ANNOUNCING THE SCOTT BENNETT MEMORIAL GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE

Scott Bennett

The Musicians Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of the Scott Bennett Memorial Guitar Scholarship at Musicians Institute in honor of the memory and creative talents of MI (GIT) class of 1986 alumnus, Scott Bennett.

The scholarship award of $5,000 will be awarded annually to a deserving student who embodies true dedication and passion for the guitar and will be applied as a tuition discount for the fall 2022 quarter.  

The Scholarship is provided to encourage and support the educational growth of a (new or currently enrolled) guitar student at who demonstrates who demonstrates overall passion and stylistic diversity on the guitar in any genre(s).

The deadline to apply is Sept. 2nd, 2022. For complete scholarship details, and application, click HERE.

Scott Bennett

2022 ESP ROCK GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: TONY RODRIGUES

Tony Rodrigues

Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that Tony Rodrigues is the recipient of the 2022 ESP Rock Guitar Scholarship.  

Tony comes to MI’s Guitar Program from Brazil, with 7 years of guitar playing experience, a versatile array of playing skills in multiple genres and a strong focus in Rock/Metal.

When asked why he chose to study at Musicians Institute, he stated, “After many years of searching, MI was the place that offered the best opportunities to study and to enter the music industry.”

Upon learning of his ESP scholarship award, Tony shared that “this scholarship represents a valuable recognition of my work as a guitarist, and gives me more opportunity and support to achieve my goal.”

Tony sees his education as an important key to achieving his dream of one day being able to “contribute to the music industry and be recognized as an artist writing my own songs and music as well as being able to play for some big artist(s) while I continue to improve my career in the modern social media world.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Tony on winning this prestigious scholarship!

Special thanks to our longtime industry partner, ESP Guitars for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Tony with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful careers in the music industry.

Be sure to visit ESP Electric Guitars, and their industry partner: Takamine Guitars  to learn more their full line of guitar products.

2022 TAKAMINE ACOUSTIC GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: JIA-MING TSAI

Jia-Ming Tsai

Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that talented guitarist Jia-Ming Tsai is the recipient of the prestigious 2022 Takamine Acoustic Guitar Scholarship.  

Jia-Ming comes to MI’s Guitar Program from Taiwan with ten years of guitar playing and performing experience in multiple genres and a specialization in Pop and Rock styles.

Jia-Ming shared that his areas of interest during his studies include: “I want to learn Jazz the most, but also want to learn many other styles, perform on stage and jam with people at MI!”

When asked “what does winning this scholarship award mean to you”?  Jia-Ming shared “It encouraged me a lot to win an acoustic guitar scholarship! Although I play electric guitar the most, but I also really love the acoustic guitar, and I had the opportunity to play a lot of gigs with a vocalist in Taiwan. “One vocal + one acoustic guitar” duo format sounds really good to me and I enjoy that a lot.”

He sees his MI education as an important key to achieving his dream of one day being able to “be a session player, have a band and write some original songs.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Jia-Ming on winning this prestigious scholarship award, as he continues his studies at MI!

Special thanks to our longtime industry partner, ESP and Takamine Guitars for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Jia-Ming with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful careers in the music industry.

Be sure to visit Takamine Guitars  to learn more their full line of guitar products, and their exciting partnership with ESP Electric Guitars.

SPRING 2022 GREG PRIEST MEMORIAL DRUM SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: DHRUV MITTAL

Dhruv Mittal

The Drum Program at Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that talented multi-stylist drummer Dhruv Mittal has been named the winner of the Greg Priest Memorial Drum Scholarship. The scholarship was created to honor the memory, talent and artistic career of MI alumnus Greg Priest.

Dhruv comes to MI from Kanpur, India with 10 years of playing experience specializing in Funk, Prog-Rock and Modern Fusion. During his ongoing studies as a current AA Drum program student, he will focus on “studying my instrument better and gain a much better understanding of music in general. After spending two quarters at MI, I have formally learned the basics all over again and have been introduced to the endless possibilities that the drums are capable of.”   

When asked why he chose to study at MI, he shared that it was “because of its state-of-the-art facilities, and the faculty. I am blessed to be studying with extremely proficient teachers. In the little time that I have been at MI, they have completely changed my outlook on how I perceive playing and practicing.”

