without having to worry about the financial burden to my family. From my family to yours, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your scholarship has only emboldened me to strive to work harder in my path of music. Once again, thank you so much for this opportunity.
THANK YOU LETTERS - 2021
Below are some of the thank you letters we received from our scholarship recipients. Their appreciation and excitement reveal the impact your generosity has on their lives and families. After a year of limited interaction with their peers, they are thrilled to attend a summer music camp and spend time with other young musicians who share their passion for music.
Today I received a letter notifying me that I was a chosen recipient of the Robert “Bob” Dill Scholarship. I am extremely thankful for your kindness and the opportunity you have given me.
Ever since I started playing saxophone in 5th grade, I dreamed about the ability to fluidly improvise like the great musicians I listened to. I am now one step closer to achieving this dream because of the scholarship and the privilege of studying with the Arrowbear music experts. I just want to say a big thank you to you for this opportunity.
I am writing to thank you for the Arrowbear Music Camp scholarship. I am very grateful and appreciative to be the recipient of your scholarship. Thanks to this scholarship, I will gain more experience playing with new people and playing in a large ensemble. This scholarship alleviates a lot of financial stress from my parents and my family. Your generosity has motivated me to push myself further in music and to put myself “out there” more. I hope to one day help aspiring musicians as you have helped me.
I wanted to let you know I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity this scholarship will provide. I am relieved that I didn’t burden my family with this expense, as finances are tight due to the difficulties that COVID presented.
I got into my school’s top choir for competition this year, but I still have no idea how to sing in a choral setting. I didn’t receive the in-person instruction that my peers received prior to COVID. I don’t want to hold my choir back. I am hopeful that going to this camp will help develop me as a choral singer. Again, thank you so much for this opportunity.
II am honored to accept this scholarship to attend Arrowbear. Arrowbear Music Camp is like my favorite place to be during the summer. I have enjoyed three summers in a row at Elementary and made several life-long friends. This will be my first summer at Intermediate, and I’m very excited to go after a very difficult year.
I am so thankful that you’ve given me this opportunity to attend as it was the only way I would be able to afford to go. My love for music is growing and Arrowbear is a huge part of my inspiration for making music.
I am sincerely honored to be selected as the recipient of this scholarship. Thank you for your generosity which has allowed me to go to the camp that i love. Because of your scholarship, i will be able to sing my heart out and do what I love.
I cannot express my gratitude enough. I never imagined getting a scholarship of this large scale. This means so much to me, and I am truly grateful. I always wanted to attend a music camp, but never could afford to do so. With your generosity, i can finally attend one!
I am going to start my music education studies in the upcoming school year, and I ultimately chose music education because I want to help others. I constantly see myself in kids younger than me; it's like I'm looking in a mirror. I see myself in middle schoolers from my own school, or in other areas that are not so privileged. I want to help them as much as I can, offer as much aid as I can, just so I can see them succeed and have a chance at music in this really competitive world.
My family comes from Mexico. In Mexican culture, honoring elders and community is key. I want to give back to my community, and I also want to honor the people who helped me along the way. I know by teaching others what they have taught me, I can do just that. This scholarship not only lets me attend a music camp, but it reminds me that people believe in me, and that is what drives me to succeed, not only for myself, but for those who believe in me.
THANK YOU LETTERS - 2020
While our scholarship recipients for Summer 2020 couldn’t attend Arrowbear due to the pandemic, they are no less grateful for the chance to attend in Summer 2021. Below are some of the thank you letters we received from our scholarship recipients from both 2020 and 2019. Their appreciation and excitement reveal the impact your generosity has on their lives and families.
Thank you for being thoughtful and establishing this scholarship for me. I truly appreciate this. I’m excited about camp for next year. I just can’t wait! Sadly this year’s summer camp had to be canceled, but my family and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this camp. Thanks to you, my dream of becoming a professional flute player is slowly becoming a reality. I will put the best of my ability in music when camp begins. Thank you once again. I won’t disappoint you because music is my passion.
I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for the music scholarship awarded to my daughter for music camp. Arrowbear was originally supposed to happen only one year, but it changed my daughter’s life so much we cannot imaging her not going. Financially the camp is a challenge for us because, in addition to camp fees, we live out of state. Without this scholarship, it would be a hardship, if even possible at all. Thank you so much for your generosity. It means so much to our entire family.
This is the third time that I have received your scholarship. I think that I view the honor now differently than I did two years ago when I was fourteen. Two years ago, I was finishing eighth grade, my final year of middle school. I had just decided that I would attend an arts-based high school, the LA County High School for the Arts. Your scholarship gave me the opportunity to develop my musicianship to prepare for high school, but also gave me a sense of worthiness, that it was not a fluke that I had been accepted to the school.
Thank you so much for my scholarship to your camp. As I said in my note to you, I couldn’t pay the full amount which is why I’m so relieved I don’t have to pay a whole lot. I hope this letter is enough to repay you for your generosity. It helped so much.
I am grateful. I was so thrilled every time we went to the mail and then one day I searched through a big pile of mail and saw a letter coming to me. I ripped it open and started crying with tears of joy because of how much I was given. I am so grateful because without this scholarship I would have never gone to Arrowbear Music Camp because my family is low income. I am very grateful to be given the chance to go again because of the scholarship given to me. I am happy and excited to go back to Arrowbear because I’ll meet more people that love music like I do and we will have experiences that are going to be unforgettable and spectacular. Thank you so much Alumni and Friends.
