The Uptown Music Collective, the area’s premier nonprofit school of music, is now accepting scholarship applications for its 2021-2022 school year, which will begin in September. This year, the Collective is offering 11 needs- and merit-based scholarships to currently enrolled students, as well as new students wishing to enroll in the school for the upcoming year. All scholarships that are being offered will cover one full year at the school of music. Current scholarship stewards include The First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania via the Lew Gilberti Fund, Angelina’s Song Foundation, Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, Hudock Capital Group, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, UPMC, The Miller Family, and KFC.

In the early days of the school, founder Dave Brumbaugh would teach students who couldn’t afford to pay for free. They just needed to show the desire to learn and the discipline to work hard at their craft. In return, he expected them to excel at their studies; be respectful; clean and take care of the school; help with organizational tasks; and, when ready, to teach their peers. That idea of making high-quality music education available to everyone – regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or financial status – sits at the core of what the Collective does. Through the UMC Scholarship and Financial Aid programs, UMC offers dynamic music education to any student that is willing to work hard and remains committed to never turning away a deserving student because of their inability to pay.

In 2009, the Collective offered its first official scholarship, The Alice Hileman Memorial Scholarship, which was created and funded by a generous anonymous donor. That scholarship was soon followed by the Lew Gilberti Memorial Scholarship, created by family and friends in memory of local businessman and musician Lew Gilberti. Six years ago, the Uptown Music Collective quintupled its scholarship offerings and formalized a new sliding scale discount rate, which allows the school to help even more students in need. Aside from the generous donations of individuals and local businesses, the financial aid being offered is the result of the school’s highly successful Scholarship Fundraising Concert held for the past five winters at the Community Arts Center. 

The Collective is offering a new online application this year for those interested in applying for a scholarship. 

“It’s something we have wanted to do for a while,” said Jared Mondell, UMC assistant executive director. “The new online application should make things a lot easier for applicants and it streamlines things for our scholarship committee as they review the applications.”

The Uptown Music Collective has continued to grow for more than 20 years from what many once called “the best-kept secret in the Williamsport area,” to one of the area’s most highly respected, nonprofit, educational organizations. The school is dedicated to providing a well-rounded education to students of all ages, from children as young as 3 years old to retired adults and everyone in-between. The Collective is known for its positive peer group, inspiring teachers, and a diverse multitude of performance opportunities. 

In spite of the fact that the Collective is known for highly talented student performers, there is no previous experience needed to begin enrollment at the Collective. 

“This year, there a lot of scholarships available for brand new students looking to enroll at the Collective,” Mondell said. “We hope that potential students see these scholarships as an opportunity to get involved with everything we have going on at the school.” 

The Collective feels strongly about the role of music in creating well-rounded, thoughtful young people, and works to establish characteristics such as self-discipline and personal responsibility in each of its students through healthy habits like practice and self-control. Uptown Music Collective students consistently perform at high levels not only musically, but also in their respective schools and as valuable members of other community organizations.

The deadline to apply for this round of scholarships is July 16. Scholarships will be awarded in August. For more information about the Collective’s scholarship program, call 570-329-0888 or visit www.uptownmusic.org/scholarshipapplication.