Deadline: 3 February 2025, 11:59pm EST

The Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship was established by friends of the late Howard Mayer Brown on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday. Intended to increase the presence of minority scholars and teachers in musicology, the fellowship supports one year of graduate work for a student at a U.S. or Canadian university who is a member of a historically underrepresented group, including, in the U.S., African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans, and, in Canada, aboriginal peoples and visible minorities (as defined by Canadian legislation). Preference will normally be given to candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of a North American* country. The award will not be made to those who already have full funding roughly equivalent to the amount of the Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship, regardless of whether it includes a teaching assignment, except on a non-stipendiary basis.

Students are eligible who have completed at least one year of full-time graduate work, intend to pursue a Ph.D., and are in good standing at their home institution. They should show evidence of academic excellence and promise of continuing achievement in music scholarship. Those in the earlier stages of the degree are particularly encouraged to apply. Students at a U.S. or Canadian university who are a member of a historically underrepresented group, including, in the U.S., African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans, and, in Canada, aboriginal peoples and visible minorities (as defined by Canadian legislation) are encouraged to apply. There are no restrictions as to research area, age, or sex.

*includes all 23 countries in the North American continent

COMPETITION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Application deadline: 11:59pm EST, 3 February 2025

Please note: AMS Fellowships now use a common application. If you are eligible for and wish to apply for more than one AMS fellowship, you may do so by completing a single common application. You must indicate on the form for which fellowship(s) you are applying.

To apply for the Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship, you will be required to provide the following materials:

1. A personal statement (not to exceed 1,000 words) summarizing the applicant's musical and academic background and stating why they wish to pursue an advanced degree in music studies. Areas of research or specific topics that the applicant would pursue in the 2024-2025 academic year if supported by a Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship should be identified and discussed. 
   
2. A curriculum vitae.
3. A sample or samples of the applicant's work (not to exceed 30 pages total), such as term paper(s), thesis chapter(s), or any published material. Writing samples should be clearly labeled as to their date and the purpose for or context in which they were originally written.
4. One letter of support from a faculty member. The letter should address the applicant's general intellectual and musical ability and how these might contribute to a successful career in scholarship and teaching. The letter of support must be requested using the reference request feature included in the application form, so have your reference name and email handy when filling in the form. You may send this request at any time, even before you are ready to submit the application.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. Start your application process early. You may save an incomplete form and continue later.
   
2. You MUST click the 'Submit' button at the end of the form to submit your application. Applications not submitted by the deadline cannot be considered.
3. Upon submission of your application form you will receive an email confirmation. You may also check the status of your application by signing into your Submittable account and clicking "My Submissions". If you have any questions, please contact  ams@amsmusicology.org.
   

AWARDS

The fellowship carries a twelve-month stipend, currently set at $25,000. The recipient may also elect to accept the award on a non-stipendiary basis (thus freeing scarce resources for another). The fellowship is intended for full-time study. An equivalent major award from another source may not be held concurrently or consecutively unless the AMS award is accepted without a stipend. The fellowship is for one year and is not deferable or renewable. There are no provisions for the payment of tuition: it is hoped that graduate schools will provide tuition fellowships or waivers. The AMS encourages the institution at which the recipient is pursuing his or her degree to offer continuing financial support.

Fellows are selected in the spring and announced in the summer.