The SHINE! Music Bursary is an annual financial award intended to support young musicians for whom financial barriers are making it difficult for them to pursue their study or practice of music.
Individual award amounts vary, ranging from a minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $2,000.

This bursary is available to youth who:

1. face financial barriers which impede their practice and/or study of music

2. are between the ages of 16 to 24

3. live in the Greater Toronto Area or surrounding areas

4. whose music fits into any of these categories: Singer-songwriter, Roots, Folk, or Traditional

Candidates may apply at any time throughout the year.

Applications received (or post-marked) by January 15th will be considered for this year. (Applications received after the 15 January deadline may be considered among the following years’ applications.)

This year’s award(s) will be announced within weeks of the application deadline, and will be presented at the next SHINE! Concert fundraising event.

To be considered for this bursary, the applicant must adequately demonstrate the nature of the challenges they are facing, including their level of financial need.

The Selection Committee recognizes that levels and degrees of individual need are relative, that they vary between applicants in any given year, and that they also vary from year to year, with no two years ever being the same. In other words, among other factors, the Selection Committee must weigh which applicants’ need appears to be the greatest.

So, the applicant should try to express and explain their need as well and as fully as they are able.

This bursary is intended to support individuals who play an organic musical instrument in the traditional understanding of the word (e.g. guitar, piano, strings, brass, woodwind, etc.).

For the purposes of this bursary, digital production, sampling, and other techniques of generating music by computer are not considered organic musical instruments and are therefore not supported by this bursary.

While being able to play an actual musical instrument is a definite advantage, we also consider the human voice to be a musical instrument.

SHINE! mainly supports the following kinds of music: Singer-songwriter, Roots, Folk, and Traditional.

Back in 2010, this bursary set out to foster the traditions of folk and related musical genres. Since then, SHINE! has gradually expanded its musical horizons. Music itself continues to evolve, and musical genres are not easily defined. That being said, we do primarily wish to support genres such as singer-songwriter, roots, folk, roots, traditional, including Celtic and bluegrass, to name a few.

The Selection Committee will also consider other genres, however the applicant should understand that the further their music strays from the above description, the less likely it is that they will be considered for a bursary.

Originally known as the Jim Fay Music Bursary, SHINE! was inaugurated in 2010 by the family and friends of Jim Fay. Native to Ireland but home in Toronto, Jim played guitar and mandolin and was an ardent fan and performer of Celtic, folk and acoustic music. Jim had always been very involved in Toronto’s music community, and he consistently encouraged others to foster their musical pursuits. In 2008, Jim died of a heart attack just a few days shy of his 45th birthday. A music bursary to assist struggling young folk musicians seemed a fitting way in which to honour Jim’s memory.

Over the years, SHINE! has added bursaries to help celebrate the memory of other great musical friends whom we have lost much too soon, including:
James Gray, a brilliant and versatile musician, pillar of the Toronto music scene, and long-time keyboard player for legendary Canadian band Blue Rodeo
Doug Queen an accomplished songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and music teacher, and co-founder of the Toronto rock/bluegrass band Jughead.
Bruce Adamson brilliant lead guitarist for Toronto band Staggered Crossing and influential contributor to the Toronto music community throughout his life.
Gord Goodwin known all over the city at open stages and local musical gigs as a gifted guitarist who could sit in anytime with anyone, anywhere, and lifelong contributor to Toronto’s music community.

Funding for the SHINE! Music Bursary is raised through our annual SHINE! Concert and through generous donations from individuals and groups. Donations are welcome throughout the year and can be made by clicking on the Donate Now button.

Once the application deadline has passed, all submissions are reviewed by our Selection Committee, which is a volunteer panel made up of music industry professionals, performers and youth agency workers, among others.

The Selection Committee is tasked with reviewing the completed applications, the music samples and the letters of reference that have been submitted on behalf of each applicant.

Based on the materials provided, the Selection Committee is tasked with selecting from among the pool of applicants a few individuals whom they determine have demonstrated the most compelling combination of need and musical talent.

In order for your application to be reviewed by the Selection Committee, you must provide three things:

1. a completed application,

2. a music sample (or more than one if you wish),

3. and a letter of reference (or more than one if you wish).

Application

may be filled out online, or offline by downloading the Word version <INSERT FILE> of the form and submitting it via email (to bursaries@ShineConcert.ca) or via Canada Post (to SHINE!, c/o 34 Indian Trail, Toronto ON M6R 1Z7)

Music Sample(s)

must clearly show you performing on your instrument. We do not require a professional-quality recording for the Music Sample. Video recorded on smartphones or other hand-held devices is quite acceptable.

You may provide more than one Music Sample. Music samples in which you are a member of a musical group are acceptable provided that you and your instrument are clearly identifiable within the recording.

Music Samples may be submitted as links to YouTube or other video and music-sharing services. Music Samples may also be submitted as music files uploaded to our website in the online application, or sent to us as email attachments. Music Samples may also be submitted via Canada Post on memory devices such as CD, DVD, USB flash drives, etc.

Letter(s) of Reference

Your Referrer(s) should refer to the Letter of Reference template, which may be downloaded from our website <INSERT FILE>. It contains guidelines that will improve your chances of being selected for a bursary.

The Letter of Reference must be completed, signed, and submitted to us by your Referrer(s). They may submit it via email to Bursaries@ShineConcert.ca, or via Canada Post to: SHINE!, c/o 34 Indian Trail, Toronto, ON M6R 1Z7

We encourage you to provide more than one Letter of Reference. E.G. If one person knows your musical qualifications, while a separate person could support the reasons why you need financial support, then please provide Letters of Reference from both.

Any adult who knows you sufficiently well that they can credibly speak to the reasons why you deserve (as well as why you need) the financial support of this bursary. Examples include: current or past teachers, guidance counsellors, Child & Youth Workers, social workers, spiritual or community leaders, parole officers, etc.

Yes, but if you are a past recipient then in addition to the usual requirements you must also adequately answer the following three questions:

1. how your previous bursary funds were used;

2. what progress you’ve made since receiving your previous award, and;

3. why you feel additional support is needed and deserved

SHINE! supports the next generation of aspiring musicians, while honouring the memory of five musical friends whom we’ve lost too soon.