Sounds & Images of #NYNouveau

One Last Glance

Carnegie Hall was a moment I will never forget. Yes, I'm sure that you've all heard that from every blogger and every performer. But, really, Carnegie Hall was stunning. Absolutely amazing. Through this tour I realized how lucky and thankful I was for such awesome and dedicated directors and students. I honestly couldn't have imagined anyone else participating in this chapter of my life. Performing at Carnegie Hall showed me that if you practice and show you want to get somewhere, you can live your dream, but only if you want it as bad as you want to breathe. Through all my life, I will remember when I walked onto Perelman Stage right before perfomance time, and I thought wow . Those seats look way better when all of our fans are sitting in them. That moment is something that no one can take away from us.

Looking Back

I can't believe it's been only a week since we performed in New York City; it seems like it was ages ago.  This trip was an incredible experience, and one that I will never forget.

It taught me to never limit my goals, because if you think you can achieve something, and you work hard enough, then you can.  I never could have imagined having the opportunity to play on the world's most famous stage, and yet we did.

I will never forget how proud I felt at the end of Angels in the Architecture; proud of the band, proud of myself, proud of the work that every single person involved in our program did to make this trip and this performance happen.

Over the course of this trip, I learned that I absolutely love big cities.  I love the feeling of being among millions of people that you may never meet, and I love knowing that there is something new to explore everywhere you go.

I learned that I have the best friends in the world, and I learned that I can never ever give up music, because there is nothing else like it.  I will always remember this trip, if not for the feeling of playing in Carnegie Hall, then for the time that I got to spend with my band family.

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New Life Goal: Be Mr. Teague

If I could, I would do the whole trip all over again. Even the bus ride. Although I did learn that personal space is important to me. And that I probably have way too much stuff. And bacon always makes breakfast better. 

But I kind of already knew that. I also learned that I have probably have the best standmate of all time. And that most people are generally good. 

But I already knew that too. I learned lots of cool facts and figures about New York City!

But upon reflection, that's not what stands out to me. Perhaps it was the old saying "how do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice. " is actually how you get anywhere worth going. 

Or perhaps it was the resilience of the city, and by connection,  our country. We're still here, standing strong because we are worth it. 

Or perhaps it was the sheer size of New York City. There are millions of people there, but it almost never felt overcrowded. It felt natural, almost organic. And everyone was welcome. People working together can create incredible, well, anything. 

And we did. We were just a micro community in New York City, but we created something better than ourselves. As we started hitting cords in the final choral of Angels in the Architecture, it seemed like we were transcending. Now, I know many others say they saw Mr. Teague crying (including Mr. Teague) but I didn't see tears. As I looked up for the final cords, I saw Mr. Teague glowing. I have never seen anyone glow like I saw him glow then and I don't think I ever will again. It was a glow that told me that we were not ourselves anymore. We were more than ourselves; we were one with the music,  with one another, and, maybe, with something or someone greater than ourselves. I will never forget that oneness, being more connected than I ever knew I could be. 

And now we're home and are already preparing for another concert. But how do you prepare when you know it will never ever be the same? 

You play on. And maybe that's ultimately what I learned from Carnegie and New York.  It doesn't matter what happens; you play on. So I will play on. And maybe one day, I too will become so good and so connected to something that I, too, will glow.

Reflecting on New York

Going to New York City with the band and performing in Carnegie hall is a memory that will stay with me forever. The whole trip, from beginning to end was a unique and amazing experience, and the performance in Carnegie hall topped everything off. Not many people can say that they have performed in Carnegie Hall. I will always remember the sound of bar 149 in Angels in the Architecture. This is when a brass choir voices the hymn "Old Hundredth". This part of the music sounded, in my opinion, better than we had ever played it before, and sounded great in Carnegie Hall. While I doubt I will ever again be able to experience performing on that stage again,I hope that someday I will be able to visit NYC again, and return to Carnegie Hall to hear someone else perform.

