Final Days on the East Coast (Days 8 & 9)

The grand finale of our trip lined up with one of our nation’s biggest celebrations: 4th of July on the Mall.  We staked out a spot around 9AM along the parade route, then waited for a few hours for the fun to start.  We saw Bolivian dancers, an Asian marching band, elementary schoolers on unicycles, various military divisions, and a few gigantic storybook balloons including Strawberry Shortcake, Paddington Bear, and Madeline.  The state of Kansas seemed to have a corner on the high school marching band market—I’m sure we saw at least 4 Kansas bands.

Our view of the Lincoln Memorial

After the parade we had some time to spare until the Navy Band concert at 6PM.  The chaperones took turns guarding a blanket that we strategically placed on a big field in between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.  We had a great viewing spot for both the concert and the fireworks, which would be set off over the water that is sandwiched between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.  Guarding the blanket seemed like an endless affair as we huddled under umbrellas for shade, but the kids got to have a few more hours to explore the Smithsonian Museums.  It’s hard to say how much they actually saw, however, because the lines were terrible.   Someone told me that the fireworks display was expected to attract an audience on the Mall of 700,000 people.

On The Mall

The Navy Band performed everything from 50’s and 60’s hits like “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Age of Aquarius” to contemporary favorites like “Popular” from the Broadway musical Wicked.  Later the Navy Jazz Band, The Commodores, performed big band jazz charts and ballades with jazz vocalist Jane Monheit.

From afar we watched the steps of the Lincoln Memorial sparkle with camera flashes, and Lincoln himself was illuminated on his throne behind the stately Roman columns.   Soon the memorial was clouded by smoke from bursting fireworks, and it was a spectacular show.  Best ever, even—at least for someone with my limited experience.

The journey to our hotel at the end of the evening was a crowded venture, but the whole CHBA contingency managed to make it into the same subway car.  Our students finished out the day in good spirits with an acapella performance of “Liberty Bell March” as we covered the last few blocks from the subway station to the hotel.

Day 9

Great Places: Intercourse, PA and New York, NY

The trip wrapped up with a morning visit to Mount Vernon.  We took the “slave life tour” and walked through George Washington’s house and estate grounds, which are situated on the banks of the Potomac River.  The view is lovely.  No wonder he was so keen to retire.  Poor George only lived two more years after his presidency, and we saw the tombs where he, and later Martha, were laid to rest.

We also walked through a museum on the property and our trip leader Pam made sure that we had time to view a 20 or 30 minute film on George Washington’s life.  It was well-done, with actors playing George, other generals, and Martha, but the number of us who actually saw much of it was small.  A weary, sun-baked audience in a dark theater can’t be expected to learn too much:  An embarrassing percentage of our party later confessed to sleeping through the film, including at least one of the directors!  (I’ll let you guess who.)  Somehow everyone perked up on the bus ride to the airport while Lord of the Rings was playing in the coach.

***

All in all, the trip was a huge success, and it was a amicable, friendship-bonded group that stepped through the Baltimore airport doors for our flight check-in.  We learned a lot, we performed a lot, and we laughed a lot, and some of the students were genuinely heart-broken that the trip was over.  I suppose they’ll be the first ones to sign up for our next band tour….

East Coast Trip: 4th of July!

First, a few words to the wise.  If you truly want to blog—and you want to do it right—you need two things:  scheduled downtime during your day in which to compose your blog and fast internet!  When you are out exploring from dawn to dusk every day, there is little time for blogging that doesn’t eat up your sleeping hours. (Unless you take long bus trips every once in a while, in which case you are completely at the mercy of your computer battery.  This one gives out after about one hour.)  And if the internet at your hotel is slow, recognize that the process of uploading 5 photos to your blog page could take an eternity.

Really what I’m saying is don’t expect to get your blogs done in a timely fashion.  I should also add in that it’s really fun, and you’ll be so happy that you did it!

At this point, I’m working solely on the “better late than never” principle, because it’s Sunday at 7AM, and I just posted my blog for Wednesday and Thursday!  Those days seem like ancient history at this point, but I still want to update y’all on what’s happening.  One of our trumpet players Danny sat down at the hotel piano this morning during breakfast and played “Let it Be,” and those piano chords are still echoing through my mind.

