JSB Grant Fund

JSB Grant Fund

The J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund ensures that all interested students at Northampton High School have the opportunity to receive music lessons, supplies, and field trips for their music classes throughout their high school careers.

Northampton High School boasts a vibrant music community, offering programs, spaces, and opportunities that enable students to develop individually while participating in collaborative school-wide activities. Northampton High School sits in a town with numerous performance venues, music schools, and community organizations. Our school is also fortunate to have two full-time music teachers, one specializing in instrumental music and the other in choral music. The High School also has strong visual arts and theatre departments offering meaningful space for collaboration. For these reasons, great art is created at Northampton High School, and musically inclined students have many opportunities.

Disciplined music study, however, is, by nature, a luxury. Instruments are expensive, the supplies needed to maintain instruments are usually unexpected, and most importantly, the lessons to prepare students for participation in ensembles are costly. For most students enrolled in music programs at Northampton High and JFK, families can manage these costs. However, for others, the cost of learning music is a significant obstacle. These students will miss the challenging and rewarding opportunity to perform with other musicians.

The J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund has been established to ensure that all interested students at Northampton High School receive music lessons, supplies, and opportunities, including music class field trips, throughout their high school careers. During the school year, an experienced private teacher provides weekly lessons at a local music school. (Downtown Sounds or Northampton Community Music Center—students’ choice). Sixth through twelfth graders from JFK Middle School and Northampton High School who require financial assistance are eligible for scholarship funds to cover music lessons and field trip expenses. Students are nominated for the grant by Paul Kinsman, Susan Dillard, Shelby Serio, Erica Caron, and one board member of the Northampton Arts Council Schools Sub-Committee each year in mid-March as course selection wraps up.

The Northampton Arts Council supports artists and ensures that all community members have access to the arts. The Arts Council is pleased to support the opportunity for students, regardless of their financial resources, to join an inclusive community of musicians. Northampton Arts Inc. is fulfilling its mission.

Donate to the JSB Grant Fund

To donate to the J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund, use our PayPal Donation link. Choose JSB Fund in the drop-down menu. Please note “JSB Fund” in the memo line for checks or in the PayPal note field.

More About the J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund

  • NHS educators (Susan Dillard, Shelby Serio, and Erica Caron) identify students who could benefit from the fund and submit a proposal to the J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund Sub-Committee before the last day of school in the academic year.

  • The fund may be used to support private lessons, instrument supplies, and music class field trips.

  • The J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund Sub-Committee reviews proposals (including timeline and costs) and votes to approve.

Donate to the JSB Grant Fund

To donate to the J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund, visit our PayPal Donation Link. Make a note on the check, in the memo line to read "JSB Fund," or do the same online in PayPal.

 

More About the J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund

  • Northampton High School educators Susan Dillard, Paul Kinsman, Shelby Serio, and Erica Caron will identify students each spring who could benefit from the fund and submit proposals to the J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund Sub-Committee before the last day of school in the academic year.

  • The J. Scott Brandon Grant Fund Sub-Committee reviews proposals (including timeline and costs) and votes to approve.

  • When a proposal is approved, the student is notified. Arts Council production staff then coordinate with the Northampton Community Music Center, Downtown Sounds, or other appropriate partners to identify the availability of an instructor or to arrange a field trip. A written agreement is completed and signed by all parties.

  • Throughout the funding cycle, Susan Dillard, Shelby Serio, and Erica Caron assess the efficacy of the grant through regular progress reviews with the student and their instructor. These reviews are shared with the Sub-Committee to determine the appropriate action—continuation or termination of funding.

  • After the initial funding cycle is complete, and if progress reviews have been positive, the student’s teachers may apply to the Arts Council Schools Sub-Committee for an extension of the grant with the student’s consent.

  • The Sub-Committee meets to decide on the continuation of funding based on recommendations from Northampton High School teachers and documented progress.