Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra awards scholarships to DeKalb, Sycamore students

The Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra recently awarded summer lesson scholarships to eight DeKalb and Sycamore students to provide private music instruction financial aid.

The $125 scholarships will help cover the cost of band or orchestra instrument summer music lessons.

“Summer is a critical time for young musicians to build skills without school-year pressures,” Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra music education outreach chair Deb Loitz said in a news release. “These scholarships reflect our commitment to making music education accessible to all families in our community.”

The scholarship recipients included three DeKalb and five Sycamore students, according to a news release.

Scholarships are open to students ages 11 to 15 with at least one year of school music experience. In order to qualify, the students must not already be enrolled in private music lessons. The scholarship funds were directly paid to approved music instructors.

The orchestra will continue the scholarship program in 2026. Scholarship applications open in the spring. The program is funded by a 100+ Women Who Care DeKalb/Sycamore grant.

For information, visit kishorchestra.org or email musicoutreach@kishorchestra.org.