The short version of what has happened since Friday morning is this:  We visited Gettysburg, Arlington National Cemetery, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, numerous monuments and memorials, two Smithsonian Museums, and ate a meal on the top floor of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Whew!

Be Natural: View from the top of the Kennedy Center

Highlights:

• There is a painting in the Gettysburg Civil War Museum called the Cyclorama.  It is a circular painting 7.5 meters tall, and you stand in the middle of it.  You are “standing” on a particular spot on the battlefield, and in every direction 360° you can see Civil War troops and horses.  It is so well done it is uncanny.  You feel like you are part of the landscape. Go see it.  It’s amazing.

• We got to touch a moon rock in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

• If you take your photo in front of the White House, you’ll get to see Secret Service Police in person.
• Don’t venture to the back of a bus filled with teenagers on a hot day at the end of a long trip.  Or if you do, hold your nose!!  (Sorry guys, but it’s true.)
• The Library of Congress is one of the most ornate buildings you will every see.  There are paintings, mosaics, and statuettes everywhere you look.
• There are fireflies in Washington DC, and if you’re lucky, you might spot one.
• Mother and daughter pairs can make great traveling partners!
  

  Mother and daughter Miller

Mother and daughter Draper in front of the White House

East Cost Trip: Day 5

First stop: the Bethel African Methodist Episcopalian Church in Lancaster. This church was a stop along the Underground Railroad, helping former slaves to escape to freedom. Our guide was a bit nervous and apologetic, and she held onto her notecards like a lifeline. A few times I imagined her bursting into tears, but in truth she probably wasn’t anywhere close. Despite her halting manner, she did share some gems. One of the most interesting parts of her talk centered around the coded symbols in stained glass windows and in quilts that would both tell a escaped slave whether or not it was safe to stay in the building and would point out the direction in which to head next.

Underground Railroad Quilt

On our way into Amish country, we stopped at Subway for sandwiches and then went on to the Landis Valley Farm. This was a neat, historic farm that was rescued by the family who realized how perfect the property would be as a museum to honor the old ways of the Pennsylvania Dutch (who are really of German descent: Deutsch). There were active herb and vegetable gardens, an old furnished house, a general store filled with Civil War era antiques, a blacksmithing shop, and a leather shop. We got to see the arts of metalworking and leatherworking firsthand, and the craftsmen were great guides. We learned that a blacksmith in those days would have made by hand all of the nails he used in building his shop, and we discovered that everyone wore “straight shoes” in those days. As expensive items, shoes needed to last a long time, and the ability to put a shoe on either foot made the shoe wear more evenly. We thanked our re-enactors, swept through the gift shop and boarded the bus.

Onto the land of the Amish. I’ll warn you now: taking a group of teenagers to the Pennsylvanian Amish country isn’t quite as benign as you might think.

We started by picking up a sweet little old lady who wasn’t personally a member of the Amish community, but who lived in the area. She guided us on a bus tour through absolutely gorgeous landscapes. Green, green fields of corn, and lovely white houses. Some neighborhoods were more closely packed, and we noticed lots of Amish women in their white prayer caps working in the yards. Some children played games like badminton and croquet on their lawns, and others rode scooters or pony-drawn buggies through the streets. The adults had full-sized horse-drawn buggies, and we saw quite a few. It struck me as strange to see those horses clopping down the paved roads; in my imagination, they belong on roads made of dirt or cobblestones.

Amish Landscape

We stopped at a family house and got to tour the barn and the family-owned store. The barn housed horses and dairy cows, while the store shelves were full of sewn crafts like oven mitts and “quillows” (cross between a blanket and a pillow) and books for Amish teenagers.

I know what you’re thinking: so what’s not benign about quillows? Just keep reading. We stopped next at a canning factory and store. They can everything from salsas to “peanut shmear” to jams to a special Amish favorite called “chow chow.” From the looks of it, chow chow is a mix of pickled kidney beans, green beans, and a few other vegetables. I was a little leery of trying it, but I think most of the students did. There were samples all over the store. In the back was a window through which you could watch the canning process in action.

