The Ethel Price Heckman Bland Music Award
was established in 1989 to encourage students in rural southeast Virginia to continue developing their musical talents into adulthood, and to share their talents and skills with their community. Winners receive a plaque and $500 to use toward future music goals.
Latest News:
Applications for the 2023-2024 school year are now closed. Thank you to the wonderful students and educators who applied! Check back in June when we announce the winner on this website.
We appreciate the teachers and professionals in the rural Tidewater area for encouraging their students to apply.
All Public School students welcome!!
When the EPHB Music award was founded in 1989, it started with a small award to support the music students at the local Tidewater Academy in Wakefield, VA. The award was given out to graduates of Tidewater for many years, beyond the time when the school itself had a fully supported music program. However, Ethyl and Preston's influence reached well beyond the confides of Wakefield, and their care for the greater rural Tidewater region ran deep. The current family is excited to be in a position to include more students than ever before.
So it is with great anticipation that we announce the expansion of the Bland Music Award, not only to students of all the Academies in the area (Tidewater, Isle of Wight, Nansemond-Suffolk, and Southampton), but to all Homeschooled and Public High School students who live in the rural Tidewarter area.
In this way, we hope to extend our support to more local music students, and helping them celebrate the transformative power of music throughout the community.