Finding funding for music, dance, and drama courses

Dinushi Bopearachchi; Joe Lewis

Some students will be able to access publicly funded support for performing arts courses, while others, who may be studying at smaller, private providers, will not be eligible for such funding and so will have to rely on part-time work, family support, or scholarships and grants.

In the first instance, students should speak to their course provider about what financial support might be available. They can also search for funding opportunities online or by using the reference books detailed below.

Government funding

Students should speak to their school, college, or university to find out if their course would mean they are eligible for any of the following forms of publicly funded financial support.

Student loans, grants, and bursaries

If they are undertaking an eligible course, such as a degree or foundation degree, students may be able to access the standard undergraduate student finance package on offer in their respective part of the UK. See the Commons Library constituency casework article Financial support for higher education students for more information.

Students may be eligible for Advanced Learner Loans in England if they are over the age of 19 and studying an eligible level 3, 4, 5 or 6 qualification at an approved college or training provider. For what might be available elsewhere in the UK, see the Commons Library constituency casework article Financial support for further education students.

Students doing a master’s level course may be eligible for postgraduate loans, which can help with course fees and living costs. See the Commons Library constituency casework article Finding funding for a master’s degree for more information.

Dance and Drama Awards

Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) help with fees and living costs at eligible private dance and drama schools. Students must be aged 16 to 23 and show talent and a likelihood to succeed in the industry. They must also be studying for one of the following Trinity College London Diplomas:

Level 5 or 6 Diploma in Professional Acting
Level 5 Diploma in Professional Dance (Classical Ballet or Contemporary Dance) or Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance
Level 6 Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre

These awards are means tested, which means their value is dependent on a student’s household income.

Music and Dance Scheme

The Music and Dance Scheme provides grants and help with fees at eligible schools and Centres for Advanced Training. Students must be aged 8 to 19, or under 25 if they are disabled.

Travel support

Students in England may be eligible for travel discounts and concessions from their local council. In Scotland, young people under the age of 22 may be eligible for free bus travel. Subsidised transport is available in Wales for 16- to 19-year-olds in education.

Funding from schools, colleges, and universities

Most performing arts schools and colleges, as well as universities providing such courses, will offer scholarships to talented students. These will generally take the form of a fee reduction or waiver and may also include living cost support. Scholarships might be awarded in recognition of a student’s ability, for particular disciplines (for example, less popular musical instruments), and to widen access for underrepresented or disadvantaged students.

Other funding offered by course providers, such as bursaries, might be available for students in financial need, students from a particular background, or for a specific purpose, for example travel or a project.

Funding will be advertised on the website of a student’s course provider, with any opportunities generally set out under sections on “fees and funding” or “scholarships and bursaries”. There may also be a dedicated financial support officer that students can speak to about what might be available and any eligibility criteria for awards. Some examples of this funding include:

Charitable funding

Students can apply to trusts, charities, and other organisations for scholarships or small amounts of funding if they meet eligibility criteria. This process is explained in a document published by London Metropolitan University and a page on the Money Saving Expert website.

Some of this funding will take the form of scholarships awarded by organisations on a student’s ability. There may be additional eligibility criteria, such as a student’s chosen discipline. Other funding may be more directly related to personal circumstances, such as grants for care experienced students or those from low-income households. Awards are often highly competitive and organisations may only offer small sums of funding, but students can combine them to help fund their course.

Organisations such as the Scholarship Hub, Turn2Us, and Grants Online have searchable online databases of scholarships and grants. The Register of Education Endowments is a list of Scottish trusts. The House of Commons Library holds reference books to help identify relevant funding (parliamentary log in required). These books may be available in larger public libraries. They include:

The Guide to Educational Grants
The Directory of Grant Making Trusts
The Grants Register

Some funding opportunities are available to all performing arts students. These include:

National Youth Arts Trust – bursaries of up to £1,000 for young people aged 12 to 25 who cannot afford to access opportunities in the arts.
The Wayne Sleep Foundation – financial support for performing arts students.
Dewar Arts Awards – support for students under 30 in Scotland with demonstrable outstanding ability and limited financial means.
Society for Theatre Research – grants for research related to British theatre and performing arts.

Other opportunities will be for specific subjects or disciplines. Below are some examples of awards available to music, drama, and dance students. Please note these lists are not exhaustive.

Music

A number of funding opportunities for music students have been collated by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Help Musicians charity, and the Independent Society of Musicians. See also:

Christine Brown Trust – support for talented young musicians under 19 years of age.
Future Talent – grants for young musicians.
The Wrightson Trust – support for “needy individuals” aged 11 to 18.
Young Sounds UK – grants for young musicians aged 11 to 17 from low-income households.
Drake Calleja Trust – support for classical solo instrumentalists, accompanists, and singers aged 18 and above.
Charlotte Fraser Foundation – support for woodwind, brass, and voice postgraduate students.

Drama

Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation – scholarships awarded on the combined basis of merit and financial need.
Lilian Baylis Awards – awards made to students nominated by their London drama school.

Dance

The Women’s Careers Foundation (Girls of The Realm Guild) – small educational grants and loans for British women, women aged 16+ studying music or dance.
S D Whitehead’s Charitable Trust – awarded to artistically gifted individuals up to 16 with a particular focus on music or dance.

Funding for studying abroad

Students may also be able to get funding for studying performing arts courses abroad, but opportunities are likely to be more limited. See for example:

RPS Isserlis Scholarship for studying abroad – support for classical instrumentalists and vocalists between the ages of 15 and 25.
Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship Fund – support for individuals travelling abroad to pursue research projects or undertake a short course in movement or dance.

Students in England may be able to get a grant to cover some of their travel expenses if they are studying abroad as part of their course.

A student’s host country and course provider may also offer some financial support. See the scholarship database run by IEFA (International Education and Financial Aid), and information on financial support for students wanting to undertake courses in the USA published by the Association of International Educators.