Tasting the samples at Intercourse Canning Company

It didn’t take long for the students to notice the name of the operation. Above that window in the back of the store was a large sign: INTERCOURSE CANNING COMPANY.

I blinked after I read the sign for the first time. Yep, that’s what it said. Huh. We ended up finding out that “Intercourse” is actually the name of the town. I won’t name names, but several people bought special t-shirt and keychain souvenirs that read: “I love Intercourse” (with a heart symbol for “love”). One boy actually told us that his purchase was a gift for his mother!!  Well, I don’t have to tell you that the jokes were flying.  When we were reassembled in the seats, our sweet gray-haired guide scolded us with a twinkle in her eye, reminding us that the dictionary definition of “intercourse” is “communication between individuals,” and this town was built at an important crossroad.  That was that.

We would experience an Amish dinner at the Plain & Fancy. They advertised the meals to be reminiscent of Thanksgiving. Big dishes of corn, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, sausage chunks, sliced beef roast, and chow chow appeared on each table, along with dinner rolls and sweet raisin bread. For dessert, we got to choose between an apple dumpling, shoo fly pie, or cake. PLUS, the waitresses set down giant bowls of ice cream on each table. After a feast like that, not even the tables with teenage boys could empty the ice cream bowls.

Dinner at the Amish restaurant, Plain & Fancy

East Coast Trip: Day 4

Janie and Chris with good ol' Ben in the background

Philly! We packed up early for a 1.5 hour ride to our second city. When we got off the bus, we walked straight into the Ben Franklin Museum, a small building located adjacent to his former home. Benjamin Franklin: printer, scientist, author, politician, and inventor. Walking by a giant timeline of his life painted on the wall, we learned that, besides coining many phrases still in use today—“A penny saved is a penny earned”—and coming up with the idea of a fire station, Mr. Franklin was the inventor of swimming flippers!

The Choir of the Plastic Straw Oboes

Across the courtyard was a small printing studio, complete with a functioning replication of the old style printing presses. There was a man in the studio who had just pressed a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and we watched as he reached up and draped it over a long yardstick-shaped strip of wood fastened a few inches below the ceiling. We also discovered the etymology of the archaic terms “upper case” and “lower case.” Printers would have whole cabinets—or cases—of cubby holes that they used to organize the letters they used to set the type. The smaller, “lower case” letters could be found in the lower case, and the larger, “upper case” letters could be found in the upper case.

Mr. Otis Conducts four-person bottle and straw orchestra

It turns out that we have some burgeoning inventors among our band kids. During lunch (most people tried Philly cheese-steak sandwiches), the adults at the chaperone table started to hear some very large mosquitoes buzzing at the next table over. The girls had collected straws, and they had flattened the tips so they would buzz like little plastic oboes. Then came the glass bottles which they carefully tuned into a lovely chord. Band kids. Gotta love ‘em. They continued to harmonize after lunch while we waited on the sidewalk for the bus, and Mr. Otis couldn’t resist the opportunity to come conduct them.

We hopped in the bus to visit the Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum. Our bus driver, Jack, landed us a few blocks away because he couldn’t maneuver the bus through that particular neighborhood. I noticed trash littering the sidewalk and street along the whole route, and it dawned on me just how clean New York City was, despite the huge numbers of residents and tourists constantly surging through the streets.

Civil War Bullets and Gunbarrels

Our guide must have spotted us out the window, because he hurried down the street to meet us. He directed us into an old house and began to speak immediately. He was a jolly fellow who was positively bursting with information about the civil war. Glass showcases were crowded with artifacts like old artillery shells and small portrait photos discovered in the pockets of the slain. On the wall above a doorway hung a formidable display of pikes (they look like spears). After a few minutes our guide apologized for the lack of air conditioning on such a warm day: the artifacts can’t endure large swings in temperature.

He then enticed us upstairs with the promise of air conditioning, and we trooped up to a room filled with rows of chairs on the floor and portraits of civil war generals on the walls. He regaled us with details about the battle of Gettysburg, and invited Erin up to the front to hold a musket. He also passed around a few real bullets used in the battle. Holding a bullet in your palm is an odd experience. These particular bullets were unexpectedly heavy for their size, and, more than any words he could say, made us feel the weight of those soldiers’ experiences.

