AOSA members with at least one year of membership can access funding through professional development scholarships, as well as research and instrument grants. Eligibility requires minimum one year membership.
Review the sections below to identify applicable funding opportunities based on your specific needs and qualifications. Each program has distinct requirements and submission deadlines.
You may also be interested in viewing previous recipients, or reading helpful tips for applying for a scholarship/grant.
Scholarships
Professional Development scholarships typically have more available funding than Instrument grants.
Read about our various scholarships options below, and get requirements around applications.
Applications for all scholarships are due January 15 except for the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian Outreach Scholarship which is due August 15.
Note: Current AOSA members who have completed Level 1 training this year may apply for Level 2 Professional Development scholarships—even without a full year of membership (the membership requirement is waived for the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian Outreach Scholarship).
AOSA recognizes the need for a diverse representation of its membership. Established in 2018 and endowed by AOSA in 2025, the purpose of the AOSA Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian (BBIA) Outreach Scholarship is to provide financial support to teachers from BBIA backgrounds to attend the AOSA Professional Development Conference. Membership in AOSA is not a requirement to apply. The following guidelines have been established to assist applicants who are seeking a BBIA Outreach Scholarship.
- The funds for this scholarship will be awarded to up to four recipients per year, and are to be used toward travel, hotel, and registration expenses for the AOSA Professional Development Conference
- The funds include a one-year membership in AOSA
- Applicants should identify as a person from a Black, Brown, Indigenous, or Asian background
- Applicants should be engaged in local chapter workshops and/or AOSA Summer Teacher Education Courses
- Applicants must demonstrate personal financial need
- Applicants must be a citizen of the United States of America or must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years
- The grant recipient is expected to attend the Professional Development Conference and to provide reflections on the attended sessions
- The recipient will also participate in a mentorship program over the course of the year with an AOSA-approved digital mentor
The International Connections Grant Fund provides financial aid for AOSA members who are interested in travelling outside of the United States to further their Orff Schulwerk experience through study and/or teaching.
- The funds must be used for a project-based experience (explain topic/area of interest to be studied) or a pedagogy to be studied, such as basic Orff pedagogy, recorder, or movement. Grant funds may not be used for college credit or travel expenses, but may be used for tuition, materials, meals and lodging.
- Candidates must submit a detailed description of the proposed travel study experience, including, but not limited to the following:
- Travel destination
- Proposed budget
- The applicant must demonstrate personal need of financial aid for this grant.
- The applicant must be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to making application for the grant.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
- The applicant does not need to be a citizen of the United States of America, but priority will be given to an applicant who has resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
- Candidates must have completed a minimum of Level II AOSA Teacher Education.
- Candidates must have a minimum of five years’ experience teaching children.
- Candidates must provide two professional references including one from an AOSA member (local chapter officer, AOSA Teacher Educator, etc.) and one from a person in an administrative position who knows your work (principal, supervisor, etc,)
- Upon receipt of this scholarship, the recipient agrees to complete one of the following options:
- Write an article for The Orff Echo or Reverberations
- Submit culture bearer video(s) for the AOSA video library
- Present a workshop for a local AOSA chapter
- Pre-approved Orff Schulwerk project of your choice
Established in 1995, the Training and Projects (TAP) Fund provides financial aid to AOSA members who are teachers of elementary and junior high school students of low-income populations. The following guidelines have been established to assist applicants who are seeking a TAP (Training and Projects) Fund grant.
Application must be complete in order to be considered.
- The funds may be used for professional development, instruments, and other special creative projects that are associated with Orff Schulwerk and that will benefit the music education of children. Grant funds may not be used to pay for college credit.
- If funds are to be used for classroom instruments, a minimum of Level I training must have been completed prior to application.
- Applicant must demonstrate personal financial need if the funds are to be used for professional development.
- Applicant must present evidence that the proposed professional development, instruments, or project will benefit a low-income population.
- The applicant must be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to grant application review.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
- The applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America or must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
The Barbara Potter Scholarship Fund provides financial aid to AOSA members who are interested in furthering the growth of Orff Schulwerk. These persons must need financial aid to further their education in Orff Schulwerk by attending the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria.
- The funds may be used for training at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria
- This is a one time scholarship per recipient.
- The applicant must demonstrate personal need of financial aid for this grant.
