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Internship Project

Anthony Virgilio EDL 651- Administrative Internship- Fall 2013

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Table of Contents

1. Needs AssessmentPage three 2. ObjectivesPage four 3. Project Planning..Page five 4. Project DescriptionPage six 5. Project Implementation.Page seven 6. Project Evaluation..Page eight 7. Project ReflectionPage nine 8. Links to my projectPage ten

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Needs Assessment The Performing Arts Department at William A. Shine Great Neck South High School strives to be among the elite high school music programs nation-wide. In order to better facilitate our students success Ive taken this administrative internship and used it to create a Summer Camp Reference guide for current students, a College Reference Guide for aspiring music majors, and an Alumni Directory. Since this is a multi-tiered project, I will refer to each portion of the assignment individually and list them as A, B, and C throughout the document. A. Summer Camp Program Guide- Although the musical instruction students receive at Great Neck South High during instructional hours is top-notch, the school year itself is only ten months out of the year. By establishing a summer program reference guide we will encourage a year-round approach to studying music in a clean, well-organized webpage. B. College Reference Guide- Choosing a college for undergraduate studies is debatably the most important decision a high school senior will have to make. It is also one of the most overwhelming searches when trying to find the right fit. By providing a college reference guide for our students we will give them an invaluable starting point and guide them in the right direction. C. Alumni Directory- It is our responsibility to provide our students (present, past, and future) the tools they need to network with other musicians. The creation of an Alumni Directory will foster a sense of community for all Great Neck musicians.

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This Directory will also complete the ongoing circle of contacts made at different points in life. Objectives Creating a system in which high school students, college applicants, and Great Neck South High alumni can improve and connect is something that Performing Arts Department Head Michael Schwartz had always wanted to do. As an administrative intern I had the opportunity to create a three-part system (A., B, and C). A. Summer Camp Program Guide- The objective here is to keep our students connected to their instrument, voice, or acting twelve months out of the year. This will not only serve to improve our students overall skills, but will save teachers time in the classroom reviewing past lessons and getting the rust off every September. B. College Reference Guide- There are literally thousands of colleges, conservatories, and universities that offer undergraduate degree programs in the Performing Arts field. The objective of our Reference Guide is to simplify that process. Our reference guide includes 24 of the nations most respected programs both inside and outside of New York State. C. Alumni Directory - This directory is a tool young professionals from the same hometown can use to stay connected as they proceed through their professional careers. While the directory is relatively small now, the goal is to continually update our list as time passes. This will not only serve our current high schools seniors as a means to connect and inquire about specific colleges, but also help alumni of all ages

Running header: INTERNSHIP PROJECT reconnect with their hometown and find new career opportunities through networking. Project Planning A. Summer Camp Program Guide 1. Conduct research on summer music programs

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2. Create a list of elite summer music programs to include in our database 3. Seek input from colleagues 4. Compile information and create database 5. Construct webpage on school website and upload program information 6. Review and assess with department head 7. Edit and Finalize 8. Share with current students B. College Resource Guide 1. Conduct research on the nations premier music programs 2. Locate college representatives at the NYSSMA All-State exhibition 3. Seek input from colleagues 4. Construct webpage on school website and upload program information 5. Review and assess with department head 6. Edit and Finalize 7. Share guide with aspiring music majors annually C. Alumni Directory 1. Create a LinkedIn account to access contacts 2. Compose a formal invitation and send to potential participants 3. Contact potential participants through social media/E-mail 4. Input contact information on an Excel spreadsheet 5. Construct webpage on school website 6. Embed the spreadsheet on school website 7. Publish directory online

