Students will be selected for the Great Falls High School Music Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Scholarship Award award based on the following criteria. The relative weight given to each criteria shall be as indicated. Sub-bullets are intended to indicate possible ways a student may have demonstrated the desired characteristic, but should not be considered to be complete, comprehensive, or proscriptive of other ways of demonstration.

• Leadership as demonstrated by service to the success of the GFHS music program (40%)
  • Individual performance excellence
  • Support and encouragement of peers
  • Support of faculty through volunteer time spent in preparation of performance space, equipment logistics, etc.
  • Service as Drum Major, concertmaster/concertmistress, or other recognized student leadership position in the music department.
• Support of GFHS music department reputation in the community (30%)
  • Performance as a member of All-state band, orchestra, or choir
  • Membership in additional volunteer performing ensembles (Great Falls Municipal Band, Pep Band, Marching Band, University of Great Falls Summer Musical, church choral or praise groups, garage bands, small group ensembles, etc.)
• Commitment to a course of university study that would typically lead to professional employment intrinsically involving music (15%)
  • Music Performance
  • Music Education
  • Music Therapy
  • Music Management
  • Music Theory
  • Music Composition
• Academic performance as reflected in GPA (10%)
• Participation in multiple departments of the GFHS music program (5%)

The Association will make the award to the student(s) nominated by a selection committee made up of the GFHS music department faculty, the GFHS Principal or an Assistant Principal as delegated by the Principal, and one member of the GFHS counseling staff. The selection committee shall use the criteria contained within this policy to make its evaluation and selection and shall provide to the Association the materials used for evaluation of candidates and the relative ranking of each candidate.

It is the intent of the Association that scholarship awards are as equally distributed among the GFHS music departments as possible. To that end, guidance is given here for the mechanism of determining the department from which a student will be selected for an award. The Association recognizes that changes in circumstances may occur over time that may make this guidance impractical. Other mechanisms that honor the intent of the Association are permitted with the approval of the Scholarship Committee and the Board of Trustees.

In years where a single award is available, selection of the student for the award shall rotate among the GFHS music departments in such a manner as to equally distribute the award among them over time. The first award given shall be to a band student. In the event that there is an interruption in the availability of scholarship awards, the rotation shall resume where it left off to the extent practical at the time of resumption.

Students who are related to or have a financial relationship with a selection committee member are not eligible for the program. If a selection committee member would like a relative or someone with whom they have a financial relationship to be eligible for the program, the committee member must opt out of committee service for that year.

The Association requires all selection committee members to sign a Conflict of Interest Agreement. If a selection committee member knows any of the candidates personally, or are in a position to potentially receive any kind of personal benefit if a certain candidate is selected, that relationship to the candidate must be disclosed to the selection committee so it can be reviewed during the eligibility review process. If the selection committee determines that there is a conflict, that candidate shall be removed from consideration or that committee member will be removed from committee service for that year.