NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships, Bursaries & Awards Available to Alberta Music Students
MORNING MUSICALE SCHOLARSHIP This $250 scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving student of an ARMTA Calgary Branch member who has received the highest aggregate score for the year. This applicant has to have completed the ARCT Piano Performers Diploma with the theory co-requisites completed IF there is no ARCT Piano Teacher’s Diploma with the theory co-requisites completed, applying. This scholarship requires separate application – see the Morning Musicale webpage for requirements and application.
Morning Musical is a group of Calgary ARMTA piano teachers who started their meetings in 1973. They gather monthly for personal musical and educational advancement with regards to the teaching of piano students and of music in general.
THE PIANO PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE SCHOLARSHIP This $200 scholarship is open to piano students at Levels 9, 10, and ARCT. It is presented to the student with the highest aggregate score on a) the practical exam mark, b) the co-requisite Harmony exam mark and c) the co-requisite History exam mark. The scholarship continues a tradition that began with the Piano Diploma Association’s Scholarship of a similar nature.
MAESTOSO & PRESTISSIMO & SCHOLARSHIPS In 2025, ARMTA Calgary Branch established these two scholarships, named in alignment with the titles of our top sponsorship tiers, Maestoso and Prestissimo. In the event that we acquire advertisers at one or both of these levels, their business name(s) will be added to the scholarship names. These two scholarships are inspired by the PPC Scholarship and are open to advanced piano students at levels 9 to diploma. The $200 Maestoso scholarship will be presented to the student with the second highest aggregate score on a) the practical exam mark, b) the co-requisite Harmony exam mark and c) the co-requisite History exam mark. The $150 Prestissimo scholarship will be presented to the student with the third highest score on these exams. In the event of a tie, the higher amount will be awarded to the student studying at the highest level.
EILEEN AND ELGAR HIGGIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP The Eileen and Elgar Higgin Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a senior voice student (Level 10/ARCT). Elaine Case has donated the Eileen and Elgar Higgin Memorial Scholarship to ARMTA to honour her parents’ devotion to the development of young musical talent. This scholarship requires separate application – see the ACRA webpage (application button under “Graduate Ceremony / Named Scholarships.
Eileen and Elgar were giants in the musical life of Calgary, and their legacy lives on in the teaching and performing careers of their daughters, Elaine Case and Jennifer Higgin. Starting in the 1930’s as soloists at Knox United Church, Eileen and Edgar were often heard in recitals throughout the city. In the late 1950’s, Eileen formed the Calgary Theatre Singers in order to give up and coming singers opportunities to perform in operas and musicals – produced to a very high artistic standard. She was also instrumental in the start of the Singing and Opera Division of the Banff School of Fine Arts, where she taught every summer for several years. In 1969, in the last year of his life, Elgar Higgin taught singing for that program. Eileen and Edgar donated trophies and scholarships to the Calgary Kiwanis Festival and were active with the Calgary Musicians’ Union, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association, and National Association of Singing. Their students have been heard at the Saddlers’ Wells Opera, Dusseldorf Opera, San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Metropolitan Opera. A life sized painting of Elgar Higgin, painted by noted artist H.G. Glyde, hangs in the National Music Centre. Each year the Banff Centre awards a scholarship in honour of Eileen Higgin.
PETER TURNER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP The Peter Turner Memorial Scholarship is awarded to the student who has earned the highest mark in the ARCT Performance Examination during the past year. Peter Turner was a highly regarded teacher of piano for many years in Calgary. His students played at the highest level and were consistently successful not only in local but also national competitions. Peter Turner set a high standard for both his students and for other teachers, and he was also a senior examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music. Peter passed away in 2008.
ENDOWMENT SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIPS The Endowment Society of the Calgary Registered Music Teachers sponsors the ACRA Scholarships and medals for students who have earned the top three practical examination marks (minimum 87%) in each discipline category during the past year. The fourth highest mark in each Piano category will also receive an Honourable Mention scholarship. Levels 5 through Diploma in each discipline will also need to show documentation of completed theory co-requisites. Scholarships are also available for Advanced Theory. The Endowment Society receives funding for these scholarships from individual donors and from the ARMTA Recognition fund. Through the Endowment Society, ARMTA Calgary supports other awards and programs for students.