SPRING 2023 MELODIC SOLOING GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: Alessio Ammendola

Alessio Ammendola

Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that Alessio Ammendola is the recipient of the Spring 2023 Melodic Soloing Guitar Scholarship.

Alessio Ammendola comes to MI’s Guitar Program from Italy with 10 years of playing experience and in possession of solid melodic soloing skills in a variety of genres and a specialization in a multiplicity of Rock music styles. During the last six years, he’s also worked as a professional musician playing in different musical contexts, with a lot of playing in musicals for theaters.

During his studies, he will focus on “Developing more of a great and tight mindset and how to take advantage of my music tools, putting them all together to settle myself into the international music business. At MI you can learn not only how to fully master and control your instrument, but also how to move and most importantly, how to behave to be able to find your own path as a musician.”

When asked why he chose to study at MI, Alessio added “I came to MI because its guitar department is (without any doubt) the best that a guitarist can find. I wanted a new challenge for myself and see what kind of new level I will reach.  There are great instructors and people to genuinely compete with. I think that the choice of a great institute should be led by one simple reason: what we want to achieve; and when you have that answer in your mind, MI is where to start.”

Asked what the winning this scholarship award means to him, Alessio shared “The Melodic Soloing Guitar Scholarship means a lot to me because it’s a reward for my years of sacrifice spent improving my musicality and technique. We’re always led by a great passion for music but at a certain point of our journey, we need to accomplish something to feel that we’re moving in the right way, with the right pace and we shouldn’t stop. This scholarship is the perfect representation of this state of mind and when something that we have in our head comes to life, it’s always a great thing to be proud of.”

He describes his professional goals and aspirations as follows: “For the future I see myself in the international music business. As a guitarist, working for some Pop Artist or for some important musical theater companies. I will have a lot of time to develop my solo career and I would love to work with other artists, to be a sort of “X factor” for an artist or a music director.  But there’s no big dream without big and hard work, and that’s what I’m ready for.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Alessio on winning this very prestigious scholarship award!

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 Alessio 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 

2023 D’ADDARIO FOUNDATION WOMEN IN GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: Yu-Hsuan Jen

Yu-Hsuan Jen

Talented guitarist Yu-Hsuan Jen has been named as winner of the 2023 D’Addario Foundation Women in Guitar Scholarship. She comes to Musicians Institute from Taiwan with 7 years of playing experience and a specialization in funk guitar styles.

As a current MI Guitar Program student, Yu-Hsuan has focused her studies on “Being able to communicate with many great musicians, learn different styles and become a competent musician.”

When asked why she chose to study at MI, she added “There are some very talented guitarists in Taiwan who graduated from MI, so I know that this is a very systematic school where I can learn and study many different styles of music and improve my guitar playing.”  

She added, “This scholarship means a lot to me because I am not confident in my own playing, I’m a SUPER UNCONFIDENT person! I am very grateful to the school for this affirmation, I will work harder to improve and become a better guitarist.”

Yu-Hsuan sees her MI education as an important key to achieving her goals “Continuing to learn, improve my solo/improvisation ability and become a stable guitarist who can play a variety of styles, and become a REAL MUSICIAN!”

Everyone at Musicians Institute congratulates Yu-Hsuan on winning this very prestigious award!

Special thanks to our longtime industry partner, D’Addario and The D’Addario Music Foundation for  generously sponsoring this scholarship as a part of its ongoing  Music Education for Girls Initiative, which helps to provide talented students like Yu-Hsuan with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

To learn more about the full line of D’Addario products click here: http://www.daddario.com

2023 N.W. DIBLE FOUNDATION SONGWRITING SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: Luo’er Li

Luo’er Li

The winner of the third annual N.W. Dible Foundation Songwriting Scholarship at Musicians Institute is the multi-talented Bachelor’s Degree student Luo’er Li.

The current Bachelor of Music in Songwriting and Production program student is a lifelong musician who comes to MI by way of Beijing, China.  Luo’er  started studying classical piano at age 4, and producing music at age 16. He shared that “I started out by producing electronic music, and now I try to create anything that sounds unique, original and different from others.”

