The School of Music offers scholarships primarily in the form of tuition waivers. Auditions are required for admission to the School of Music and for scholarship consideration. For more information, see Audition Days 2008. Specific restrictions apply for some scholarships.
Scholarship amounts vary depending on performance area and residence status. They may be renewable for 4–5 years of undergraduate study. Tuition waivers are awarded to music students on the basis of talent, need, available funding, area needs or a combination of these factors. All students are urged to apply for general university financial aid, since significant assistance is available based on academic achievement, financial need, outstanding leadership abilities and other factors. For information on applying to the university, please access websites for Prospective Student Services, OU Admissions or Financial Aid. You may also contact these offices directly: Office of Prospective Student Services at (405) 325-2151 or ou-pss@ou.edu and Office of Financial Aid at (405) 325-4521.
A highlight of the year, at the end of the spring semester, is the annual School of Music awards ceremony, at which special scholarships are awarded.
BENTON- SCHMIDT SCHOLARSHIPS
Funds for these scholarships were made possible through the bequest of Joseph H. Benton (left), internationally-acclaimed tenor, long-time teacher and devoted supporter of vocal art, in honor of his voice teacher at the University of Oklahoma, William George Frederick Schmidt.
AUDITION/COMPETITION DATE: February 2 & 3, 2008
Winners to perform in Master Class with clinician, Darren Woods, General Director of Fort Worth Opera
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Postmarked by January 16, 2008
GENERAL INFORMATION
The scholarship awards students up to $10,000 per academic year. They are renewable for a second year of study by re-audition only.
Scholarships are given to unusually promising singers, based on excellence in vocal performance and versatility as revealed through the performance audition.
To receive a scholarship, an individual must be admitted as a junior, senior, or graduate student in a music degree program at the University of Oklahoma School of Music, with voice as the primary performance area. Incoming students must complete all requirements for admission on or before April 10, 2008, in order to be eligible to receive a Benton-Schmidt Scholarship in the fall of 2008.
To retain a scholarship, scholars must enroll in the School of Music for a minimum of 12 hours if an undergraduate or a minimum of 9 hours if a graduate, each semester. Graduate students with half-time graduate assistant positions must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours. Scholarship winners are required to enroll in voice during the period of their scholarship.
Minimum GPA requirements are 3.0 for graduate students and 2.5 for undergraduates. In addition to the Benton-Schmidt application form, an application for admission, any required transcripts and the TOEFL Score Report (if applicable) must be received by the University of Oklahoma by the application deadline.
APPLICATION FORM
You can apply for the Benton-Schmidt Vocal Scholarship by using this form. The form is in PDF format and requires Acrobat Reader, which is available free. You can save the form to your computer and open it in Acrobat Reader. Fill it in onscreen by clicking above any line or in any box. You may tab from one field to another. (Note: you cannot save the form as filled in; you can save your work only by printing the form.) Alternatively, you can print the form first and fill it in by hand.
FOR APPLICATIONS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Benton-Schmidt Vocal Scholarships
Donna M. Cox, Competition Coordinator
University of Oklahoma
School of Music
500 West Boyd, Room 138
Norman, OK 73019-2071
(405) 325-2336
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
Each contestant must be prepared to sing from memory for a period of 10 minutes. Five pieces must be presented for performance, representing at least three languages (English plus two foreign languages). A minimum of two operatic arias in different styles must be included in the five selections. One work should be chosen from the Baroque or Classical period, one from the Romantic period and one from the 20th century. The additional two selections may be from style period(s) of the contestant’s choosing. Contestants will perform the selection of their choice and the judges will choose additional repertoire to fill the 10-minute time limit. Changes in repertoire are not permitted once contestants have submitted their “Audition Repertoire” list (see the back of the application form).
Each contestant is required to provide his or her own accompanist. A list of local accompanists will be sent upon request. Contestants needing an accompanist will be responsible for securing an accompanist from the list. Contestants will be notified in advance of the location and time of their audition.
A live audition is strongly recommended, but an audio or videotape may be substituted. Recordings will be heard and viewed by the judges on the day of the audition. Tapes should contain five selections as specified above with the selection of the contestant’s choice first. A typed list of the selections should accompany the tape. The name and address of the contestant must appear on the videotape to ensure safe return.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS FOR SECOND-YEAR RENEWAL
Benton-Schmidt Vocal Scholarship recipients who wish to apply for a second-year renewal of their awards are expected to re-audition with first-year contestants and will be judged by the same standards of excellence. There should be evidence of vocal advancement at that time. Second-year candidates cannot repeat any of the repertoire used for the first-year audition.
Each scholarship recipient will complete an application form and submit with it the following materials:
List of vocal performance activities for the past academic year at the University of Oklahoma or in university-related activities, including solo, choral, chamber, and operatic performances.
A transcript showing the achievement of a 3.0 GPA for graduate students or a 2.5 GPA for undergraduates and satisfactory progress in the degree program.
A transcript providing evidence of enrollment during the previous two semesters with at least 12 hours if an upper-division undergraduate student, 9 hours if a graduate student, or 6 hours if a half-time graduate assistant.
