Music Education Internship

Devin DeDon
Music Education Internship Coordinator 

Email: devindedon@usf.edu

Introduction to Music Education Internship

During their senior year, Music Education majors will enroll concurrently in MUE 4936: Senior Seminar and MUE 4940: Music Education Internship. During this semester of full-time internship, students are expected to be in the classroom all days and times required by the full-time music educator. Students are expected to successfully complete all written assignments for both classes and attend (biweekly) classes for Senior Seminar. Each student will complete a minimum of 7 weeks at an elementary placement and a secondary placement. Be aware that in some cases, internship placements may start prior to the university schedule of classes as this depends upon the public-school calendar for the county requested.

All students will be assigned a Cooperating Teacher (CT) and a University Supervisor (US) by the Music Education Internship Coordinator. The assignments for Cooperating Teachers are made in consultation with county Music Supervisors based upon Clinical Education experiences. You may request preferred counties (see below for a list of cooperating counties), but unfortunately, we do not grant requests for specific educators. The University of South Florida offers a tuition waiver to CTs that assist with two interns (this equals a full semester of full-time internship). Therefore, we also consult directly with Music Supervisors to ensure opportunities for all CTs with clinical experience.

Procedures for Music Education Internship:

1. The semester prior to your final internship, please complete the Intent to Intern form that allows you to request either a middle or high school placement. This form will allow you to choose one of the following counties for internship (Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, and Pinellas counties). If your living situation changes or you need to switch counties for ANY reason, please notify Dr. Bugos immediately so that we can do our best to accommodate requests. It is challenging to switch counties once the request is made on your behalf.

2. Enroll in MUE 4940 and MUE 4936 after consulting with your advisor.

3. The semester prior to internship, be sure that current fingerprints are on-file with your requested county. If you have not been finger-printed or do not have current fingerprints on-file, this will delay and may prevent you from completing internship.

4. The semester prior to internship, be sure to have taken and successfully passed the following certification assessments:
General Knowledge Test (GKT), Florida Teacher Certification Exam Subject Area Test (FTCE Music Subject Area Test), and the Florida Teacher Certification Exam Professional Education (Professional Exam). 

5. Once you receive your placements, be sure to communicate with your CT and US. They will complete two observations at each placement (Formative Evaluation, and Summative Evaluation). Links to Forms for Elementary and Secondary Placements can be found below:

• • • • Formative Elementary Evaluation
      • Summative Elementary Evaluation
      • Formative Secondary Evaluation
      • Summative Secondary Evaluation

Fingerprinting Information by County:

• Hillsborough County Public Schools
• Pinellas County Public Schools
• Pasco County Public Schools
• Polk County Public Schools

Procedures and Requirements for Early Release from Internship

Our Music Education Interns are highly sought after for teaching positions. In the event that you are offered a teaching position, prior to the completion of your internship, there are policies and procedures that you will need to follow to be released early from your internship experience. Here is a list of items you would need to have ready and a link to the form to complete. 

1. You must successfully complete 10 weeks of your full-time internship experience and receive a letter from your University Supervisor.

2. You must successfully complete all required coursework and receive approval from your Advisor.

3. You must successfully complete all Assignments for MUE 4940: Music Education Internship and MUE 4936: Senior Seminar and receive a letter from your Instructor.

4. You must also provide a copy of the job offer letter from the principal at your new school. 

5. Provide a letter releasing you from internship responsibilities from the principal at your current internship placement.

Early Release Guidelines & Request Form