The Music Publishers Association (MPA) has launched its Richard Toeman Scholarship programme for 2017.
Applications for the scholarship – which was established in 2006 and is named after Richard Toeman, who died in 2005 – are now open. Toeman worked for 40 years at Josef Weinberger Ltd and gave his time and expertise to the MPA and to the wider music publishing business.
The scholarship offers two individuals (one with less than five years’ experience of the business and one final year student/recent graduate) tailor-made packages of support. Both winners will receive complementary places on the MPA Induction Course and all MPA/MMF music publishing professional development course modules, £500 towards further training, a ticket to the MPA Christmas Lunch 2017, invitations to MPA socials, a complementary MusicAlly subscription and a Music Week directory as well as other prizes. The two winners will also receive professional career coaching of their choice.
The successful professional category applicant will also get complementary places on two MPA specialist seminars, while the student/ graduate winner will receive a complementary MPA student membership (if applicable) and help in securing a relevant and paid work placement as well as support in seeking longer term employment opportunities and internships.
Full details are available on the MPA website, with entries closing on April 21.
The two winners will be announced at the MPA AGM in July 2017.
Claire McAuley, General Manager of the MPA said: “The Richard Toeman Scholarship is a one of a kind programme that exists to support up and coming talent in our industry, providing two outstanding applicants with all the tools necessary to make the most successful start in their careers as music publishers. The scholarship has impressive alumni and many of the winners have gone on to work for MPA members, a testament to its success. Ensuring a robust and skilled workforce is of paramount importance to our industry and the MPA is proud to provide the scholarship as part of our educational and outreach initiatives.”
Grace Roberts, last year’s student category Winner and popular music performance graduate at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance said: “The scholarship has been invaluable to me and has allowed me to meet key people within the industry. I found the careers coaching particularly useful as a support network, from developing my CV and communication skills to creating a personal development plan to help me achieve my goals. If you have a passion for music publishing and want to develop your knowledge and skills, this scholarship is for you!”
Clemmie Woodhouse, 2016’s professional category winner and business development executive at Universal Music Publishing said: “The sessions with Jess (owner, Jessica Lee Consulting) have been one of the most beneficial parts of the scholarship. She has given me confidence to be proactive at obtaining certain career goals, and has just generally been a great mentor. Her feedback in between sessions has been very constructive and has enabled me to progress in my learning and development aims.”
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