Selecting School Program Coordinators
Selecting a School Program Coordinator is one of the most important decisions a school makes when beginning a Music Center program. As a visionary, advocate, meeting facilitator, liaison, creative problem solver and coach, a School Program Coordinator has the creative opportunity to direct the design of an arts education program benefiting the school community. This important role requires enthusiasm for the arts, project management skills and effective communication. With the right combination of abilities, a variety of people make good school program coordinators -a district or school administrator, teacher, volunteer, or parent. Designating a School Program Coordinator wisely helps ensure a successful arts program through the Music Center.

A Personal Philosophy and Personality
Successful School Program Coordinators have the personal philosophy that the arts are valuable to all in the school community and are passionate spokespeople for the arts. This passion helps coordinators build enthusiasm and support for Music Center assemblies, workshops and in-services resulting in full participation of teachers and students. Coordinators often act as visionaries at the school site as they design a comprehensive arts education program to meet the school's needs.

Collaborative coordinators inspire, gather and share arts ideas among teachers, parents, school administrators, artists and our staff and use diplomacy and sensitivity when gauging the level of teachers' flexibility and excitement for the Music Center arts program. This interpersonal awareness allows the coordinator to know which teachers will happily shift lunch schedules to accommodate unexpected schedule changes and which teachers won't. An innovative and solutions-oriented coordinator will solve those unpredictable challenges that commonly arise, such as re-scheduled mandatory testing dates, artists stuck in traffic or misplaced supplies.

Project Management Skills
Managing a comprehensive project requires School Program Coordinators to have effective project management skills. Coordinators with exceptional organizational skills can juggle many large ideas and small details and discuss everything from school's art education goals, student outcomes, school testing schedules, school's sound system and stage size.

School Program Coordinators must have the authority to make decisions, or at least have regular access to decision makers in order to make decisions about the use of school facilities, allocation of funds, setting meeting dates and scheduling events. Without this access, coordinators can be ineffective. In addition, school leaders should formally identify this School Program Coordinator at a teacher/staff meeting so that all understand why this coordinator may be using the multipurpose room, scheduling meetings, and coordinating teachers' schedules.

Schools often overlook the importance of giving School Program Coordinators time to work by delegating this responsibility to a person with an already full schedule. Coordinators need extra time to work closely with Music Center staff to discuss the scope and size of the program as well as to attend meetings, disseminate pertinent information to participating teachers and return messages promptly (preferably within 24 hours). Being present on campus allows coordinators to have access to school resources in order to schedule activities on the school calendar, make room arrangements and order workshop supplies.

Effective Communication Skills
School Program Coordinators who communicate effectively can articulate a broad range of ideas as well as giving intricate details to the school participants and Music Center artists and staff. Ideally, the School Program Coordinator enjoys communicating with the school staff and is a recognized spokesperson for the school's arts education needs. Coordinators not recognized by the staff find it challenging to represent colleagues' ideas, needs and concerns.

Solid speaking skills allow a school program coordinator to solicit, interpret and represent the arts education goals of the school community -- including district officials, school principals, teachers and parents. Meeting facilitation skills come in handy as coordinators may have to manage a school's arts team or coach colleagues about arts curriculum ideas never explored before.

In addition to verbal communication skills, a School Program Coordinator will benefit from clear writing skills to share all the Music Center program information with fellow co-workers. Some coordinators have written program summaries for school administrators while others have created fact sheets listing assembly and workshop dates and times. Some coordinators have even submitted articles for the PTA newsletter or school web site. In addition to reinforcing verbal conversations about the arts programs, the written communications provide helpful documentation for future arts programs.

All these responsibilities and skills make the role of Program Coordinator both very important and very gratifying. Schools that select Coordinators with enthusiasm for the arts, effective project management abilities and communication skills will help create a rewarding and educational program for all involved.