Grant for studying irish music info?

[MurphyStout]

I know two people who have been given grants to study irish music, cskinner and Pat Gorman. I'm a college kid with modest funds but travelling around to play music is real expensive. I'd love to go to sligo and learn from a few of the masters like Peter Horan, and I'd love to go to Chicago to learn from Kevin Henry amoung other places. Is there any chance of finding a grant like that and if so, where would I go to apply?

Thanks

[Wombat]

I know two people who have been given grants to study irish music, cskinner and Pat Gorman. I'm a college kid with modest funds but travelling around to play music is real expensive. I'd love to go to sligo and learn from a few of the masters like Peter Horan, and I'd love to go to Chicago to learn from Kevin Henry amoung other places. Is there any chance of finding a grant like that and if so, where would I go to apply?

Thanks

I'm sure Carol will chime in with her story but it sounds like you need a bit more money than she had available.

One thought is this. You are at college. Is your study in any way connected with music and, whatever the answer to that question, could you do graduate study either in music or in musicology? If you could do graduate study that had some connection to a place where you could get lessons you want, a graduate scholarship might be what you need. For example, if you want to study in Chicago, can you find a university there that might give you a scholarship? OTOH, if you want to study ethnomusicology, going to Ireland could be field study. Ethnomusicology doesn't have to be dry and dusty; there are plenty of ways in which you can find a topic which forces you to think about just the kind of stuff that will help your playing.

[MurphyStout]

Wombat, I'm a political science major so there aren't many outlets for that in traditional Irish music. I don't need much money, I was just looking for enough to buy a plane ticket or two.

[carrie]

Jack,

As you may recall, mine was through the Illinois Arts Council, Ethnic Arts program. I did a quick internet search on the California Arts Council and noticed they have a Traditional Folk Arts program--might want to check that out. My master/apprentice grant required a year of apprenticeship, and the teacher and student have to apply together after having developed a working relationship, so I don't think you could use that with Kevin Henry. Btw, he was the recipient of a major grant from the Illinois Arts Council the same year Jim Conway got his big grant. (Major by artistic standards, that is, something like $8000.)

Carol

[Martin Milner]

Maybe you could request a grant to write a thesis on the effect of Irish persecution (by) and subsequent Independence (from those wicked English) on the survival and development of Irish Traditional Music.

Ireland's history is steeped in politics, there's got to be an angle there somewhere.

[Flyingcursor]

I think Martin's onto something. Aren't all forms of folk music a response to the current social/cultural/political situation?

[MurphyStout]

Did some checking around on the CalArts website and grant applications are not being accepted for the rest of 2005 do to budget cuts. I read that in 2003 the grant funds were decreased by 86%. The whole grant program has been suspended. So I'll have to find some other avenue.