I would just like to thank you for granting me this scholarship! I am truly grateful for this opportunity. It is incredibly amazing that there are people who give musicians scholarships. This is a very short thank you letter, but I cannot write down how excited I am that you have given me this opportunity for a scholarship.
All I can say is . . . Thank You!!
First and foremost, I would like to thank you a billion times for allowing my daughter this opportunity to experience what she is so passionate about doing in this exciting and special way. A quick reminder to you all that you are changing lives and making dreams come to a reality when you bless families like my own. My daughter wouldn’t have had this chance if it weren’t for you. This means more than you can imagine. I will forever be thankful for this and it is really nice to know that there are still people like you in this world. Thank you and God bless.
I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity! I cannot express how much it means to me! Last year I was able to attend Arrowbear’s Choral Session for the first time and it was such a moving and growing experience for myself as a musician and person. I learned a lot about myself and who I am. This goes without saying, but the minute I left camp, I wanted to return. And that would not be possible without you and this program! I am so happy to be able to spend more time at Arrowbear. One day I hope to pursue music as a career and help others find their path that way as well.
Thank you so much for the scholarship you have given me. This means a lot to me, and I can’t wait to go to Arrowbear Music Camp. My family was relieved to see that I got this scholarship because it meant that we wouldn’t have to struggle as much to get the money, especially during this time of pestilence. I have been playing my cello for 6 years and this is the first time I will be attending a music camp. This will help my dream to become a professional musician. I cannot thank you enough for this amazing scholarship and I look forward to being at Arrowbear Music Camp to improve at playing my cello.
I was so very excited when I received the letter in the mail notifying me that I had gotten the scholarship. It means so much to me knowing that my family will be able to afford sending me to camp. I met so many great people there and tried all sorts of new things. Even though I may not be able to go this year due to COVID-19 if the camp has to close, having this scholarship continues to remind me that I will be able to go next year.
Thank you so much for giving me that scholarship. It helped me persuade my family into letting me go to Camp Arrowbear. I would not have been able to go to Camp Arrowbear this summer without that scholarship. I have never been to a sleepaway camp. I am so excited to play games, make new friends, and practice my instrument, the tuba.
When I told my band teacher, he made me tell my entire class which has almost 90 students. That made me feel so proud and thankful for the scholarship. So thank you again for the scholarship. I really needed it. I plan to represent my school well!
I am grateful for your generosity in providing this scholarship for my son. This will be his first time away at camp, and I’m beyond excited to see how his love for music will be nurtured. I’m so thankful to you for making this possible for our family.
I would like to thank you kindly for the scholarship you have awarded to me. It allows me to go to the camp where I will make friends that will last me a lifetime, give me memories that will last in my heart forever, and where I will gain music skills to last over the years. Most people think that providing a scholarship is just helping someone achieve one thing - - but no, it is much, much more than that! It is helping someone in life. I believe that by giving me this scholarship, to this amazing camp, you are also helping me be my best in music at school, which will help get me into a better college. Unfortunately, I am unable to afford the entire price of Arrowbear because of financial problems I am having with my family. It is hard to save for camps like this. I definitely would not be the musician that I am today if it wasn’t for Arrowbear.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the scholarship to attend Arrowbear Music Camp. I have been involved with music since I was 4 years old. I love to sing and perform. This is my first time to attend a music camp and I am looking forward to this wonderful experience!
My husband and I can’t thank you enough for our daughter’s scholarship. It means more to us than we can express. You have no idea how happy you have made our daughter. Without you, she would not be able to go to Arrowbear Music Camp.
Thank you for helping to make it possible for me to attend this year's Arrowbear session. I loved it so much last year, and I am blessed to be able to come again. While I am there, I plan to discover more about music theory and the circle of fifths and fourths. I am very dedicated to jazz, and I want to continue a jazz career in my future. Once again, thank you so much for this opportunity.
Thank you so much for the scholarship! I’ve been looking forward to camp all year and wouldn’t have been able to go without the scholarship. I’m so glad I get to see my friends from last year and make new friends. I’m a percussionist, and I enjoy playing with other people since my school doesn’t have a music program. I love being in the mountains instead of the city sometimes. I’ve never been to Advanced session, so it’ll be a partially new experience as well. Thanks again for the scholarship and I hope I’ll be able to come next year too.
Thank you for the scholarship you gave me. You are awesome because you are giving money to other people just like me who need a scholarship. I not only thank you because of the scholarship, but also because of the kindness of heart. My family is very happy that my sister and I were fortunate to get scholarships thanks to you. You have made my mom very happy. We cannot thank you enough.
Thank you for the great opportunity with the scholarship you've given me. Because of you, I will be able to see my friends there I met from last summer. I can make new memories and create new friendships. I am very thankful for your generosity in helping our family send me to Arrowbear. A million thanks.
I went to Arrowbear last year, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was the best two weeks of my life. I am elated to be able to go back this year so that I can play music and make lifelong friends again. Without this scholarship, going to Arrowbear would have been much more difficult and maybe even impossible to be able to go to solely because of financial reasons. Thank you so much.