The one-year Fellowship is valued at $4,000 CAD, which will be released to the successful applicant (Fellow) following the submission of the final project and accompanying materials.

Fellowship proposals are adjudicated by the Coalition’s Research Advisory Board, who will review proposals according to the evaluation criteria listed at the bottom of this document.

Proposal Requirements

Applicants for the Fellowship program are required to submit the following documents as PDFs:
● A 2-3 page introductory letter and research proposal that includes:
○ A summary of proposed research project
○ Literature review, including bibliography
○ Proposed method of research/creative activity
○ Rationale of connection to one of the Fellowship Themes (listed below)
○ Implications for the field of music education
○ Justification of how and why you are prepared to succeed in your proposed project
● Applicant’s CV/resume
● A letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to your capabilities or potential as a researcher.
○ The letter should be no more than 1 page in length and be on appropriate letterhead.
○ The letter should also state that the project proposed by the applicant is, to the best of the referee’s knowledge, not a duplication or near-duplication of the applicant’s previous work.

The proposal does not require a budget, nor is it expected that the successful Fellow should incur financial costs as part of the project.

Proposals should be addressed to the Research Advisory Board and sent via email (with “Fellowship 2026 Application” as the subject) to lloyd@coalitioncanada.ca before 4pm ET on August 15, 2026.

Fellowship Themes

Proposals must be explicitly aligned with one or more of the following themes, each of which is based on future research avenues stated in the Coalition’s National Study published in 2021:
● Policy and curriculum
● Indigenization and decolonization
● Technology and music education
● Preservice music teacher education/in-service professional development
● Time, space, and music instruction
● Rural and urban settings
● Advocacy and music education organizations

Fellowship Guidelines

The successful applicant (determined by the Research Advisory Board) will be offered a one-year Fellowship to conduct their proposed research or creative project and produce ‘deliverables’ in the span of roughly 12 months. Upon accepting the Fellowship, the Fellow will receive feedback and ongoing mentorship from the Research Advisory Board toward the completion of their proposed project.

Should the proposed project involve research with human beings, the successful Fellow will need to initiate an ethics review board application immediately upon accepting the Fellowship.

Fellows will have roughly 12 months beginning from the first meeting with the RAB to complete the project and produce the deliverables, which include:
● One substantial final project/report of the research
○ This can include any combination of media formats, including but not limited to writing, video, and audio
● One written summary/abstract of the project (<250 words)
● A collection of 5-10 short ‘snapshots’ of the findings to be used for social media content, in written, video, or audio format

Any publications or presentations on Fellowship-derived research must list the Coalition of Music Education in Canada as a sponsor of the research. Any journal publications directly related to the Fellowship project research should be open access or covered by Canada Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) open access agreements.

The research and creative activity must be original, undertaken solely as part of the Fellowship program. Any proposals inspired by coursework or prior projects must demonstrate a significant extension and/or change from the previous work. The letter of recommendation must indicate that, to the best of the referee’s knowledge, the project is not a replica of previous work.

If the proposed research project is part of a student’s graduate thesis/dissertation research, the letter of recommendation must be from the student’s graduate supervisor. Both letters (recommendation and research proposal) must clearly outline how the Fellowship-sponsored portion of the research could/will be distinct from the rest of the project.

In such cases, the Fellowship’s involvement and support of the research will not supersede the authority or guidance of the Fellow’s graduate supervisor.

Evaluation Criteria

1) Conviction and clarity of rationale and potential significance of proposed research to the
field of music education
2) Congruence with themes from the Coalition’s National Study (see above)
3) Depth of understanding and engagement with existing literature and research in music
education
4) Feasibility and appropriateness of method
5) Preparedness and potential of applicant

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Fellowship program can be addressed to Lloyd McArton via email: lloyd@coalitioncanada.ca