Greetings! Amongst the excitement of launching with our new schools and programs, one of our big initiatives this year is with the Arts Schools Network, the South Carolina-based network for k-12 and higher ed Arts programs.

Our latest development with ASN is the On Your Way Student Talent Recognition, a program where students from ASN-member high schools (map) can apply for a full-ride trip to Walt Disney World, and perform at the 2012 ASN Conference Orlando, FL.

On Your Way is recognizing students in:

• Classical Voice
• Filmmaking
• Musical Theater / Acting
• Visual Arts (All Mediums)

Lately we’ve been keeping up with Entertainment Business Education’s ASN LIVE series (Arts Schools Network Live), a weekly internet broadcast of interviews with Arts Industry professionals.

Run by Haqq Islam, the series is just over two years old and is broadcast to Arts School Network Member schools throughout the country.

We caught up with Haqq at the NAMM Show in January, and asked him a few questions about the future of EBE:

You can check out more ASN Live at http://www.ebetv.com/, or subscribe to the Arts Schools Network Email newsletter here (see the right side of the page). ASN sends out weekly reminders on the latest broadcasts.

It’s great for passion to be reignited.

Getting back to my Central Time body-clock, I need to talk about the awesomeness of the Arts Schools Network 2011 Conference in Anaheim, CA. You can see/download the program itinerary here. There were some great site visits, and visiting with students from LA County High School for the Arts and Orange County High School of the Arts and an inclusive pass to the 2011 NAMM show (National Association of Music Merchants).

Walking through the halls of these high schools, the group (~100 of the Conference Goers, split on two tour buses) were led by students and staff to observe visual and performing arts classes, student performances and work on each campus. Just speaking with the young, creative minds shows opened my mind to the way that students are connecting with each other and staying inspired.

At this conference, I was able to present on a student recognition effort for all ASN member schools. We’ll announce more when the time is right.

But Below you’ll find some pictures from the ASN conference, the NAMM show (I met lots of cool people) and a quick video interview with Kristy Callaway, Executive Director of the Arts Schools Network.

We’re looking forward to next year’s conference in Orlando! The sessions alone are worth it, along with the opportunity to connect with K-12 and College Art School Leadership.

You can see more directly on the Arts Schools Network website by clicking this link.

Update, We’ve added a video interview with Kristy Callaway from the NAMM show / ASN Conference.

by Dejen Tesfagiorgis

Hello World!

We’ve been busy lately, getting feedback from our beta customer administrators, students (+parents) and reviewers to enhance the scope of ArtsApp services. Some of our Beta customers 2009-2010 included (Click the name of each program below to see their ArtsApp Portal):

• The Juilliard School (NY) – Partnered to streamline applicants for the Summer Percussion Institute and Summer Dance Intensive.
• The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (OH) – Partnered to streamline applicants to undergraduate and graduate programs, students submitting CDs/DVDs as a prescreen or auditioning remotely.
• The Ragdale Foundation (IL) – Partner Artist in Residency to get professional artists in the door for summer residencies. (… AND, they even setup programs for their first deadline in under 2 days)

The list below is a peek into the features for ArtsApp v3.0 (to be released  June 2010, click here to find us on twitter and get the latest updates). Some highlights:

1. Modified User Interface for Organizations – Beyond collecting applications and multimedia, administrators can post facebook links, twitter feeds and RSS, and display events on your BRANDED ArtsApp portal.
2. Form Builder with Templates – Easily build and manage robust and custom forms to collect a wide array of applicant information.
3. Letters of Recommendation – Now, easily receive letters of reference through ArtsApp.
4. Enhanced Communication – Message (and email) applicants through ArtsApp – individually or by configurable lists.
5. Interactive Reporting Interface – In addition to saving reports as Excel or PDF files, create more dynamic report forms.
6. Enriched Data Integration – Already have some data somewhere else? No problem. We can serve as your stand-alone solution OR integrate with platforms like Blackboard, ROISolutions, or even your local databases!
7. Portal-Specific Discussion Forums – Help you connect with many applicants (and parents) at the same time. Answer questions, provide updates, keep your community informed.
8. More customized evaluation tools.
9. And much more! Catch us on Twitter for the latest. We’ll see you on the blog soon!

Dejen

Monday, Feb 22, the New York Times ran a tech-forward article about Tufts University Admissions, now accepting YouTube videos as a “delightful way to get to know the applicants.”

High School Seniors made videos as an essay supplement to the application for general undergraduate admission. There is tremendous value in allowing applicants to present themselves visually, and take full use of technologies that many in this college-bound generation grew up with.

A few quotes directly from the article (available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/education/23tufts.html):

“We’ve got some who are really good with the technology, there’s a real technical savvy out there in this generation, and this lets them show off their splicing, their stop action, their animation,” said Lee Coffin, the dean of undergraduate admissions.

Even without prompting, admissions officials say, a growing number of students submit videos. Maria Laskaris, the dean of admissions at Dartmouth, noticed the trend last year, and said this year had brought even more videos, mostly showcasing music, theater or dance talents.

At heart, this is all about a conversation between a kid and an admissions officer

This also reminds me a little of  Google’s 2008 Project, YouTube Symphony, where musicians uploaded auditions for a free trip to Carnegie Hall, to play a commission from Tan Dun, under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. A few words from Tan Dun can be found here (http://bit.ly/19EyUM).

The benefits with using a platform like ArtsApp for rich media is in the administrative backend reporting, privacy, control and integration with the existing application process. We hope to reach out to you as social web technologies continue to show value as educational tools.

More internet browsing, more resource discovery. This weekend I was looking at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music website and found a great beginner’s resource to gigging and freelancing. Click Here to view the page yourself.

In a snapshot, Oberlin’s Gig Referral Service offers the following:

1. Procedures to join the Oberlin Referral Service (Oberlin students only)
2. A Musician’s Guide to freelancing
3. Faculty Referral Form
4. Sample Contract
5. Links for Clients to assess, hire, and evaluate Oberlin musicians.

I’m an advocate for schools and organizations providing these resources for students. Anybody who wants to freelance should have a look at these documents as a good starting point.

The area to caution is when an artist expects opportunities to just fall in his lap. Meeting and collaborating with other artists is as important as studying your craft. I would say that Networking with new people and artists is a CRUCIAL element of being a professional artist that is missing from Oberlin’s “Guide to Successful Gigs.” Without entrepreneurship, the arts cannot survive.

The links above are a good place to start, but as a beginner getting gigs and performing is a matter of letting people know what kind of art you create, not a matter of waiting for someone to book work for you.

That being said, Oberlin has a fantastic website. Lots of news, RSS Feeds, and a great snapshot of what this school has to offer. I especially like the designation of “Practice Rooms With Windows (150).

Twitter feeds and student stories also help prospective students get into the culture behind the institution. Oberlin is on point about hosting AND INFORMING PEOPLE of events on campus. Also, embedded videos on teacher bio pages give a visual representation of teaching methods and theories behind selected instructors.  Oberlin tuition isn’t cheap (~$50,000/year sticker price) but the school is surely making an effort to connect with young artists before they even step on campus.

Regardless, Oberlin’s ability to tell their story and integrate with social media on their website serves as another model for arts organizations to emulate.