BHS updates scholarship process for Next Generation Barbershop Junior Chorus Invitational groups
Groups attending the 2021 Invitational will need to apply for BHS scholarships that help fund their trip
For more than a decade, generous donors through Harmony Foundation International have made it possible for thousands of students to experience “mountaintop moments” of peak performance and collaboration.
The program’s growth has reached a point where both the number of choruses applying (sometimes with a waiting list!) and the size of the choruses is stretching even the deep resources already in play.
A strong, sustainable model for the Junior Chorus Invitational includes
- expanding the reach of the program to more schools, especially among communities outside the traditional scope of barbershop activity
- investing in more first-time start-ups
- nurturing programs in their fragile early years
Financial needs can vary quite a bit among our many participating groups, so a single fixed subsidy model doesn’t fully serve our goals for access and inclusion.
New scholarship model for choruses
Beginning with the 2021 Junior Chorus Invitational, we will update the scholarship model to provide support where it’s needed most.
- At no charge, all singers and one director will receive a full convention registration. Attending parents and chaperones must purchase full convention registrations.
- Choruses will be required to cover all expenses including food, travel, and lodging for directors, singers, and chaperones.
- All groups must lodge in our approved convention hotel block. Choruses will manage their own reservations directly with our approved hotels, streamlining the process for chorus leaders.
- Choruses may apply for a scholarship from BHS to assist with any costs associated with participating in the Junior Chorus Invitational. The scholarship application will help identify each ensemble’s need on a case-by-case basis, based on overall travel distance and expense, demographics and economic makeup, prior experience and other factors.
Choruses wishing to receive support will be required to complete a post-event survey before the final funds are released:
- 90% of the scholarship funds will be sent via check on September 1
- 10% of the scholarship funds will be withheld until each chorus member completes the post-event survey
Who is eligible?
All choruses invited to the Invitational are encouraged to apply for a scholarship. While no specific level of funding is guaranteed to any, many or most choruses will qualify for some degree of support.
BHS has a limited amount of funding available to make it possible for socio-economically disadvantaged schools and students to participate in Next Gen activities.The scholarship application provides the opportunity to describe the socio-economic conditions in your school or district that substantiate the need for additional funding.