The Atlanta Music Project Endowed Scholarships

Why Music?

Music is vitally important to the quality education of the whole child, the development of the 21st century skills needed by employers and as a vital part of our economy. The Georgia Music Educators Association has compiled interesting data in each of these areas. You can learn more about this from the GMEA Brochure Why Music

The Scholarship Program

Thanks to a generous initial gift, Clayton State University and The Atlanta Music Project (AMP) have established a joint program that will provide endowed funding for AMP graduates to continue their education with the Clayton State Music Department. The Atlanta Music Project Endowed Scholarships will provide monies for graduates of AMP, a music education program in metropolitan Atlanta for underserved youth, who want to continue their music education at the university in Morrow, Georgia. The scholarship funding will be utilized for students who major or minor in music at Clayton State. There will also be monies for internships for Clayton State students who are assisting young musicians in the AMP program. “This is an exceptional opportunity for our students,” explains Dantes Rameau, co-founder and executive director of the Atlanta Music Project. “As a member of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory I was inspired by El Sistema, Venezuela’s world famous music education program. I was impressed with how they connected the learning of music to the building of community. AMP’s mission has always been as much social as it is musical and now that goal can continue through Clayton State and add the opportunities that a higher education can offer into the equation of success for our students.”

The Need

College costs have continued to spiral upward for many years, making college attendance very difficult for many of our youth. Even with the HOPE scholarship and Pell Grants, students are still facing $5,000 to $6,000 per year to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board. Even though student loans are available, the debt they are left with can be an ongoing financial challenge. Students who graduate from AMP’s rigorous program have proven themselves worthy as committed students and musicians. This scholarship will provide them with the financial resources needed to complete their education and begin a career.

The Challenge

In order to fully endow the scholarship program we need a total of $500,000 dollars. This will provide $5,000 per year to Atlanta Music Project graduates during each of their four years at Clayton State. It will also provide $1,000 scholarships to current Clayton State students who are interning with the Atlanta Music Project. While the initial gift to establish the scholarship provides a generous beginning, we need considerable financial support to reach our endowment goal.