Dana Internship Proposal
Research Project: Savants and Autism: Is there a relationship and what does it mean for the music educator?
Introduction
I am seeking to obtain an internship position with Dr. Emily Mason through the Dana Internship program. In the semester of Fall 2011, I carried out an independent study with her as my supervising teacher. My task was to compile an annotated bibliography that aimed to answer the question: Savants and Autism: Is there a relationship and what does it mean for the music educator? In addition to the bibliography, I also created a summary of my findings and a proposal for how music educators can empower students that have both learning impairments and gifts in the music classroom. It is my proposal now that I continue and expand upon my research of this topic in a number of different ways.
Description
There will be two components to this internship. The first component is to turn my bibliography into a literature review that can then be submitted to research conferences and journals. I will also aim to add more to this compilation with other journal resources and interviews from experts in the field. The topic of twice-exceptionality (those that have learning impairments and gifts) is something hardly touched upon in a teacher education curriculum. By compiling such extensive resources for future educators, they will be better prepared to work with students that resemble the above description. This is also a wonderful opportunity to expand my own horizons as a future music educator and to learn more about how to work with diverse populations.
The second component of this internship is to work with students at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley, MA. This is a specialized school that teaches music and does music therapy for students that have learning disabilities. They have several summer programs that I would help volunteer with. I would then take my experiences working with these individuals, interviews I conduct with them and staff members, and anything else I may find useful to compile one or more papers that again could also be published or presented at research conferences.
Although I will mostly work on my own and with individuals at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy, I will meet periodically with Dr. Mason to update her on my progress and to ask her for guidance. Because of the amount of time going to be spent at BHMA and the time it will take to write a high quality literature review, as well as one or more papers, this internship will certainly take the entire allotted time to complete.
Introduction
I am seeking to obtain an internship position with Dr. Emily Mason through the Dana Internship program. In the semester of Fall 2011, I carried out an independent study with her as my supervising teacher. My task was to compile an annotated bibliography that aimed to answer the question: Savants and Autism: Is there a relationship and what does it mean for the music educator? In addition to the bibliography, I also created a summary of my findings and a proposal for how music educators can empower students that have both learning impairments and gifts in the music classroom. It is my proposal now that I continue and expand upon my research of this topic in a number of different ways.
Description
There will be two components to this internship. The first component is to turn my bibliography into a literature review that can then be submitted to research conferences and journals. I will also aim to add more to this compilation with other journal resources and interviews from experts in the field. The topic of twice-exceptionality (those that have learning impairments and gifts) is something hardly touched upon in a teacher education curriculum. By compiling such extensive resources for future educators, they will be better prepared to work with students that resemble the above description. This is also a wonderful opportunity to expand my own horizons as a future music educator and to learn more about how to work with diverse populations.
The second component of this internship is to work with students at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley, MA. This is a specialized school that teaches music and does music therapy for students that have learning disabilities. They have several summer programs that I would help volunteer with. I would then take my experiences working with these individuals, interviews I conduct with them and staff members, and anything else I may find useful to compile one or more papers that again could also be published or presented at research conferences.
Although I will mostly work on my own and with individuals at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy, I will meet periodically with Dr. Mason to update her on my progress and to ask her for guidance. Because of the amount of time going to be spent at BHMA and the time it will take to write a high quality literature review, as well as one or more papers, this internship will certainly take the entire allotted time to complete.
About the Ithaca College Dana Internship Program
From the Dana Internship Program webpage:
Over one thousand students have been served in projects during the 15+ year history of the Dana Student Internship Program. The program is designed to provide educationally valuable work experiences for those students currently receiving need-based financial aid from Ithaca College. Awards are highly competitive and are generally limited to current freshman, sophomore and junior students with a 3.0 GPA or above. These students may be awarded Dana Internships in addition to other forms of financial aid.
Over one thousand students have been served in projects during the 15+ year history of the Dana Student Internship Program. The program is designed to provide educationally valuable work experiences for those students currently receiving need-based financial aid from Ithaca College. Awards are highly competitive and are generally limited to current freshman, sophomore and junior students with a 3.0 GPA or above. These students may be awarded Dana Internships in addition to other forms of financial aid.