When asked why he chose to study at MI, he added “MI provides the best educational resources, and the location in LA is the best for modern music development and getting involved with the local music industry as I study. This lays the foundation for my future career and creates a perfect life style for me.”

Upon learning about his scholarship award, he shared “This scholarship means a lot to me. It represents an academic honor and an approval of my hard work, and motivates me to excel and pursue more academic and personal achievements. It also helps me to save money to invest in my music career.”

As he continues his studies, he plans to maintain his focus on “Getting a holistic view of music and the music industry. I think basic theory learned from class will help me get through future bottlenecks for my career. More importantly, I can learn other classmates’ perspectives to broaden my vision.”

After MI, Luo’er’s primary career aspirations are to: “Create high-quality music with my own characteristics that is not limited to specific genres. I hope my music will be popular one day, so that people pay attention to the inner significance of the song and the merit of the composer.”

Everyone at Musicians Institute congratulates Luo’er on this achievement, and we look forward to seeing him reach his full potential while at MI.

Special thanks to the N.W. Dible Foundation for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Luo’er with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

The N.W. Dible Foundation aims to promote and support communities, organizations, and individuals involved in literary and creative arts activities. Among its guiding principles are education, creative achievement, cultural diversity and inclusion. The Foundation also supports health and the environmental sciences

SPRING 2023 HOSA TECHNOLOGY AUDIO ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: KESTON MACK

The Audio Engineering Program at Musicians Institute is pleased to announce Keston Mack as the winner of the ninth annual Hosa Technology Audio Engineering Scholarship at MI.  

In winning this award, the West Philadelphia native convincingly and clearly articulated his career goals in his scholarship essay submission.  Keston comes to MI with three years of audio engineering experience and also a strong interest in creating soundtracks for his own short film(s) that utilize his own vocals for singing/rapping.

When asked “what do you hope to learn while studying in the Audio Engineering Program at MI”, Keston shared that “I expect to learn how to work in a professional environment with all the know-how, for bringing my ideas to life through audio effects, and how to engineer my own Hip-Hop, RnB and guitar albums”. 

Regarding his future career goals and aspirations, he added, “My dreams and goals are to work with Damlin, Pixar’s Universal Music Group, and Disney. As well, one of my biggest aspirations is to bring forth new ideas to hip-hop fusing it with metal. While audio is my thing,  I’ve also been practicing guitar for several years and would like to do that professionally.  

Everyone at MI congratulates Keston on winning this prestigious award, as he pursues his audio engineering studies and enjoys the many great experiences ahead at MI!

Special thanks to our industry partner, Hosa Technology for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide students like Keston with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

2023 SCOTT BENNETT MEMORIAL GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: Eric Jonathan Cahyadi

 Eric Jonathan Cahyadi

Versatile guitarist Eric Jonathan Cahyadi has been named as the winner of the second annual Scott Bennett Memorial Guitar Scholarship at Musicians Institute. Eric comes to MI from Jakarta, Indonesia, having played guitar for 6 years in various genres including acoustic fingerstyle, R&B, pop rock, country, and gospel music.

As a current AA Degree student, Eric decided to attend MI’s Guitar Program because “I hope to build a solid foundation for my music knowledge and technique while studying at MI so I can continue to flourish in the future.  I chose to study at MI for a lot of reasons; one of which is the amazing faculty, where the instructors are active musicians who do session/touring work and can give insight into working in the music industry. Given that MI is in the heart of Los Angeles, building relationships with musicians both inside and outside of MI is also a huge reason for why I chose MI. Also, MI offers a very wide range of stylistic freedom that not many other schools offer. I’m able to freely dive into genres that I personally love and enjoy playing.”

When asked what winning the scholarship meant to him, he shared that “This scholarship means the world to me; like a stamp of approval that tells me,  ‘Yes, I am on the right track’ and it pushes me to further continue to work harder than ever, like there’s no tomorrow.”

Eric sees his education as an important key to achieving his career goals, which include “My dreams are to work professionally both in the United States and Indonesia as a musician, to have a full-time career in a job that I love and to hopefully inspire and bless people with the music I make. I try to live by the quote: “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Eric on winning this very prestigious award!