Then we bussed back and set up our performance chairs in front of Independence Hall. Regular but gentle gusts of wind made everyone thankful to have clothes pins, and I only had to chase after a stack of trumpet music once.

The Ninja Game

After the performance, which got going a little later than intended, we booked it over to the security checkpoint at Independence Hall, and made our tour appointment in time. We were there with a group of Miss Deaf America pageant winners, but while we waited for the tour to begin, our kids naturally made up in decibels for the other group’s silent communication (and then some). Kids naturally divide themselves into teams, and teams have to be loud to display their team colors. And rule #1 is that you have to name your team. The name can be simple or in code form. So far we have Team Awesome—you’ll know they are coming by the loud shouts of “NICE!”—and we have Team Wicked SOUP—you can spot them because they’ll either be sitting in a circle playing the card game Mow, or standing in a circle playing some kind of ninja game. Don’t ask me to explain it. As I recall, the “SOUP” part stands for Society of Unbelievable People.

Back to the tour. Our guide gave us an introductory talk about the fragility of the wooden stairs and the importance of refraining from gum chewing while on the tour, and then we went in. There were two rooms downstairs and a modest banquet hall above. Among other things, we saw the Rising Sun Armchair, which George Washington sat in during the Federal Conventions.

It turns out that mid-way through the trip we can all experience a bit of a lull in energy. I have to admit that I was so fascinated by watching the deaf interpreters that I didn’t hear a whole lot of what the guide said. From all accounts, however, he was a real grouch. Maybe I was subconsciously tuning him out for that reason… We proceeded onto a different building where we watched a short film about the Revolutionary War. This time I paid rapt attention, but later found out that a bunch of people (including several chaperones) couldn’t keep their eyes open during the film. You know how it goes: your head is bobbing around like a balloon in the wind. It happens.

We walked down the hall to the Liberty Bell, which is now on display inside a modern building. Not too long ago, you could still walk right up and touch it, but now you are forced to stay back at about a three or four foot radius due to a railing.

We finished the day at the Hardrock Café. If you’ve never been, it’s a spectacle. The walls are plastered with photographs, old concert posters, and framed clothing and instruments that famous people wore and played. There are screens all over the restaurant showing music videos that match the songs being piped out through the ceiling speakers. We had a fun time, and a few people walked out the door with new t-shirts.

East Coast Trip: Day 3

The first event of the day was another fantastic musical experience. We walked in the door and were directed up several flights of stairs to a hallway with studios branching off from both sides. Our destination was Studio 4, the Carroll Music Studio, which is supposedly the preferred studio for Broadway pit orchestras to rehearse. The students wouldn’t be performing their own music today; this time it would be a song from a Broadway musical. The experience is called the “Broadway Classroom.” Their conductor was Ben. He was an unassuming, soft-spoken young man with a hipster haircut—the type of guy you might expect to see reading a book in a trendy local coffee shop. He introduced himself as one of the current conductors of the pit orchestra for Wicked, the musical we’d be seeing in the evening. He told us that tonight was other conductor’s turn. So later when we stuck our heads over the pit railing during intermission, we saw him at the piano instead of the conductor’s podium. We found his full name in the program: Ben Cohn.

Final Run-Through with Chelsea

During the class, the students sightread “Give my Regards to Broadway,” which Ben informed us was written in 1906 by George M. Cohan. I think many of the students were surprised to hear that Broadway was even in existence way back then. Ben helped them discover the nuances of the piece and of the process of playing as back-up to a singer. His light-hearted manner endeared him to the students instantly, and he worked with them for about an hour before inviting in a real live Broadway singer to record the song with us! Chelsea Krombach was her name, and we discovered that she had spent a long time as the understudy to the main role in Wicked, Elphaba. She has now moved on to a new musical, but she merrily answered our questions about Broadway theatre and the path she took that led to her current success. We finished up the workshop with a run through of the song with Chelsea as our star.

It's windy at the front of the ferry boat!

