Joseff-Endle Music ScholarshipFind the music you love and play it for the rest of your life!
Since 1968, Madison West Kiwanis has presented music awards annually to honor high school musicians at all five of Madison’s high schools. Originally, the students were honored at an all-school banquet. In recent decades, this banquet has been replaced by the Josheff-Endle Music Scholarships named in memory of Boris Josheff and Bill Endle. Josheff and Endle, longtime members of Madison West Kiwanis, were instrumental (no pun intended!) in creating this project. Boris Josheff was an active music performer, owned a music store in Madison, and repaired band instruments for more than 50 years. Bill Endle, also an active musician, was the first band teacher at Memorial High School – now Vel Phillips Memorial – where he taught for some 30 years.
The goal of these scholarships is to advance students’ musical skills and deepen their appreciation of music by participating in a musical activity outside of school. The scholarships cover a portion of the tuition to attend a summer music clinic held in Wisconsin or to participate in one of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. Scholarship students are urged to “Find the music you love and play it for the rest of your life!”
Music scholars are identified by each of Madison’s high school band and orchestra teachers. The teachers are asked to identify a student, preferably a sophomore or junior, who participates the school’s band or orchestra, is active in its music program, is a role model for other students, and serves as a good citizen in the music program.
Each year, typically in April, the music scholars, their parents, and their teachers are invited to attend one of our weekly Kiwanis meetings. At that event, we celebrate the students for their music accomplishments and the parents for encouraging their child’s participation in music. We also celebrate the teachers, thanking them for their work, not only in identifying the Josheff-Endle Music scholars, but in advancing the musical skills and music appreciation of all their student musicians.