The first scholarship for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette undergraduate degree program in traditional music was announced last week by the Michot Family, L.L.C.
The L.J. Michot Sr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship will help students who are pursuing a music degree with a concentration in traditional music. The degree concentration, which starts this fall semester, focuses on the preservation and perpetuation of traditional music, with an emphasis on the Acadiana region’s indigenous music.
Michael Michot presented Dr. Garth Alper, director of the UL Lafayette School of Music and Performing Arts, with an additional donation by the Michot Family for the endowed scholarship fund.
“For our first scholarship in the traditional music program to carry the Michot name is very exciting and gratifying,” Alper said ."The Michot Family is synonymous with so many aspects of Lafayette and Acadiana. This scholarship furthers the family's contributions to improve the quality of people's lives in our area."
At this year’s Acadian Culture Day ceremony, where the scholarship was announced, the Michot Family was presented with the Acadian Cultural Preservation Award for its impact on the community.
Dr. Mark DeWitt, director of the traditional music program and holder of the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Chair in Traditional Music, anticipates that this fall, a student will be the first to declare the traditional music major.
“We hope to make our initial award of the Michot Scholarship later this year to our first student.
“Thanks to the Michot Family’s long-standing commitment to and support for traditional music, its gift provides a tremendous example for others who are interested in helping this unique program and its students,” he said.