The afternoon agenda included a visit to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Thanks to group tickets bought in advance, we did not have to wait in the same interminable line as most of the tourists. The haze of the last few days had lulled me into a false sense of security that made me think I wouldn’t need my hat, but today the sun blazed down while we waited. As we approached the security checkpoint, the fair skinned people in our group hauled out sunscreen. I don’t recall there being any type of security at all the last time I visited the Statue of Liberty, but that was over ten years ago, and my memory may be faulty. I’m guessing, however, that security all over New York has increased significantly since 9/11.

Our group members were directed into several different lines in the security building, and when we exited the building on the other side, Mr. Otis and Mr. Farmer were nowhere to be found. Our trip leader Pam directed us to hop on the ferry without them. The directors could catch the next ferry; it would be along in 15 minutes anyway. We later learned that they had gotten held up behind a family who had to pass through the metal detector a few times (“Oops, I forgot to remove my belt…”).

It is a real treat to cross the water towards the Statue of Liberty, watching her figure grow larger and larger until you have arrived and have to crane your head back to see her golden torch. Our tickets did not permit us to climb the stairs inside the structure up to her crown, but we did get a chance to wander around the base of the statue, which was fixed upon Fort Warren. The fort itself is neat to see: it was built in the shape of an eleven-pointed star and was strategically placed to guard the harbor.

Now the Lady Liberty guards the harbor and was the first site many immigrants saw upon arriving in the states. We learned more about what their experience was like on the ferry’s next stop. The main attraction of Ellis Island is the large building through which all immigrants to the east coast were “processed” for many years—most between 1892 and 1924. There are three floors of fascinating exhibits describing the medical screenings, intelligence testing, detainment procedures, and requirements for approval, all designed to ensure that everyone coming in was mentally and physically healthy. Ellis Island is know as both the “Island of Tears” and the “Island of Hope,” because, while most people were ultimately approved, about 2% of would-be immigrants were turned away and forced to make the boat trip back to their countries of origin. Our students had the opportunity to pick up phones to hear recordings of people remembering their Ellis Island experiences, and they got to walk through a recreated dormitory room. The room was about the size of a master bedroom, and it was jammed with narrow, triple-stacked cots which would have held 36 people. We realized that our entire trip group could have slept in this room, with a few cots left empty.

Everyone made it to the ferry in time to get back to the Manhattan shore as a unit, and we headed to the bus excited for a glitzy end to the day. We would visit Times Square for dinner and then meet back at the Gershwin Theatre for Wicked! The whole group trooped into a small pizza joint, self-proclaimed “famous” based upon an entire wall full of photos of famous people who have dined there.

Times Square was dazzling.  For some reason I did not bring my camera with me, so I won’t include photos here.  So for those who haven’t seen it lately: massive billboards reach far up the sides of most buildings and many are the type that have an electronic screen. (These electronic screens probably have a special name of which I am unaware.)n I think I’ve only seen one of them in Denver. It’s small and it adorns the landscape of Colorado Boulevard, just north of I-25. Take that sign, enlarge it by ten times, then multiply the sign by twenty, and you have recreated one aspect of Times Square. Many of the screens seem to be owned by specific companies and permanently advertise the same product. (For example, there is one for Coca Cola.)

The whole scene is a bit overwhelming for someone like me, but the students scattered eagerly in all directions. I don’t know for sure where all of them went, but a few groups mentioned trips into the Hershey’s store and the M&M store right across the street. Several also traveled a few blocks down to visit the gigantic Toys-R-Us store, which purportedly had at least one full-scale dinosaur model inside.

We reconvened in front of the theatre to pick up our tickets to Wicked. Those who had seen it before couldn’t wait for Act 1 to begin, but the newbies didn’t express too much enthusiasm that I heard. However, just about everyone was a die-hard convert by the time it was over. A bunch of them walked out of the doors sporting Wicked merchandise, and the whole batch were more riled up than they had been yet. They chattered excitedly and sang their favorite parts the whole ride back to the hotel.