When asked what winning the scholarship means to him, Dhruv shared “being awarded with this scholarship is in line with my quest for excellence. It also gives me a validation that I am slowly starting to get better in a way I have always envisioned for myself. I feel extremely fortunate and honored.” 

He describes his future professional goals and aspirations as follows, “my biggest goal is to spend my time composing music with other musicians as well as playing as many gigs and tours as I can and finding my own niche in terms of my sound and my technique. Having graduated from IIT Kanpur, which is one of the most competitive and prestigious universities of India, I come from a very technical background. In some ways, the change from science to music is considered unorthodox by many. Which is why I want to work on my social media presence, make quality drumming content, and share my journey with other musicians.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Dhruv on the achievement of this prestigious award. We look forward to seeing him reach his full potential as he continues his studies at MI.

Special thanks to the family and friends of Greg Priest for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Dhruv with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

SPRING 2022 MELODIC SOLOING GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: ADAM STEINER

Adam Steiner

Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that Adam Steiner is the recipient of the Spring 2022 Melodic Soloing Guitar Scholarship.

Originally a New Hampshire native, Adam comes to MI’s Guitar Program comes to MI by way of Virginia with 6 years of playing experience and in possession of solid melodic soloing skills in a variety of genres including rock, fusion, jazz, and blues.

During his studies at MI, he will focus on “developing a more coherent picture of the way music and music theory works, improving my chops  reading music and studying production.”  

When asked why he chose to study at MI, Adam added “I chose MI because it’s in LA and also because I like some musicians who studied here.  I hope to meet some well-known musicians here in the future.”

Asked what the winning this scholarship award means to him, Adam shared “This scholarship means a lot to me. It means I’m on the right track with my playing and the work I put in is worth it. Thank you for the scholarship opportunity and for selecting me!

He describes his professional goals and aspirations as follows: “I hope to be a touring musician with my own band (as the lead guitarist) and also to original write music for it. That’s my definite goal but before that, I hope to work with/join other bands, artists and do studio work.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Adam on winning this very prestigious scholarship award, and we welcome him as he begins his studies and the many great experiences ahead at MI!

Special thanks to an anonymous MI Guitar Program alumnus (GIT class of 1980) for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Adam with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful careers in the music industry.

To learn more about the MI Alumni Community click HERE and HERE

KYLE MATHIS MEMORIAL ROCK DRUM SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: ROBERT RODRIGUEZ

Robert Rodriguez

The Drum Program at Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that talented, multi-stylistic drummer Robert Francis Rodriguez has been named as the winner of the Kyle Mathis Memorial Rock Drum Scholarship. The scholarship was created to honor the memory and talents of the MI Drum program alumnus, Kyle Mathis.

Robert comes to MI from Denver, Colorado with 20 years of playing and performance experience in Jazz, Rock, Country and several other genres. During his studies as a Drum program student at MI, Robert intends to focus on “taking everything I’ve learned over the years and enhancing it in every conceivable way. I may have a lot of experience performing but I don’t know that much about the business side. I may have a lot of experience playing but I know that the teachers at MI can show so me so much more. It’s the type of school that can really help me work on my weaknesses while enhancing my strengths both musically and mentally.”   

Upon receiving his scholarship award, Robert acknowledged that he chose to study at MI because “it’s a phenomenal school, all of the teachers genuinely care about the students and every musician I’ve known that came out of MI has been highly successful. It’s a school that knows how build on your strengths and get you better every quarter.”

When asked what winning the scholarship means to him, Robert shared “it means everything, I’m a husband and father who is working three jobs. It’s genuinely hard to pay for school out of pocket the way that I do. The scholarships at MI legitimately made it possible for me to afford the program and that really means the world to me because it’s a life changing school.” 

He describes his future professional goals and aspirations as follows: “My goals are very much set in studio work/live performances. I really look up to guys like Rich Redmond whom make their living not only passing along knowledge but writing great albums and rocking out packed stadiums. My goal is to become proficient in performing, studio work, production and to have an understanding of the business in a way that would help me do music for a living. I know this program is a great stepping stone towards that dream.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Robert on the achievement of this award. We look forward to seeing him reach his full potential as he continues his studies at MI.

Special thanks to the family and friends of Kyle Mathis for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Robert with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

Kyle Mathis