It’s an opportunity most young musicians only dream of, the chance to attend The Julliard School in New York City.
And William Leathers, a 17-year-old from Toronto, was one of the three trumpeters this year given that chance.
Leathers auditioned and was accepted to the school’s elite undergraduate music program — something that gives him a chance to learn from some of the best in the world.
“I just want to be the best musician I can be,” Leathers told CBC Toronto’s Dwight Drummond Monday.. “I want to do well in every genre.”
But his acceptance came at a cost, a $364,000 cost over four years to be exact.
My name is William Franklyn Leathers, and I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I’ve been playing the piano since the age of four, and when I was 12 years old, I became the youngest trumpeter accepted into the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, as well as the Halton Mississauga Youth Orchestra. So it was a dream come true for me when I received my acceptance letter to The Juilliard School, since I’m one of only three trumpeters that were accepted to Juilliard this year.
The biggest challenge for me, right now, is being able to cover tuition and housing expenses. My parents are doing their best, but right now we’re in a bit of a funding shortfall. The total cost for Juilliard is $71,000 in US dollars per year for four years, which comes out to roughly $91,000 every year in Canadian dollars. We’ve been able to put together about $25,500 so far, and unfortunately scholarships and grants are harder to come by as an international student. So I’m raising money to at least cover the first year, and we’ll see where it goes from there.
I’ve wanted to go to Juilliard for as long as I can remember, and I’ll never forget the look on my parents’ face when we opened the acceptance letter. But the reality is, there’s a pretty big gap between what our family can come up with, and what it costs for tuition, housing, and books. So if you can find it in your heart to help, my family and I would appreciate it so much.
