Congratulations to this year's four recipients of the Jacob Titus Youth Music Scholarship! We applaud each of these students' passion for music, and their parents and teachers for supporting their music education!

ZOE HARMON is 8 years old and in the 3rd grade at Southwest Charlotte STEM Academy where she has performed on piano in the talent show. She was recommended by her teacher Anjie Carpenter Hipple of Charlotte School of Music who wrote, "I have been teaching Zoe piano for over three years now, and she is so very passionate about playing. I’m constantly thrilled by the huge smile on her face when she plays her piece well. She so obviously loves performing and progressing as a young musician. Zoe practices very consistently, and her parents are highly supportive of her learning, and keep her on track. This consistent practice has made her the most accomplished pianist I have taught at her age level." 

BAWI NEI "NENEI" CUAI is 9 years old and was an infant when her family fled Burma; they were eventually resettled in Charlotte and celebrated becoming US citizens in 2018. She was nominated by Betsy Gurske of Music4Life who wrote, "Nenei has a joyful, open heart and is very talented in so many different musical ways. She also practices diligently, so is a rare dream a student! At only eight years old she started bringing melodies to her lessons that were sticking in her head like ear worms, and they are just beautiful! We have begun unlocking the process of creating accompaniments, making them compositions, as she develops her piano proficiency.” Nenei wants to continue to study piano and also vocals, and shared that "“every time I play music or listen to music, it calms me down and makes me feel super relaxed and... it makes me feel confident about myself.” 

NATHAN BENTON is a 12-year-old multi-instrumentalist who is homeschooled with his four brothers. He began playing guitar at age 10, has also been learning to play mandolin, bass, banjo and ukulele, and he was awarded this scholarship to continue his piano lessons. His piano instructor, Meghan Speed, shared, “When I first began lessons with Nathan, I was very impressed by his already well-developed skill as a musician and his breadth of experience with a variety of instruments. I was even more impressed with his commitment to continue developing his skills, learning new instruments and genres, and exploring new musical avenues. I have rarely encountered a student with such a natural drive and curiosity towards music. As our lessons progressed, I was even more impressed with Nathan’s natural music ability and his very adept ear as well as his dedication to practice, even while busy with many other activities and commitments.” 

CLAIRE HERRMANN is a 11-year-old multi-instrumentalist who took an interest in singing starting in kindergarten, started learning to play piano to accompany herself, and also began playing clarinet in the 4th grade. She is studying piano at Charlotte School of Music with Anjie Carpenter Hipple who wrote that “Claire is never afraid to tackle a song that is challenging and sticks to it until she has worked through the difficult parts.” Her parents wrote, "when the lock down began for the coronavirus, Claire went out on the front porch one Sunday afternoon and with her clarinet, began playing. Hearing her, a next door neighbor realized that music was a connecting force in our community and started Front Porch Fridays—a communal opportunity to eat your dinner outside, while listening to the musical talents of our street block." Claire describes, “When I play piano there is this feeling, it’s a combination of happiness, compassion and love.” 

We know this feeling well and wish all of our newest scholarship recipients a long future of both enjoying feelings of connection through music, and creating them for others! 

Thank you especially to Tamara Titus & Lane Jacobs for launching this music opportunity with Tosco Music in 2019, and to everyone who has added their own contributions to this special scholarship fund to honor the memory of Jacob Titus. Learn more about donating to, or applying for, the Jacob Titus Youth Music Scholarship here.

Tosco Music is a volunteer-powered nonprofit organization that has been building community through music in Charlotte for more than 30 years through Tosco Music Parties and music outreach throughout Charlotte. Since 2010, Tosco Music has provided more than two dozen scholarships for youth and adults to summer music camps through Arts+ (formerly Community School of the Arts) and The Swannanoa Gathering.