To explain Walkabout and what I'm doing, here are some excerpts from the Walkabout Proposal I'm sending to the school board so that I can venture into the world. I'll be doing this kind of thing fairly often, only it will be parts and compilations of my dailly journals. Much of this isn't exactly my writing, as we were given a template to follow and edit as we wished and I didn't change anything I didn't need to. On account of that same laziness, I am still not bothering to do any extra writing but am dumping parts of that template into a blog post. Still, if you want to know what Walkabout is and what I'm doing, this should answer your questions.
Placement Summary
During the first eight-week Walkabout (January 28-March 27), I plan to work at ProMusica Chamber Orchestra here in Columbus. My mentor will be Julia Cline Hare, the director of operations and education for the organization. I will also continue to participate in Worthington Kilbourne's Wind Ensemble, attending rehearsal four days a week (every school day but Wednesday). On the days I attend band class, I will drive to Kilbourne to start class at 9:30 and after class ends I will drive to ProMusica and work until about 5:30. I will also attend the meetings of ProMusica's Student Advisory Board. I will mostly be working in operations.
Walkabout Background
The Linworth Walkabout Program, which derives its name from the Australian aboriginal rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood, marks a transition from youth and school to adulthood and community life. It is designed to develop the skills, attitudes and values of responsible adulthood. Central to the program is the belief that being tested in classroom setting doesn't prove the ability of the student to apply knowledge. The test of Walkabout, and of life, is not what a student can do under a teacher's direction, but what he or she can do as an individual.
Linworth students, who have met graduation requirements, use the second semester of their senior year to test their skills and abilities in the adult world of work. They engage with a mentor or group of mentors in two eight week long, thirty-hours-per-week, volunteer apprenticeships or internships between January and June. In these placements students may choose to examine career or academic goals, to offer community service, to hone practical or survival skills, or to participate in a research project or creative endeavor.
The thirty-year-old program represents a successful merger of the school and the community and the culmination of four years of experiential learning. It results in a school-community partnership offering students a chance to learn outside the classroom. It gives both students and mentors a fifty-fifty exchange of service for learning.
Rationale
Music is essential to my life and I currently intend to major in oboe performance. Last year, when the Columbus Symphony threatened to fold, I realized the importance of all the work that goes on behind the scenes of an arts organization. I also saw the disaster caused by misunderstandings between the musicians and those people who kept the organization running. I wanted to be sure that I understood the inner workings of a music organization and to see the kind of work that has to be done for the performances to go on. ProMusica is a healthy organization and will be a great place for me to learn how non-profits work.
Activities
I will be doing a variety of activities at ProMusica. Julia listed five categories of things I would probably be working on; concert operation and logistics, open rehearsal, urban outreach program, creative hybrids, and student advisory board. Operation and logistics refers to jobs like attending staff meetings, organizing and setting up itineraries for guest arts and taking care of hospitality needs, assisting with set up and tear down at events not held at the Southern Theatre, and various other duties. Open rehearsal jobs include revising program notes to fit into the open rehearsal program flyer, updating details in the program and printing enough quantity, and calling registered attendees to confirm the rehearsal date and time. To assist the urban outreach program, I will assist with scheduling and communication with social service agencies and possibly also assist with print materials and teacher packets. For Creative Hybrids, I will attend session as Hilliard Davidson and Walnut Ridge High Schools to work with music software and composition process and well as prepare any print documents needed for the project. I will help the Student Advisory Board to prepare for events and relay any items for which ProMusica's office staff is responsible.
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