Purdue News
Purdue NewsDecember 5, 1997
Leath Scholarships, valued at $1,000 each, are available to incoming Purdue students who plan to enroll as a full-time undergraduates and participate in an assigned Purdue bands ensemble. Auditions are required and will be held Feb. 14 and March 28 in Purdue's Elliott Hall of Music. Applications must be received by Jan. 20. They are available from Indiana high school music directors or the bands department at (765) 494-3952.
To be eligible, students also must be full-time Indiana residents and must complete an academic review based on grade point average, class rank and SAT score.
Audition material should include three, two-octave major scales and a prepared selection from the Indiana State School Music Association group I solo list. Jazz players should request audition materials be sent to them in place of the group I solo. Piano accompaniment is not allowed, and there is a six-minute time limit. Students also will be asked to sight-read three excerpts. Awards will be made by April 25.
The scholarship was established in 1988 through a trust fund left by Wilbur T. Leath. Leath said he believed that participation in musical organizations provides students with important cultural and educational experiences.
Although Purdue has no school of music, students can participate in a wide variety of instrumental musical activities, including five concert bands, four jazz bands, a full symphony orchestra, a vocal jazz group, the largest marching band in the country, individual instrumental study, and a multitude of solo and ensemble opportunities.
The department is in the midst of a $2 million fund-raising campaign that will run through Homecoming 1999 with a goal of $400,000 for band scholarships, $800,000 for new instruments, and $800,000 to support student travel opportunities.
CONTACT: Jennifer Tucker, public relations director, university bands, (765) 496-2697
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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