Posing on Ellis Island in front of the NYC Skyline

East Coast Trip: Day 2

Monday began with a 6 o’clock wake-up call (remember, that’s 4 o’clock in Denver).  We are staying at the Hilton Newark Airport Hotel.  For those of you who know your geography, you’re probably thinking, “But that’s in New Jersey!”  Yes, we are staying on the other side of the Hudson River from Manhattan, which happens to be another state.  We travel over to the city every morning through the Lincoln Tunnel, a long, underground tunnel that passes us underneath the river.

Getting onto the bus

The morning traffic is terrible by Colorado standards, but of course it’s nothing out of the ordinary here.  We ended up in a bus lane jam-packed with greyhound buses.  Most are commuter buses bringing folks into the city for work, and the others are tour buses.  Unfortunately for the tour bus drivers, there is nowhere for large buses to park.  Anytime we get off the bus for a meal or an activity, the driver has no choice but to drive around for several hours while he waits for us.  (We bring him lunch and dinner.)

We started with a performance Battery Park.  The park is at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan, and it attracts a fair number of locals and tourists.  The performance went well, and we and our red shirts even made it into several tourists’ travel photos.  The kids played well.  I, on the other hand, could have played better.  Because one of our percussionists could not go on the trip at the last minute, the band was stuck with me as cymbal player occasional bass drum player.  I have the bass drum part for “Liberty Bell March,” and I was rushing big-time until Mr. Farmer caught my eye and gave me the look.  I can tell that Mr. Otis will be teasing me about this for the next three years.

ne thing I can say for sure is that long black pants trap in the heat.  The sun was beating down through the haze, and many of us were dripping with sweat by the end.  We were thankful to pile back onto the air-conditioned bus.

Performing at Battery Park

Next stop: a clinic at the Lincoln Center with Teresa Cheung, the Associate Conductor of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra.  We performed “Liberty Bell” and “Cimarron” for her, and then she stepped in to help us improve. She showed us how to make better musical accents by “coughing” with our bellies, and she demonstrated the connection between musical phrasing and singing.  After all, you wouldn’t sing, “Somewhere over the”—gulp of breath—“rainbow,” would you?   At the end of the clinic we had a Q and A session, thanked our clinician, and headed back to the bus.

Our tour guide let us loose (in buddy groups, of course!) for lunch and a few hours of free time on Fifth Avenue.  Most of us ate lunch in an underground area below Rockefeller Plaza.  There was everything from sandwich shops to Sbarro pizza.  Then we explored.  There is everything from Tiffany’s and Saks to the legendary FAO Schwarz.  Many also found the Lego store, the American Girl store, and the NBA store.  Most, I think, who tired of the shops eventually wound their way into Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  Standing inside of it with your head tilted back, you would think you were in the heart of Europe.   The high vaulted ceiling and the many stained glass windows are breathtaking, and everywhere you look are intricate carvings in the stone and the woodwork.  The effect was awesome in the true sense of the word.

Looking up in Saint Patrick's Cathedral

We proceeded on with a brief bus trip to ground zero of the World Trade Center. The site is currently a fenced off construction zone inside of which a forest of cranes reaches up toward the sky.  A few cranes have American flags attached onto the cables that hang down from their long arms.  The first site to see is St. Paul’s Chapel, which is literally right across the street from the construction zone.  It also happens to be the oldest building in the city that has been under continual use: George Washington attended weekly services there when he was chosen to lead the country.  (We learned that the country’s first capital was New York City.)  The chapel was miraculously unharmed in the 9/11 disaster, and it became the staging ground for the support efforts.  The chapel is now a museum that honors the many people who traveled from all over the country and the world to offer their support and services.

A short walk from the chapel is another museum of sorts inhabiting what probably used to be a small retail store. It is the World Trade Center Memorial Preview.  Inside is a model of the memorial that currently under construction and a timeline on the wall that describes the series of events that took place the day of the attack.  Being in the room was solemn and emotional for those of us who remember that day vividly.  It’s hard to believe that many of the students on this trip were only six years old at that time.

WTC Construction Site

Dinner at The Garage was a lighter end to the day.  It’s a sit-down Italian restaurant with live jazz.  Although we were seated in a nook of the restaurant and couldn’t all see the musicians, the music provided a classy, relaxing atmosphere to the meal.

