Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award FAQs

The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award is a one-time, non-renewable, need-based grant of up to $10,000 given in conjunction with full participation in From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship. The award is given to driven and committed pre-collegiate musicians with financial need to help offset the often prohibitively expensive costs of studying classical music at a high level. Each year, From the Top chooses approximately 20 students ages 8-18 to receive the Award.

Approximately twenty Young Artist Award recipients are selected each year from across the country. Learn more about past Young Artist Award recipients by clicking here.

Applicants will receive a decision letter regarding their eligibility for the Young Artist Award by 90 days from the application deadline for which they submitted.

No. The Young Artist Award is a one-time grant.

The scholarship cannot be used to pay for college tuition. It can be applied to a wide variety of pre-collegiate music expenses (see question 6a).

The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award is a need-based award. Click here for more details.

We are looking for classically trained instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers who have not yet entered college and have an interest in participating in our Learning & Media Lab Fellowship.

Applicants must be between the ages of 8–18 and full-time elementary, middle, or high school students to apply. College students and those who have already graduated from high school may not apply.

High school seniors may only apply for the fall scholarship deadlines. Click here to see this year’s deadlines.

No. You must, however, currently reside and/or study in the United States full-time.

Yes. Home-schooled students must submit grade reports or grade summaries. We also request two recommendations: one academic and one music recommendation from teachers, tutors, or mentors other than the home-schooling parent.

Applicants are evaluated and chosen for the Award based on the following criteria: Strong musical commitment, unmet financial need, commitment to learning and creativity – inside and outside the classroom, and strength of character. Click here for more information on the selection criteria.

Applicants must provide evidence of a family income unable to meet the costs of his/her musical pursuits (new instruments, music lessons, summer festival tuition, and travel, etc.). 90% of our past recipients come from families with an annual household Adjusted Gross Income of under $60,000.

While we do consider extenuating circumstances such as cost of living, medical expenses, dependents, etc., we do not encourage applicants with an annual household Adjusted Gross Income of over $100,000 to apply. Please contact the Scholarship Department at (617) 437-0707 Ext. 4 or scholarship@fromthetop.org if you have additional questions.

Please click here to see the current deadlines.

Our show season runs pretty much parallel to the school year. Therefore, the earlier you apply in the school year, the more shows we have available to consider you for within that particular season. We encourage you to apply as soon as you feel prepared and have repertoire that you love and would like to share with us.

If you are a high school senior, you MUST apply by the final fall deadline.

We will consider all applications equally (regardless of the deadline for which they were submitted). High school seniors will be considered for shows through the end of the season (at which point they become ineligible for the Award). All other applicants will continue to be considered for shows in future seasons.

Beyond filling out the application itself, you will also need the following items. Some will require help from your parents/guardians.

• At least two unedited, un-enhanced video or audio samples of your music for upload into the application portal
• Contact information for two teachers (an academic teacher and a music teacher) who are willing recommendations for you. They will receive further instructions after you’ve submitted the online application.
• A copy of your family’s most recent tax forms (including all schedules, attachments, and W2 forms), and a copy of your recent academic transcripts
  • We maintain a special secure-encrypted platform to receive these documents electronically, so please do not send these documents by mail or email. You will find more instructions in the online application.

Click here for the JKCYA Award Application Guide.

Parents and/or guardians may complete the financial portion of the application. However, the applicant must complete all other sections of the application.

Yes. If you would like to apply for the Young Artist Award as a member of a small ensemble, please contact scholarship@fromthetop.org for instructions.

NOTE: The Young Artist Award is a need-based scholarship. Please see question 2e for financial eligibility requirements.

Yes. If you are not selected for a Young Artist Award, you may still be selected for the Learning & Media Lab Fellowship.

Yes! In fact, most of our Award recipients have applied more than once. We will keep your application on file until you graduate from high school, so you may also send in additional recordings as your progress continues, typically after about a year. Usually, there is no need to complete a new application in its entirety. Please contact scholarship@fromthetop.org for more information about reapplying.

