The Raymond and Ruth Brandon Scholarship was established to honor their many years of faithful service to ASBOA and the Arkansas Bandmasters Association. The ASBOA executive advisory committee was given the responsibility of administrating the scholarship.

Since many scholarships are available for entering music majors, the committee decided to offer this scholarship to individuals entering the instrumental music profession in the state of Arkansas. This scholarship could help with the transition time until their first paycheck in September, or it could be invested in professional materials.

In keeping with the spirit of Ray and Ruth's selfless service to others, the award goes to individuals who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement, leadership ability, and a desire to help and serve others — the 'we/us' mindset, not the 'I/me' attitude.