Thanks to the Armstrong Concert Band, Indiana University of Pennsylvania's music department has an endowed trombone scholarship ...
... worth $35,000 for its students.
Band members, under the direction of Dennis F. Cramer, founding music director of the band, proposed the idea after receiving a donation from the estate of former band member John "Jack" Schad.
The Armstrong Concert Band was formed in 1984 as an all-volunteer organization, and one of its most dedicated members was Schad. Schad was an electrician by trade and much more than an amateur musician, Cramer said. Playing the tuba and a string bass he built himself, he had a lifelong membership in the Syria Shrine Band of Pittsburgh and played in the Butler County Symphony Orchestra, the Harrisville Band and the Armstrong Concert Band.
Schad died two weeks after a Memorial Day concert in 1999 with the Armstrong Concert Band in Ford City, playing until the end. Shortly after Schad's death, the band was notified that he had arranged for the band to receive an inheritance from his estate.
In July 2002, Cramer presented the band's board of directors with a plan for the scholarship. After investigating the needs of the music department, the proposal for a trombone scholarship was unanimously approved.
"The scholarship was established to honor both the dedication and talent of the members of the Armstrong Concert Band and in tribute to Schad and his passion for music," Cramer said.
September 11, 2002
The Armstrong Concert Band Scholarship for Trombone was established to honor the dedication and talent of the membership of the Armstrong Concert Band and in tribute to John Schad and his passion for music. An eligible candidate must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student with a declared trombone major in the Department of Music within the College of Fine Arts; must have successfully earned a minimum of 50 credits at IUP; must have an overall grade-point average of 3.5 or higher; must demonstrate exemplary performing technique on the trombone; and must show a continued interest and involvement in music department ensembles, performances, and guest artist activities. Recipients may be considered for additional scholarship support during subsequent years if the student(s) continues to meet the award criteria.
© trolleyman publishing
Nov 11, 2008