Trip of a Lifetime

The trip was a week ago, but I still can't believe that I actually got to go to New York and preform at Carnegie Hall. The whole trip was just so amazing and unbelievable. The days we spent on the trip were some of the best days of my life. I have learned and experienced so much over the trip. I have also gotten a lot closer to all my friends that went on the trip. 

Thank you to all who made this trip possible. You guys are awsome.

Sorry if this was a bad/short post, I find it hard to put into words just how amazing the whole experience was. I shall never forget it.

In Retrospect

So the trip is done now. Everyone is back  in the school mindset, and the whole trip already seems far in the past...in some ways. In other ways, it's like I'm still there.

For example, the time on stage is something I'll never forget. Because of that, it doesn't matter if it will have been ten days ago or ten years ago; I'll still be able to remember that experience as though it were still happening. The climactic moment in Angels in the Architecture contains that note that is, even now, still resonating in my mind, and I don't think it will quiet down for a long time.

Of course, the performance as a whole also impacted me as a person. There was one feature of the whole experience that I didn't really notice until afterwards, and that was the way we were treated by the Carnegie Hall staff. They were generally polite, kind, and respectful. The last quality is the one that surprised me. We were a bunch of high school kids in a hall that hosted great musicians. It then struck me that we were being treated as performers of the caliber needed to perform at such a place. That whole idea changed me in the form of a realization: Pursuing lofty goals can lead to amazing outcomes. If you had told me, when I was in fourth grade and first beginning the flute, that I would play on one of the most famous stages in the world, I really would have doubted that. But after seeing how those staff members treated us, and having that subsequent revelation, I am far more willing to pursue high goals.

And finally, the all-important personal growth question, "What did you learn about yourself?"

I am happy to say that, for this trip, a genuine answer came quickly to mind.

I learned that I like to do new things. I don't mean trying a new flavor of ice cream; I mean going to a different state, a new city, a new culture. I like to go out with neither a tour guide nor a "must-see" list sometimes, and really just absorb everything. I loved being on the streets of a big city, free to experience as I saw fit. I like doing things on my own.

A Life Changing Experience

The New York trip was one that I will never forget! The fact that we all performed at Carnegie Hall is still surreal to me. I learned many things about myself on this trip but the main thing was that hard work really pays off. The music  we played was very challenging and I was nervous that I wasn't  capable of playing it  but I  learned  that if you have a goal in mind you will achieve it. And with tons of practicing I surprised  myself with  my musical capabilities. This moment changed my life because I never thought I would play at Carnegie Hall. I come from a very musical family and have always heard of Carnegie but never thought I would ever be there. And the fact that I did made me extremely proud. The biggest standout memory for this trip  was at the Top of the Rock. That is when it fianlly hit me  that I was in New York and I would be playing at Carnegie Hall. This was a trip that will live with me forever.

Final reflections

Now, a few days after our Carnegie hall performance, I've taken a little bit of time to think about the amazing things we've done on this trip. It took a while for things to sink in for me..but the opportunity to play in this concert hall doesn't come often. For many people it doesn't even come in a lifetime. It was a truly amazing experience, and I'm so glad we all got to be a part of it. This trip will be a shining moment in the history of the DGN bands, and we were here to do it! We made history, guys. (The picture's a little blurry..but hopefully you get the idea)

Chicago Tribute covers #NYNouveau

Click here, or the image, to be redirected to the Chicago Tribute website, and this story.

On the set of the Today Show ...

This happened on Monday morning, on the set of the Today Show, with Savannah Guthrie ...

How to order Official Carnegie Hall & Times Square Photos!

Group Photos, Inc. was our official photographer for the "New York Nouveau" concert.  They also did a DGN and a DGS group shot in Times Square.

Below you will find a link to order photos.  Please note the "shopping cart tip." Avoid clicking on "continue shopping," but rather use the back-button on your browser as you add multiple images to your order.