Special thanks to the family and friends of MI (GIT) alumnus Scott Bennett for generously sponsoring this memorial scholarship in his honor, which helps to provide talented students like Eric with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

Scott Bennett

2022 HOSA TECHNOLOGY AUDIO ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: KENDRA MICHELLE MARQUEZ

Kendra Michelle Marquez

The Audio Engineering Program at Musicians Institute is pleased to announce Kendra Michelle Marquez as the winner of the eighth annual Hosa Technology Audio Engineering Scholarship at MI.  

In winning this award, the Miami native convincingly and clearly articulated her career goals in her scholarship essay submission.  Kendra comes to MI with a strong interest in engineering Alternative Blues, which she describes as “darker, cinematic instrumentals with alt pop and blues blended in; think Lana Del Rey meets Amy Winehouse.”

Currently, she is enrolled in MI’s Associate of Science in Studio Recording program, after having previously studied in MI’s Vocal program – and when asked why she chose to study in the Audio Engineering Program at MI, Kendra shared that “I’m looking forward to really understanding how to track vocals/instruments, mix and master from the very ground up. I was actually looking into the LA Recording School because I had previously been there for their film program, but they do not offer a Bachelors degree and it’s a personal goal of mine to earn my Associates and Bachelors.”  

Regarding her future career goals and aspirations, she added, “I’m an artist first and it’s been my goal to learn how to engineer and maybe even produce myself so that I am not dependent on other engineers and working with their schedules. Originally, I only wanted to work on my own music but job opportunities through MI have been brought to my attention and I think it would be awesome to get hired by a studio or have my own freelance business working with clients.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Kendra on winning this prestigious award, as she pursues her audio engineering studies and enjoys the many great experiences ahead at MI!

Special thanks to our industry partner, Hosa Technology for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide students like Kendra with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

PAJWELL FOUNDATION BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: YULONG HUANG

Yulong Huang

The Bachelor’s Degree Program at Musicians Institute is pleased to announce that talented drummer Yulong Huang has been chosen as the winner of the Pajwell Foundation Bachelor of Music in Performance Scholarship at MI.  

A native of China, Yulong comes to MI with 11 years of experience playing drums with a focus on Fusion/Jazz and Progressive Metal genres and is currently enrolled in MI’s Bachelor Music in Composition (Scoring for Visual Media) program.

Upon learning of his scholarship award, he shared “First of all, the scholarship is an affirmation of my playing ability, and it encourages me to keep making progress.”

When asked why he chose to study at MI, Yulong shared that “I chose MI because there are many professional musicians in the school, and I can get valuable experience and opportunities to connect with the industry. Secondly, MI teachers are excellent, and the curriculum is flexible while ensuring the quality. I can learn any skill I want here, without any limitation. It gives me a lot of room for improvement.”  

Regarding his future career goals and aspirations, he added, “My dream is to become an excellent drummer and composer. I also want to make more contributions to the music industry, making good music with excellent musicians.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Yulong on winning this prestigious award, as he continues his studies and enjoys the many great experiences ahead at MI!

Special thanks to our charitable partner, the Pajwell Foundation for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide students like Yulong with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

https://www.themusiciansfoundation.org

2022 D’ADDARIO WOMEN IN GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: VALENTINA LOAIZA JARAMILLO

Valentina Loaiza Jaramillo

Talented guitarist Valentina Loaiza Jaramillo has  been named as winner of the 2022 D’Addario Women in Guitar Scholarship. She comes to Musicians Institute from Medellín, Colombia with 12 years of playing experience and a specialization in rock.

As a current MI Guitar Program student, Valentina is focussed on “Developing and finding my sound. I want to learn everything I need to have a successful journey in the music industry. When asked why she chose to study at MI, she added “My guitar instructor told me about MI. When I did my research, I knew it was the right place because of the quality of the instructors and the curriculum. Additionally, I looked through the MI graduates list and I read some familiar names that are very successful thanks to what they learned at MI.”  

