UD produces Glee-like musical for prospective students

Delaware: The Musical has already been seen more than 26,000 times since being posted on YouTube last week.

The admissions office at the University of Delaware may have a viral hit on its hands with Delaware: The Musical.

The video, which was posted to YouTube last week, has already been viewed more than 26,000 times.  The video comes from the creative mind of UD admissions counselor Avi Amon.  “I think the cool thing about this is that it really was an organic process,” says Amon, who was the  composer, director, one of the producers, and he also stars in the musical.  Producing the seven minute video took months of composing, writing and planning, and involved nearly 1,000 students.  “In that way, yes I guess it cost money in terms of time, but it was much cheaper than hiring a company to come do this for you, and that way, much more personal as well.”

The video is unashamedly over-the-top, with humor, big crowds, choreographed dance, and cameos by school leaders including UD President Patrick Harker.  “It’s really just supposed to be a teaser about UD.  If you listen carefully, the lyrics aren’t very specific, but they do highlight the things that are great about our school,” says Amon.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYEUwMlpK_4[/youtube]

He expects online views of the video to eventually level off, but the production will still get a lot of play on campus.  “Besides a recruitment tool, and just general awareness about UD, I know a lot of different colleges within the university are going to use it for there own recruitment purposes, and I know development and alumni relations are going to use it to engage some recent alumni,” Amon says.

“If nothing else, it just shows that it’s a fun and creative place.”