East Coast Trip: Day 1

I might have started this blog on Day 1 (Sunday), but I was so worn out from the day when we finally arrived at the hotel that all I could muster was a quick shower to wash off the travel grime before pulling back the covers and falling into a deep sleep.

On the whole, the traveling part was uneventful: the answer to many a trip leaders’ prayers. Most of us awoke between 3:00 and 3:30 AM to manage the 5:00 AM airport report time, so it was a subdued batch of teenagers who stumbled into the airport doors towing their luggage and instruments.

We flew on Southwest Airlines: Denver to Baltimore, brief layover, Baltimore to Laguardia. A steward on the first flight peppered the emergency information presentation with enough irreverent side commentary that he had everyone on board laughing and genuinely listening for a change. Only two students accidentally left their boarding passes for New York on the plane as gifts for the flight crew. “Only” is the wrong word: we expected ZERO. But it all got worked out, and the airline printed out more boarding passes free of charge.

China Town!

Dinner at the Golden Harmony Restaurant followed. This Chinese restaurant was one large square room. It felt fancy as we entered, and we soon realized that they were preparing for a wedding reception which soon started up right alongside us. We were served enough food for a group twice our size, complete with soups, egg rolls, dumplings, fried rice, and several entrees. I wasn’t the only one who was relieved to see forks on the table. I’m not so bad with chopsticks, but these were plastic and slick with very little gripping power. Trying to eat a dumpling with them was like trying to pick up an ice cube. Not happening. That’s when I noticed the forks.

We all got fortune cookies at the end of the meal, and only one cookie (that I know of) somehow flew straight from the plastic wrapper and into a water glass. The fortune must have read, “You are destined for a soggy dessert.” No one knows what it really said, because it seems to have disappeared in transit.

Mr. Otis and Mr. Farmer with chopsticks

The final event of the evening was a visit to the top of the Rockefeller building for a lovely view of all of New York City. From our perch we spotted the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Hudson River, the Trump Tower, and much more. To get up there, you take an elevator (thank goodness!) up to the 67th floor. The ascension wouldn’t be worth mentioning except for the fact that it is reminiscent of an amusement park ride. The top of the elevator is glass, the elevator shaft is studded with blue lights, and there are some small light projectors that shine words and phrases like “Top of the Rock” onto the glass ceiling. Plus, the minute you start moving, you start hearing strange intergalactic music.

As I write this, I wonder if I have just now fabricated that space-age music, but I’m pretty sure that it really happened and isn’t just a figment of my imagination. I really don’t know. It IS late, and that was yesterday…. And I haven’t even gotten to discussing today’s adventures. All I’ll say at present is that today was truly such a long day that by the end of it I was genuinely convinced for a moment that another day had passed in the meantime and that it was Tuesday already. But it is still Monday. At least for another ten minutes. I’ll have to catch you up on today’s adventures when I write tomorrow.

On Top of the Rock!

In a Student’s Words: Sheridan Monroe

Q:  What has Colorado Honor Band meant to you?

Sheridan:  My favorite part of Honor Band has always been right after a really tedious rehearsal where you rehearsed the same four lines for an hour, because it makes you realize how deep into the music you can go, and how different the music would be if each four lines of the piece were given that much attention.  It allows me to see the possibilities of the music.

I’ve also always loved summer camp.  It provides an opportunity for us to get to know each other outside of the five minutes we spend packing up our instruments in regular rehearsal.  The friends I’ve met through summer band are friends I’ll have for life.

Playing a concerto with Symphony Winds has been a truly amazing experience.  Because I was not able to have a senior recital, this is the only opportunity I will ever have to be a soloist in high school.  Performing with CHBA doesn’t just allow me to be a soloist, but for everyone to work on the piece together, to build it up from scratch and put it together in our own way.

The directors in CHBA really go beyond the role of the typical band director, and they are a large reason for my decision to become a band director myself.  They are willing to stay after rehearsal and talk about anything—school band, my plans for the future, or simply a concert I went to the week before. Each rehearsal, we can see that they love being here just as much as we do.  Their passion and involvement is inspirational.