- The applicant must be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to making application for the grant.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
- The applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America OR must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
- Candidates must have completed Level III Orff Schulwerk Training
- Upon receipt of this scholarship, the recipient agrees to write an article for AOSA publications, provide documentation of how the award was used, and agree to serve AOSA in a capacity commensurate with their expertise.
- Due to the unique nature of this scholarship, the committee encourages applicants to reapply if their request has been denied.
**Background:**The Barbara Potter Scholarship Fund was established by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association to honor Barbara Potter for her passion for study at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. This scholarship offers financial assistance to members of AOSA who wish to study at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. It is reserved for uses and benefits associated with Orff Schulwerk.
Established by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association to honor Gunild Keetman, the Gunild Keetman Assistance Fund provides financial aid to AOSA members who are interested in furthering the growth of Orff Schulwerk. These persons must need financial aid to further their education in Orff Schulwerk or to develop a valid, creative project. It is reserved for uses and benefits associated with Orff Schulwerk.
- The funds may be used for professional development or special creative projects that are associated with Orff Schulwerk and that will benefit music education. Grant funds may not be used for college credit.
- Applicant must demonstrate personal need of financial aid for this grant.
- Applicant must be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to making application for the grant.
- Applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America or must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
- Applications for professional development in AOSA-approved courses, the Orff Institute in Salzburg, or for the Introduction to Schulwerk course offered at the AOSA national conferences for first time attendees will be given priority over applications for training in other courses.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
The Shields-Gillespie Scholarship provides financial aid to AOSA members who are interested in furthering the growth of Orff Schulwerk in Early Childhood Education. These persons must demonstrate financial need in order to further their education in Orff Schulwerk, or they must be educators in Early Childhood programs with low-income populations. Applicants may apply for training, instruments for their institution, or for other valid creative projects.
- The funds may be used for professional development, instruments and other special creative projects that are associated with Orff Schulwerk and that will benefit the music education of children. Grant funds may not be used to pay for college credit.
- If funds are to be used for classroom instruments, a minimum of Level I training must have been completed prior to application.
- Applicant must be actively involved in teaching preschool and/or kindergarten students in low-income populations.
- Applicant must demonstrate strong motivation to study and use music, particularly the Orff Schulwerk approach, in Early Childhood Education.
- Applicant must demonstrate personal financial need if the funds are to be used for professional development.
- Applicant must present evidence that the proposed professional development, instruments, or project will benefit a low-income population**.**
- Applicant must be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to making application for the grant.
- Applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America or must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
Background:
The mother of Avon Gillespie, Harriette Evans Shields was a teacher of preschool children in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California, where she served families of limited financial resources and diverse racial backgrounds. Mrs. Shields used music as a foundation for fundamental learning skills as well as to create an environment for social awareness and individual creativity. Harriette’s program received recognition throughout the City of Los Angeles and the State of California as an example of the positive effect that aesthetic, music-centered learning philosophy has on the development of preschool and kindergarten children, especially those from ethnically diverse and low-income populations. Administered by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, the scholarship honors Avon’s memory and encourages the continuation of Harriette Evans Shields’ philosophy of using music as a foundation for learning in Early Childhood Education.
Established in 2025, the Michael Ruel Nichols Fund (MRN) Fund provides financial aid to AOSA members to specifically encourage and support all aspects of recorder instruction in public and private schools grades K-12. The following guidelines have been established to assist applicants who are seeking a MRN (Michael Ruel Nichols) Fund grant. Application must be complete in order to be considered.
The funds may be used in the following ways:
- By teachers in grades K – 12 for the purchase of recorders of all voices and supplemental materials to support the teaching of recorder.
- To support Orff level course recorder teachers with purchases of supplies, materials, and instruments.
- To support music educators attending recorder seminars, level courses, and workshops.
- By school districts to purchase instruments and supplemental recorder materials.
- A minimum of Level I training must have been completed prior to application.
- Applicants must demonstrate personal financial need
- The applicant must be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to grant application review.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
- The applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America or must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
The Urban Education Grant, gifted by Judith Thompson-Barthwell in 2024, is specifically designed to provide Orff Schulwerk professional development opportunities to educators and schools in urban city areas that primarily serve Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian (BBIA) students, have a smaller tax base for education than surrounding suburbs, and maintain larger class sizes.
