SAMRO Foundation awards R1m in music study bursaries

A total of 195 applications were received for this year's bursaries, submitted by prospective and existing undergraduate and postgraduate students who are pursuing full-time music studies at various South African tertiary institutions.

Of those applicants, 113 candidates succeeded on merit following evaluation by a panel of adjudicators. Each was awarded a R10 000 bursary towards their tuition fees.

In the General Music study category, 71 bursaries were awarded in the Western Art, Jazz and Indigenous African music genres, while 15 bursaries were granted for Music Education studies, and 19 for Composition studies.

Most bursaries to UCT

A record number of 30 applications were received for Music Composition - which bodes well for the future of original, home-grown compositions, whether they be scores for film, television or other media, advertising jingles or recorded music. In the area of Indigenous African music research, eight postgraduate bursaries were awarded. This is an avenue of study that the SAMRO Foundation is keen to promote.

Students at the University of Cape Town claimed the lion's share of the 2012 SAMRO music bursaries (32), with North West University, the University of Pretoria and the University of Stellenbosch also faring well with 14 recipients apiece.

Other institutions whose students benefited from the music study awards were the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (12), Tshwane University of Technology (8), University of Fort Hare (1), University of KwaZulu-Natal (9), Rhodes University (3), University of Venda (1) and the University of the Witwatersrand (5).

This marks the third consecutive year that SAMRO has awarded in excess of R1-million in music study bursaries. Since 1981, the organisation has awarded 1 517 such bursaries, and has pumped more than R50 million into music education through this scheme and other initiatives such as its annual Overseas Scholarships Competition.