She added, “This scholarship means a lot to me because it is a recognition for the effort, dedication and passion I have for music. Also, it is a financial help for my family, because for me to develop a musical career at MI represents an important economic effort.  I am very happy and thankful for this recognition.”

Valentina sees her MI education as an important key to achieving her goals “to acquire a high level of knowledge, to perform as a session musician or a touring musician and, in the future create my own band.”

Everyone at Musicians Institute congratulates Valentina on winning this very prestigious award!

Special thanks to our longtime industry partner, D’Addario and The D’Addario Music Foundation for  generously sponsoring this scholarship as a part of its ongoing  Music Education for Girls Initiative, which helps to provide talented students like Valentina with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

To learn more about the full line of D’Addario products click here: http://www.daddario.com

2022 N.W. DIBLE FOUNDATION SONGWRITING SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: HONGBIN XU

Hongbin Xu

The winner of the second annual N.W. Dible Foundation Songwriting Scholarship at Musicians Institute is the multi-talented Bachelor’s Degree student Hongbin Xu.

The current MI Bachelor of Music in Performance (Keyboard with an Audio Production Emphasis) is a lifelong musician and experienced session musician who comes to MI by way of China. Hongbin has been performing since childhood and has 8 years of songwriting experience.

Upon learning about his scholarship award, he shared “I really appreciate being chosen for this scholarship. It makes me feel good about what I’m doing and encourages me to keep on doing it.”

As he continues his studies, he plans to maintain his focus on “deepening my understanding of music, so that I can enjoy playing/writing more.” He added, “I’ve been studying at MI for over 4 years now and I’m still learning so much every day. MI has a lot of awesome professors who are passionate about teaching and I’m very grateful for that.”

After MI, Hongbin’s primary career aspirations are to: “be able to gig, write songs, and produce for a living.”

Everyone at Musicians Institute congratulates Hongbin on this achievement, and we look forward to seeing him reach his full potential while at MI.

Special thanks to the N.W. Dible Foundation for generously sponsoring this scholarship, which helps to provide talented students like Hongbin with the support, tools and recognition they need to launch successful and creative careers in the music industry.

The N.W. Dible Foundation aims to promote and support communities, organizations, and individuals involved in literary and creative arts activities. Among its guiding principles are education, creative achievement, cultural diversity and inclusion. The Foundation also supports health and the environmental sciences

FALL 2022 MELODIC SOLOING GUITAR SCHOLARSHIP AT MUSICIANS INSTITUTE WINNER: MANDABYA KUMAR SARMA

Mandabya Kumar Sarma

Musicians Institute and The Musicians Foundation are pleased to announce that Mandabya Kumar Sarma is the recipient of the Fall 2022 Melodic Soloing Guitar Scholarship.

Originally a native of Guwahati, India, Mandabya comes to MI’s Guitar Program comes to MI with 9 years of playing experience and in possession of solid melodic soloing skills in a variety of genres and a specialization in Rock.

During his studies at MI, he will focus on “Apart from gaining great guitar skills, I hope to learn the real essence of being a musician such as playing with a band and being a team player. MI is also a great place to connect to like-minded people and have great Jam sessions or form bands.”

When asked why he chose to study at MI, Mandabya added “MI has something that the other music schools don’t, which is learning and performing all types of genres. I believe it’s important to be able to play all genres comfortably to be a well-rounded musician.  I’ve played a lot of Rock in the past and all throughout my music career. Thanks to MI, it has opened my eyes to many more awesome genres. Now I play everything from R&B to country and everything in between.”  

Asked what the winning this scholarship award means to him, Mandabya shared “This scholarship means a huge deal for me and my family. Being able to survive in Hollywood as an international student is difficult and this scholarship helps me a great deal financially to put myself through school and keep studying what I love.”

He describes his professional goals and aspirations as follows: “My dreams are cliche but they’re mostly about touring with my future band or other bands throughout the US and possibly internationally as well. I would also love to do session work for other artists, and I love to teach music as well.”

Everyone at MI congratulates Mandabya 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 Mandabya 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