The program will award monies toward one of the following categories annually:
- District-Wide Professional Development
- AOSA Conference Attendance
- AOSA Teacher Education Courses (I, II, or III)
Eligible school districts must:
- Be located in an urban area
- Primarily serve BBIA student populations
- Demonstrate smaller educational tax base compared to surrounding suburbs
- Maintain larger class sizes than surrounding districts
Eligible applicants must:
- Complete a minimum of Level I prior to application.
- Demonstrate personal or school financial need
- Be a current member of AOSA and must have been an AOSA member in good standing for one year prior to grant application review.
- Priority is given to first time applicants or those who have not received funding in the last three grant cycles.
- Be a citizen of the United States of America or must have resided in the United States of America for the past five years.
Application must be complete in order to be considered.
Apply for a Scholarship or Grant:
The current application cycle is closed. The links below will be active later in the year when the new cycle is open.
Application pieces required:
- Applicant Details – personal demographics and resume
- Membership Details
- Employment Details – includes school percentage of students on free and reduced lunch program and supporting documentation
- Two (2) professional references – Use this prompt
- Professional Development Request Details:
- Additional questions specific to Barbara Potter Scholarship (even years) and International Outreach Grant
- Statement of grant need
- Course location details
- Personal finance statement – Use this template.
- Instrument or special project Details:
- Statement of grant need
- Instrument inventory and Request form – Use this template.
Research Grants
The AOSA Research Grant encourages research in varied applications of Orff Schulwerk, promoting the Orff Schulwerk philosophy and process. Grant recipients are asked to share their research findings with AOSA at the conclusion of the study through a presentation at an AOSA Professional Development Conference and a submission of a summary article for consideration to the Editorial Board of The Orff Echo. The researcher may submit the full study to any other professional journal for publication. Documentation of research findings will be made available through the Isabel McNeill Carley Library. One-of-a-kind research materials, letters, and the archives of AOSA comprise this wonderful library housed in the Sibley Library at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
PURPOSE
- To encourage and support research related to Orff Schulwerk’s Research Initiatives. (See description on the AOSA Research Web site, www.aosa.org)
- To make sponsored research available through AOSA’s Isabel McNeill Carley Library
FUNDING
- Grant requests up to $8,000 will be considered
- Available for individual or university partnership grants
- Partial funding may be granted
- Grant award funds not accepted in the year allocated will go back to the AOSA Research funds
- Itemized budget, as outlined by university procedures, is REQUIRED-(see Section 3.2 of application form)
REQUIREMENTS (see application)
- AOSA National Membership (must have been an AOSA member for one year prior to grant application)
- Applicant Information
- Résumé reflecting knowledge/expertise in Orff Schulwerk
- Letter of reference
- Completed Research Proposal
DEADLINES
- Submission Dates: January 31
- Notification Dates: April 1
The Research Partnership Grant encourages collaborative research projects between a school-music teacher as the primary investigator/team leader and a university-based researching teacher. The research team agrees to present the findings of their work at an AOSA Professional Development Conference following the study and to provide a summary article for consideration by the Editorial Board of The Orff Echo for publication. The complete study may be submitted to any other professional journal for publication.
PURPOSE
- To encourage and support joint research related to Orff Schulwerk by music teachers and experienced researchers.
- To make sponsored research available through AOSA’s Isabel McNeill Carley Library
ELIGIBILITY
- Grant is open to any research team that includes at least one practicing music teacher of grades PK-12 in a school setting and one faculty member with substantial research experience at a college or university.
- Team members will collaborate closely in designing and implementing a research project.
- Practicing music teacher serves as Primary Investigator.
- University faculty member serves as Co-Investigator in an advisory role
FUNDING
- Grant requests of $500 to $8,000 will be considered
- In some cases, partial funding may be awarded
- Itemized budget, as outlined by university procedures, is REQUIRED-(see Section 3.2 of application form)
- Grant award funds not accepted in the year allocated will go back to the AOSA Research funds
REQUIREMENTS
- AOSA National Membership
- Résumé reflecting knowledge of or expertise in Orff Schulwerk
- Letter of reference
- Completed Research Proposal
DEADLINES
- Submission Dates: January 15
- Notification Dates: April 1
Apply for a Research Grant
(Partnered & Non-Partnered)
Application pieces required:
- Applicant Details – primary researcher demographics and resume
- Membership Details
- Research Proposal
- Partner University or District details, if applicable
- One professional Reference – Use this prompt.