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Project Description There are many components and administrative competencies that a comprehensive internship project such as this includes. This project has given me experience in the areas of research, communication, and technological skills. Here is a more detailed list. A. Summer Camp Program Guide- Preparing this guide has lead to the completion of administrative competencies in the areas of Student Personnel and Curriculum/Instruction. While establishing a professional curriculum resource library is not directly related to classroom instruction on a local level, it is administrative in nature by researching appropriate courses of study, deciding which programs are best for our students, and advising them towards a direction. B. College Resource Guide- Establishing a streamlined list of the top 24 colleges, universities, and conservatories in our nation has given me administrative experience of working with higher education, the guidance department, and updating inventories. While research and organizational skills are the most prevalent in a project like this, I am also grateful to gain experience in creating a school invoice for a college program display board. The display board will be kept in our performing arts wing as a constant reminder of the colleges and summer camp programs that are available to our students. C. Alumni Directory- This directory has given me experience in the competency area of School and Community Relations. By re-connecting to our alumni I have

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established a positive rapport within the Great Neck community. My hope is that this will lead to a mutually beneficial relationship between our school and its alumni. Project Implementation A. Summer Camp Program Guide- The starting point for my summer camp program guide was an article in Music Educators Journal magazine that reviewed many of the best summer programs in the nation. After sifting through this article and establishing an initial list, I communicated with colleagues about some other must haves programs for our guide. For each program, I included information about their location, grade level, and program offerings, as well as a link to their website. Our hope is to help streamline the selection process. B. College Resource Guide- This year, I represented the Great Neck school district at the NYSSMA All-State Conference in Rochester, New York. At this conference, there was an exhibitors room for all types of music products, companies, and colleges. I began my research process by speaking with the college representatives and received information from 22 different schools; many of which made it into my final guide. When I arrived back to school I gathered input from my colleagues regarding which colleges they recommend be included on our guide. Once the database was finished I entered the schools online individually on a separate webpage. For each school I included the location, yearly tuition costs, and enrollment information beneath each picture. Each pictures are hyperlinks to each schools website.

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C. Alumni Directory- Although I did use traditional word of mouth communication methods to acquire some of our directory participants, modern technologies and social networking websites like LinkedIn and Facebook also played a big role in the process. By creating a LinkedIn account and connecting with my department head Michael Schwartz, I was able to contact all of his connections (a connection on LinkedIn is similar to a friend on Facebook). In addition, I also established some contacts second-hand through current students on my teacher Facebook account and asked them for their older brothers/sisters e-mail addresses. This also served to inform current students that the directory was being created. The formal invitation I sent our prospective participants asked them for their contact information; this information included their full name, primary instrument, college attended, major studied, year they graduated, current employer, email address, and phone number. Project Evaluation A. Summer Camp Program Guide- The summer program guide will be assessed by collecting and analyzing data on the number of students that attend summer music programs in future years. It will be critical to promote this list to all of our students on a regular basis via announcements during class, Internet promotion, and word of mouth. B. College Reference Guide- This, like the summer program guide is a seasonal document that will have varying amounts of importance at different times of year. In order to ensure that the document serves its purpose going forward we will promote it during September 2014, as our current senior class has already applied

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to their colleges. In addition to the use of social media, we will promote the guide through an informational meeting for aspiring Music majors. C. Alumni Directory- In order to properly assess the Alumni Directory and ensure its success there are a few things we must do regularly. First, we must continue building upon our list and keep contact information up to date. Second, we will encourage our students to utilize the contact information available to them in the directory during their college search. Lastly, I think it is crucial to invite alumni down to our potential college night to represent their schools and connect with our current senior class.

Project Reflection I have discovered many things about myself as a future educational leader throughout this process. Ive learned the value of communication and networking, the necessity of promotion and advertising, and the importance of sound research. I am confident that all three parts of my internship project will improve the Performing Arts department for years to come. I am very proud of the hours Ive put in and quality of work Ive achieved. I believe these three resources are testament to my work ethic and professionalism. Although many of our students will grow up to become doctors, scientists, and lawyers they must understand that these career choices are not the only options in life

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Please click on the following links to view my work:

A. Summer Camp Program Guide http://greatnecksouthhighmusic.weebly.com/college-reference-guide.html B. College Reference Guide http://greatnecksouthhighmusic.weebly.com/summer-music-programs.html C. Alumni Directory http://greatnecksouthhighmusic.weebly.com/alumni-directory.html