Sheridan Monroe is a clarinetist in Symphony Winds who will graduate this May after eight years of participation in the Colorado Honor Band program.  At the 56th Annual Spring Concert she will perform the solo part in Rondo Concerto #1 for Clarinet & Band, written by C.M. von Weber and arranged by Charles T. Yeago.

Quintet Five: Spreading CHBA Spirit

The name may be redundant but the music’s not.

Created in September of 2008, Quintet Five features Symphony Winds musicians. Under the direction of CHBA alumnus Jim Donaldson (current CHBA trumpet instructor and Board Member), the musicians learned small-group blending techniques, quickly developing a mature and resonant tone as a chamber ensemble.

Quintet Five’s debut performance at CHBA’s Night at the Arts event was enthusiastically received, and it prompted two event attendees to vie for the group’s Holiday Performance offering in the silent auction. Ultimately, the quintet agreed to accept both bids, awarding each party a lively performance of holiday music.

This talented brass ensemble shines as the first incarnation of the CHBA Small Ensembles. This program was established with several goals in mind: First of all, to expose interested students to the dynamics of single-player parts and chamber music-type performing—valuable practice intended to round out their repertoire of musical experiences.

Secondly, to create a more portable performance group that would be available to perform at a variety of events and functions around the Denver-metropolitan area.

Lastly, to attract possible corporate sponsors who may find more incentive to contribute to CHBA as the organization gains greater community recognition and as opportunities for sponsorship acknowledgment increase with the additional performances.

Many thanks to Quintet Five for helping spread the word about CHBA and for sharing with new audiences the fruits of a commitment to musical excellence.

CHBA’s 2008 Night at the Arts

On October 17, 2008 Colorado Honor Band Association held its inaugural fundraising event, CHBA Night At the Arts. Hosted at Habitat Gallery in Denver, this evening of hors d’oeuvres and silent auction items featured a wide assortment of student performances and drew a crowd of over one hundred CHBA supporters.

Twenty-eight students ranging in level from Intermediate Band to Symphony Winds performed, some as soloists and many in small groups. Periodically throughout the evening a new set of musicians would thread its way through the mingling attendees to the performance spot. The audience learned to expect the unexpected; they enjoyed an eclectic mix of performances which ran the gamut from harmonious brass chorales to a pseudo Japanese Taiko-style piece performed with four bass drums set on their sides, drumheads facing the ceiling.

The event was designed to be a community celebration of the arts—sharing art to support art. All donations went directly to the organization and will be used to repair and replace instruments and equipment, to purchase sheet music, and to support our ability to maintain the dedicated staff of over twenty music educators who work as a team to form the backbone of CHBA.

After expenses, the total amount raised exceeded $10,000, surpassing the expectations of CHBA Board President Courtney Walsh.

Walsh was thrilled with the result: “We weren’t sure what to expect with the first ‘CHBA Night at the Arts’ but once we put the wheels in motion for the event we realized how much CHBA means to our members, parents, staff, and alumni. The great success of the evening gives me confidence that the superior quality of our program will continue to fuel the support of the Denver community we serve.  This event was a small, but very important, initial step towards ensuring the perpetuity of the Colorado Honor Band so we can continue to offer high-quality, affordable music education both now and in the future.”

This fundraiser will be hosted annually as the foremost effort in a collection of projects aimed at strengthening CHBA’s presence in the community and fortifying its future sustainability.

Several of these projects are student-involved ventures. Under the new CHBA Ambassadors Program, CHBA will send a staff member with a small group of students into various local schools to give music demonstrations for the purpose of kindling interest in instrumental music and, more specifically, in the CHBA program.

The CHBA Small Ensembles Program is another new venture designed as a joint educational tool for students and promotional tool for the organization. Student participants will benefit from an introduction to the challenges unique to small ensemble performance, and CHBA will benefit from heightened community exposure.

Finally, in early 2008 the CHBA Board of Directors made a decision to invite student members to participate on the Board for year-long terms. This policy was adopted to ensure that student voices are heard as the organization moves forward. Each year the Board will solicit applications and select two students who demonstrate strong leadership skills and a passion for supporting the CHBA mission.

The upshot of these new endeavors? A Colorado Honor Band Association equipped to thrive for many generations to come.