2025 Scholarship Award Recipients

  • Bella Michael Provo`

    SPELMAN COLLEGE

    PIANO PERFORMANCE

    “Winning the  Motivated by Music Scholarship is such an incredible honor and a sigh of relief. My mom and I were shouting with joy when I received the email announcing the award.

    Thanks to the Motivated by Music Scholarship, I can focus more on pursuing my degree in Piano Performance at Spelman College and less on how I will pay for my college expenses. It feels amazing to see all my hard work paying off, and I’m beyond excited for the doors this will open. I can’t wait to keep growing, learning, and making the most of this incredible opportunity!”

  • Chloe Rackley

    WHEATON COLLEGE

    MUSIC EDUCATION

    “Oh my goodness! I actually won?! I ACTUALLY WON.”

    I immediately told everyone in my family and was jumping up and down - screaming shouts of joy!

  • scholarship-recipients

    Luka van Herksen

    EMERSON COLLEGE

    MUSIC THEATRE

    "Receiving this scholarship is an honor and I promise to make the organization proud. Being honored specially for my achievements in Musical Theatre is truly special. Performing is something that has been part of my life since I was very young and being able to work on achieving this lifelong dream is surreal. As you know these programs are expensive and every cent of this award will be put to good use."

  • Tina LaRosa

    BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC

    SONGWRITING

    “ I feel incredibly honored and excited to have been chosen for the Motivated by Music scholarship. I feel so deeply grateful—music has been my saving grace during the hardest time of my life, and it continues to be my biggest source of motivation. To be recognized by a scholarship that celebrates that connection means more to me than I can put into words.”

2024 Scholarship Award Recipients

  • Aram Karpeh

    PEABODY INSTITIUTE OF MUSIC

    DOUBLE BASS

    “I feel a mixture of surprise and accomplishment being awarded this scholarship. I felt surprised because I did not think I was going to be awarded such great, and needed, scholarship. I felt a sense of accomplishment because this is the first third-party scholarship I've applied for and I was awarded it after applied for it for the first time!”

  • Mahalia Hernandez

    CHICAGO COLLEGE OF PERFORMING ARTS

    VIOLIN

    “I am honored to have received this scholarship. As someone who’s concerned about college tuition costs, I believe this scholarship has lifted a huge weight. I am truly grateful for Ms. LaShanda Byrd-Williams’ and her teams’ generosity, and receiving this scholarship has made me even more inspired to achieve my dreams of getting involved in social justice, specifically among young people who lack the resources to pursue their passion in classical music.”

  • scholarship-recipients

    Quincy Eby

    THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL

    VIOLA

    "I am deeply grateful to Motivated By Music for this scholarship. Your commitment to excellence and dedication to young musicians is inspiring. This scholarship will help me pursue my dreams and assist in the cost of attendance, allowing me to focus more on my musical development. Thank you for believing in my potential and supporting the future of young artists."

  • Zion Carmichael

    UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

    MUSIC THEATRE

    “ I am so grateful to be awarded this scholarship. I was surprised and honored to be selected. This money has taken a huge financial chip off my shoulder as I pursue my musical theatre career. This is such a blessing!”

2023 Scholarship Award Recipients

  • Anna Zhang

    Bassoon Music Performance

    Manhattan School Of Music

  • Leonardo Rincon

    Violin Music Performance

    Cleveland Institute of Music

  • Sophia Luong

    Classical Percussion Performance

    Cleveland Institute of Music

2022 Scholarship Award Recipients

  • Jill Baldassari

    Music Therapy

    Temple University

  • Josif Collazo

    Trombone Performance

    Oberlin College