Please note that there are seven different galleries on the initial page to help guide your shopping. Within each band's page you will find a "Stage Group Photo."  This is the one you want to order if you would like the formal/staged picture of the entire band.  There are also "Stage Performing" photos taken from long range, as well as "Close Ups" of each performing ensemble.

If you have any issues navigating the site, or have any questions about placing an order, the company has asked that you contact them directly.  1(800) GROUP PHOTO, (212) 262-8611.  Or kevin@groupphotos.com.






How to order ...

All Carnegie Hall and Times Square group photos are online here: http://www.groupphotos.com/t/categories/private/carnegie-hall/2015/march/030215

The password is: 030215

Shopping cart tip:  After adding a photo to the shopping cart, do not click on "continue shopping" as this will take you to the homepage.

Instead, click your web browser's "back" button twice to return to the gallery of photos that you just left.

I guess that's all for now.

Today it was back to nose to the grindstone.  Unless you were one of the few ( many) who stayed home. Then you start tomorrow.
It all seems like a dream. Just 48 hours ago we were on the greatest stage known to man and now we're getting fussed at for not doing our homework.  But the magic of the whole experience lives on. I know I stumbled through the day, half expecting to see a skyscraper whenever I turned a corner really fast.
And none of the magic would have been possible without any of you. Everyone worked so hard, so I wanted to take the time to say thanks. Thank you Mr. Miller. Thank you Mr. Teague. Thank you to our teachers, our chaperones,  the administration,  our supportive student body, our bus drivers,  our parents, our fellow band mates, Ms. Mullen, Ms. DePeder, Mr. Ball and all the other middle school directors, our elementary school teachers who helped cultivate our live of music,  the random people we met on the highway and in the city who we probably scared half to death, the restaurant workers for feeding us and not panicking, our friends, and all the other people who helped us on our way.
In all seriousness, thank you to the people who came to cheer us on and the people who trusted us enough to let us go. We experienced the best concert we will ever have (unless you become a professional.  Then all bets are off) and we loved every millisecond of it. If I could do it all over again, I would do it in a New York second. 

Post New York Trip

The time is now approximately 11:30 pm. Yet, I cannot get the words "I played at Carnegie Hall" out of my head. I know I was not the only one whose breath was taken away when we first entered the music hall. Carnegie's gold, circular and ornate walls enveloped you in the moment. I specifically recall our tour guide asking my group if we were fascinated because he had not heard any oooh's and ahhh's. I responded back saying that he had not heard any response because we were indeed too fascinated to speak. I remember pulling up to Carnegie Hall, and I told my bus partner "Oh my god, we are here. I can't believe we are finally here." and her response was only a nod because her face was in awe. Walking onto the stage for the first time, made me feel a part of something big- if there was background music to my life, that moment would have deserved a cymbal crash. I remember when Mr. Teague told us after our group picture how proud of us he was. And he began to get tears in his eyes. It felt awkward at first because, hey your teacher is about to cry but, I realized that this was a big moment for all of us. Those performing, directing and even family members in the audience. We have shared a special experience together and who knows? Maybe some of us will end up there again.

Looking back on this trip, I know that this is an experience I will never forget. Between running around Rockefeller Center, watching a proposal on "Top Of The Rock" (she said yes) and performing at Carnegie Hall, I can honestly say that I love my band family; those that make me smile, laugh and cry. Those that annoy the crap out of me and those that I'm glad to have had by my side all the way. The directors and all of the band nerds have truly made band a part of my life that I will always cherish. So, thank you Mr. Teague, Mr. Miller and Mr. Botti for getting us here. We could not have become the musicians we are today, without you guys.

"I want to be apart of it. New York, New York."

Frank Sinatra

I Cried Ten Times

I hardly slept at all on the bus last night, and it had nothing to do with bus seats.  I was – and still am – overwhelmed with feelings of pride in our students from DGN and DGS.  

