9:32 a.m., Dec. 7, 2009----Avi Amon, an admissions counselor at the University of Delaware, has created a humorous music video to shed some light on the harsh December demands placed on admissions offices across the country as they try to decide which applicants to accept.

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The video “Reading Season” already has more than 6,000 views on YouTube and has drawn many comments from admissions office workers across the country that empathize with Amon's position.

It has received attention from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, Collegewebeditor Web marketing and TargetX, a leading provider of interactive marketing in higher education.

Amon explained that “reading season" is the time of year when admissions counselors at universities around the nation begin the process of evaluating applications and shaping the next generation of college-educated students. “It's usually a very stressful time for colleges, high schools and students alike, so I thought I'd liven up the mood a bit,” he said.

The song and video came not only out an idea to try and lighten up the mood but also from Amon's personal love of music. “It's always been a dream of mine to pursue composition full-time and/or write musical theater. I'm currently taking composition classes at Delaware in addition to working full time -- classes I couldn't fit into my schedule while I was a student here. I figured that creating this video was a perfect way to combine these segments of my life,” he said.

Though he minored in jazz piano while a student at the University of Delaware, Amon, who graduated in 2008, said he has only now started to realize that music is his true calling in life.

Amon said a co-worker, Drew Rifkin, who, along with Amon, sings and performs in the video, helped co-write the lyrics to the song, and that the music and lyrics are all original.

The pair utilized Final Cut Pro software found at the University of Delaware Library, and overall, according to Amon, the project took a weekend to “shoot, edit, and execute.”

Amon said the response has been overwhelmingly positive and that he has plans for continuing the project and filming more videos for the future.

“People have been loving it, and not just on campus either. It's received some national attention from NACAC, TargetX and Collegewebeditor.com, and plenty of other admissions offices around the country,” he said. “While the primary target audience is definitely other college admissions counselors and high school guidance counselors, I think the humor and concept is broadly appealing. America is a very 'musical' place right now so it seems like the right climate for a project like this. I hope to record more 'episodes' in the future. We'll see how it turns out.”

Article by Adam Thomas