From the Top primarily celebrates music from the Western classical tradition. However, we also like to present music from other traditions including folk, world, jazz, and gospel. We are particularly interested in music that combines traditions! Contact auditions@fromthetop.org if you have a question about your genre of music.

We want to hear YOU! We want to hear repertoire that you and your teacher feel represents your playing most strongly. It does not need to be showy repertoire—some people shine through the slow lyricism of a haunting melody. Whether slow and lyrical or fast and virtuosic, we want to hear repertoire that you feel passionate about and that celebrates your playing in the best way.

If you are selected for the Fellowship, you will then work one-on-one with our music director to select a piece that will work for our radio program.

REPERTOIRE LIBRARY

Are you looking to learn something new? Do you need ideas for diverse repertoire, works by living composers, or composers from communities underrepresented in the classical canon?

If so, please check out our repertoire library.

We require only two video or audio recordings, but you may upload as many as six recordings if you would like. A recording made using your phone is absolutely acceptable. We just need the audio to be clear. Please submit contrasting pieces if possible.

Even if the music you choose for your audition recording calls for piano accompaniment, we do not require that you submit a recording with accompaniment.

We ask that you prepare classical repertoire such as art songs, arias, or equivalent repertoire from global classical traditions.

While we highly recommend you perform your audition with accompaniment, using a recorded track is completely acceptable.

From the Top is not able to feature pop nor a majority of musical theater repertoire due to rights and distribution issues. At this time, From the Top is also unable to feature singer-songwriters. Feel free to listen to past shows on our website for examples of vocal appearances, and contact us at auditions@fromthetop.org with any questions about vocal repertoire.

We would like to hear your playing in its most grounded, free, expressive, and consistent form. We would prefer to hear an old, polished piece for your audition rather than one you just began learning.

We need to be able to hear you clearly, but you do not need to spend money on reserving a professional recording studio or purchasing high-end recording equipment. Using an iPhone or other similar device is absolutely acceptable.

You are invited to share links to your recordings within our online application. Recording links can be created using YouTube, Google Drive, or Dropbox. If you need assistance or have questions about this process, please email us at: auditions@fromthetop.org.

*Please make sure your videos’ privacy settings are set to either “public” or “unlisted,” because if they are set to “private” we will not be able to see them!

We require only two video/audio recordings, but you may upload as many as six recordings if you would like. A recording made using your phone is absolutely acceptable—we just need the audio to be clear. Please submit contrasting pieces if possible.

Each Young Artist Award recipient will receive a grant of up to $10,000 which may be used for the following:
• Summer Music Festival Attendance
• Private music instruction, masterclasses and/or workshops
• Tuition for music school/extra-curricular music program
• Instrument/instrument accessories
• Air travel and lodging for summer music festivals, special workshops, consultation lessons, competitions, and college auditions
• Sheet music and scores
• *Concert attire
• *Recording equipment, music technology software and subscriptions

*Items that include a spending limit

The award cannot be used to pay for college tuition. This is a set regulation for which there are no exceptions. The award also cannot be used for college textbooks, non-music-related pursuits and travels, or non-musical items—phones, earbuds, etc.

It can be applied to a wide variety of pre-collegiate music expenses (see question 6a).

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Scholarship Department at (617) 437-0707 Ext. 4 or email scholarship@fromthetop.org

No. The Young Artist Award is a one-time award.

Young Artists receive up to $10,000 in financial support, national exposure through a performance on one of From the Top’s radio broadcasts, and participation in our full Learning and Media Lab Fellowship program.

Please note that the Young Artist Award can only be given in conjunction with a performance on our radio show, which includes taking part in the full Learning and Media Lab Fellowship curriculum. The award cannot be given independently.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholars Program is an academic scholarship program that identifies high-achieving, low-income 7th-grade students. From the Top is not involved in the application or review for the Young Scholars Program. 

The Young Scholars Program provides selected students with individualized educational advising combined with comprehensive financial support from the 8th grade through high school. To learn more about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholars Program and how to apply for this opportunity, click here to visit their website.

No. If you are selected for the Young Scholars Program, you are no longer eligible for the Young Artist Award.