top of page

PETE SWANN

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

BURSARY

"Smudgie", who is Pete's sister, is the founder of the Pete Swann Behind-The-Scenes Bursary. Smudgie started in economics but ended up in music, as a full-time singer-songwriter, thanks to Pete's encouragement and mentorship. They collaborated regularly.    To make a donation for the Pete Swann memorial bursary, click HERE and choose Ontario Musicians Co-operative from the drop down.  

Donors & Contributors

About Pete:

Pete was a Humber Jazz-trained award-winning multi-instrumentalist, mixing engineer, producer, teacher, artist, lyricist, composer, arranger and publisher, who mentored many people in many ways, in both the Canadian and US music industries, over decades. A Guitar-Warz-winning guitar shredder extraordinaire, Pete taught both Alex Lifeson's (of Rush fame) sons guitar lessons. Wendell Ferguson's testimonial of Pete's book "Guitar Theory Handbook" speaks to Pete's superb background in music theory. His clients, who have been deeply affected by this sudden and devastating loss, range from actively touring country music Nashville-based artists to progressive rock artists, to up and coming local rappers. In short, Pete was a humble, creative machine who lived and breathed music; he wanted nothing more than to make the best music for himself and his clients.

Bursary Eligibility:

Pete could shred his guitar fluidly, but his true love was to be able to serve his clients.  He never really wanted to be in the limelight, so this bursary honours his memory through supporting and encouraging the growth and development others who choose to be 'behind the scenes'.  One annual membership bursary will be available to be awarded to a promising applicant who is focused on making other musicians sound better!  


Eligibility Criteria:

  1. Applicant must be an engineer/producer, composer/lyricist, arranger, session player or music teacher. Pete was all of these!

  2. Applicant must NOT be an "artist" or a "DJ", they must be a musician serving other musicians exclusively.  (B2B, not B2C)

  3. Applicant must be in the early stages of their career, not already successfully established, but are clear that this is their life's purpose. 

  4. All applicants, those who have pursued formal training and those who are self-taught are to be assessed equitably on their own merits, with no preference given for post-secondary training. 

  5. Applicants will be also assessed on their creative spirit and self-motivation. 

 

Applications for 2024​

​

​

Applications for 2024 will open shortly.  Stay tuned!

bottom of page