The IBMA Foundation has just announced a new education benefit in their ongoing mission to foster the growth of bluegrass music. They are a non-profit organization that offers grants to agencies that work for bluegrass education, and manage a number of scholarships for college students that pursue the music.
The Planning Stages Scholarship for Live Music Production, endowed by Claire Armbruster and Jeff Koontz, co-owners of Planning Stages, Inc. in Brevard, North Carolina, is designed to support students pursuing college, community college, or vocational training in live music event production, talent buying, and related fields.
This is an often overlooked field, but if you have ever attended a concert or festival that was poorly organized, with inferior stage lighting or sound, or know of one that failed because of insufficient marketing, you know just how important this work is. Artists especially understand this, as they all have stories about a well-intentioned promoter who made a hash of their live performance by inattention to such details.
Armbruster, who has worked in and around bluegrass music most of her career, shared the thinking behind the establishment of this new IBMA Foundation award.
“This scholarship was created because my own career has been shaped by working behind the scenes, making live music happen. I’ve always found the greatest satisfaction in the planning, talent buying, coordination, and problem-solving that allows artists and audiences to share a meaningful experience, without needing recognition for who made it happen. Over time, I’ve seen how essential these roles are and how limited the pathways can be for people who want to learn them.
Partnering with the IBMA Foundation felt like a natural choice because they understand that live music is built by many hands, both on stage and off. The Foundation’s commitment to education and mentorship aligns deeply with my desire to give back by supporting practical learning and sustainable careers for those who help music shine from behind the curtain.
I hope the Planning Stages scholarship inspires students to pursue education and training that prepare them to thoughtfully and skillfully present live music. By supporting learning in planning, talent buying, production, and related disciplines, the scholarship is intended to encourage curiosity, professionalism, and a deep understanding of how live music comes together.
More broadly, I hope it helps cultivate a new generation of behind-the-scenes leaders who value collaboration, preparation, and care for the music and the people who make it possible. If the scholarship empowers students to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to the live music community, it will have fulfilled its purpose.”
An initial scholarship of $2,000 will be awarded later this year, with future amounts determined by future donations to the fund, and how well the investments made by the fund do in the market. The IBMA Foundation allows contributors to earmark a donation in support of any of the 13 scholarships they currently maintain, each of which is designed to foster some specific aspect of bluegrass music culture. The larger the amount in the fund from which each award is drawn, the higher the scholarship awards can be.
An important note from the Foundation regarding this new one…
For the purposes of the Planning Stages scholarship, “live music production” encompasses the planning, booking, technical, and creative work that supports live music performances across all types of venues—including festivals, theaters, performing arts centers, concert halls, and amphitheaters. Students focused on sound engineering will be encouraged to apply for the Katy Daley Broadcast Media & Sound Engineering Scholarship or the Gloria Belle Memorial Scholarship—both hosted by the IBMA Foundation.
You can see a list of all the various IBMA Foundation scholarships online, as well as their annual Project Grants
To learn more about contributing to the work of the IBMA Foundation, or to make a donation, you can reach them by email or phone (615-260-4807), or process a gift online.
Details about how to apply for the Planning Stages scholarship will be announced soon.
