The maestro concept explained by Jack Kennedy, Aaron Manfull
and Mark Newton is exactly what staffs need to expand coverage from a simple
(boring) story to a complete package.
Our readers’ attention is so short that we need to give them
options for absorbing the content. Not everyone will read a 500-word story on
the percussion concert, but they might love to see a video montage of the acts
with audio of the performance and a few interviews afterward.
The maestro concept is also a valuable tool for encouraging
cooperation and teamwork on the staff. One person can’t do it all. Together they
will create a more powerful and valuable product.
Maestro also requires the staff to branch out. Instead of fighting
over who covers the football game verses the school pay, now they can fight
over how they cover it. The multidimensional coverage will give them a chance
to learn new technology and also explore story angles in-depth.
With a team approach, accountability is stepped up and
collaboration can take things that were once hum drum to awesome.
Kelly Juntunen
Allen High School
Allen, Texas
I really love the idea behind the maestro concept, but I worry about the typical difficulties with group work? How do you make sure that all of the students share in the work load? What happens when one student does the majority of the work? Also, I have had some groups or pairings that work GREAT together and others that want to ring each other's necks by the end of their project. How do you make sure the students are working well together?
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