Funded by the Sondra Thompson Outreach Fund

The American Recorder Society (ARS) has established the ARS Educational Outreach Grant (EOG), a grant to help support educational outreach for the recorder. Meeting the criteria below, any person involved in teaching recorder may apply for a grant. This includes music teachers in elementary and secondary schools; faculty of colleges, universities and conservatories; and teachers and professionals who give private recorder lessons and/or coach recorder ensembles in music schools, home studios, or other locations.

Requests for grants that might fall under the purview of the Educational Outreach Grant might include, but are not limited to:

• Funding to initiate or improve a program involving the recorder;
• Funding for K-12 teachers and educators to attend recorder workshops;
• Funding to support bringing in recorder ensembles to schools for presentations/concerts;
• Funding for the purchase of recorders for schools interested in starting a recorder ensemble;
• Funding for educational materials.

Your application will be reviewed by the ARS’ Scholarship/Grant Sub-Committee. Preference will be given to first-time applicants. A total of $400 per calendar year will be awarded.

Deadline: Please submit your Application at least 60 days prior to your need of a funding commitment for your project.

The Sondra Thompson Outreach Fund was set up June 2011 through a donation from the family of Sondra Thompson of Sarasota, FL. Sondra was an amazing, professional musician and played a number of different instruments and taught recorders to young and old alike.

The first Educational Outreach Grant was awarded to Ft. Worth Independent School District (FWISD) through the efforts of Peggy Turner, FWISD music teacher and professional recorder & flute player along with Alice Derbyshire. Both are members of Rio Brazos Ensemble in Ft. Worth, TX. Peggy organized the Second Annual Super Recorder Saturday. This is a one day workshop for fourth and fifth graders on a Saturday in January. The event promoted recorder education for young students and supported the school’s existing curricula and it was free for students.

Read more about Super Recorder Saturday

ARS Educational Outreach Grant application  (Word doc.)