Scholarships

Scholarships are available to assist FMAYS students to afford private lessons on their primary instrument. These scholarships will be distributed based on need.

Applications accepted the first month of each FMAYS semester (September/January)

Beth Heller was the Executive Director of FMAYS, serving from 2003 – 2016, and served as a board member for many years prior to her appointment as ED. Beth’s children are FMAYS alumni, Carmen a violist and Billy a trombonist. Beth was also on the staff of the Fargo-Symphony Orchestra and was a saxophone member the Red River Valley Veterans Concert Band. She and her husband Fred retired to Hewitt, MN, but continues to attend all the FMAYS concerts.

There are three of these scholarships available each year. One student from each of the three ensembles will be selected and awarded a 2nd semester tuition scholarship.

In order for an FMAYS student musician to qualify for a full-tuition scholarship from the Resonate Scholarship Fund, they must meet all of the following requirements:

Be accepted into one of the FMAYS student musician groups, which includes the Concert Strings, Attacca Strings, and the Symphony Orchestra

Have permanent residence and attend school in a rural town. For the purposes of this scholarship, a rural town is defined to be a town located in North Dakota, South Dakota, or Minnesota that has a population of less than 30,000 people. Towns that do not classify as a rural town that are within the geographical area serviced by FMAYS are Grand Forks, ND, Fargo, ND, West Fargo, ND, and Moorhead, MN. 

Miss Mary King served as the Principal Violist of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra for over 40 years and continued to perform with the symphony up to her 100th birthday, passing away in 2012. She taught many violin and viola students in her home as well as at MSUM and was a champion of chamber music in the FM Area. Her Irish accent and endearing “darling” to all she greeted was well known.

This scholarship is available for any FMAYS student planning to attend a summer music camp.

Applications accepted between January and March of the second semester. Award notifications will go out in April.

Erling Linde, father of conductor Jane Linde Capistran, was a longtime band director in Moorhead, MN and principal flutist of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra for 32 years. He attended many FMAYS concerts, watching Jane and his grandchildren Madeline (vlolin) and Stuart (percussion) Capistran perform. Erling passed away in October of 2019, and his piccolo was donated to FMAYS, on loan for students’ use.

This scholarship is available to any FMAYS student and covers a full year of FMAYS tuition.