Our team of instrumental music teachers in District 99 have been planning this tour for well over a year now.  Initial visioning and goal-setting happened even earlier.  The planning process, with hundreds (if not thousands) of musical (and non-musical) details, was so elongated that I believe this caused my emotions to surface in very powerful – and largely unexpected – ways on March 2.

The first time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was when the coach buses pulled up to Carnegie Hall and I saw the three-sheet poster displayed right at the front door of the box office. Even two blocks away, when I saw the white Carnegie flag with the red "C" flying off the side of the building, I started to quietly tear up.  I turned to my own mother (who made the trip from Columbia, Missouri to attend the concert) and started to say “there it is.” I could hardly get the words out.  In that moment I was feeling pride for our amazing students who practiced very hard to ready themselves for this historic performance.  Someone asked me earlier in the week if I was nervous about the performance.  Yes, I was a little nervous, but the nerves were about things I couldn't control (weather … and more on that later).  I was never, for a moment, nervous about our students’ level of preparedness.  I had total and complete confidence that they were going to play musically, play passionately, and perform with elegance. My conductor/teacher colleagues will know - we don't always feel this way leading into a performance.  But for this concert, I had complete confidence in our students and their readiness to shine.  

The second time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was during the morning Carnegie Hall tour.  My mother joined my group of 18 students on the tour, and when she walked into the hall and looked up at the ceiling she paused just slightly, gasped softly, and like many proud parents, cried what we call “happy tears” in our family.  That triggered misty eyes for me too, despite my best efforts to control it. 

The third time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was when Kristin Bowers walked on stage for the Rhapsody In Blue rehearsal at 2 PM.  That may not seem like something to become emotional about, but then you probably don’t know the back-story:  

Kristin (King) Bowers - DGN Class of 2002 – received her musical training at Indiana University and Northwestern University before winning the coveted position of Concertmaster of the United States Air Force Band (Washington, D.C.).  When we first learned we had the opportunity to produce a concert at Carnegie Hall and I began thinking of soloists to perform with our students, Kristin was the very first person I thought of.  What a joy it would be to collaborate in this way with a professional musician who was a graduate of our program. I was thrilled that she agreed to be one of our Carnegie Hall soloists, and very grateful to her Air Force superiors who immediately supported the time off she would need in the middle of their scheduled tour.  

Kristin had a concert in Salt Lake City on Saturday night, and she was scheduled to fly to New York early Sunday morning.  I called her from our hotel on Saturday night when we returned from the New York Philharmonic concert.  We both became a little nervous looking at the weather system moving toward NYC; within 5 minutes of our call ending, American Airlines cancelled her flight.  We started to look for alternatives, and saw very few options to get her from Salt Lake to NYC on Sunday.  She went to the airport at about 5 AM on Sunday to try and get on a Southwest flight to Chicago-Midway, hoping that being in Chicago would give her more connection options.  But once at the airport she determined they did not have any open seats for her to get to Chicago.  So Kristin made the very smart decision to fly to Los Angeles.  Yes, it was going the wrong direction, but there were many more flights to NYC from LAX that were not (yet) cancelled. She boarded a Delta flight to LA, and she was there by lunch time.  

Once in LA she found a Delta flight back to NYC’s JFK airport.  It was scheduled to leave at about 4 PM, and arrive in New York at about 10:15 PM.  Because of the snow bearing down on NYC Sunday afternoon/evening, the flight was delayed (but not cancelled!) for two more hours.  I remember breathing a huge sigh of relief when I learned her plane took off from LA, and I told our students that she was on the way.  Jinx!!  Three hours into the flight her plane was diverted to Detroit because JFK was too backed up to let the plane land.  Sitting in my hotel room late Sunday night, Kristin and I communicated by texts as she waited to see what Delta would do.  While she waited, I looked for flight options online for Monday flights.  At this point I was losing hope that she could get to the 2 PM stage rehearsal; I was looking for ANYTHING that would get her to the stage in time for the concert!

Using the KAYAK website, I saw three options.  Two of the flights showed “1 seat left,” but by the time I could click on the link, they were – poof! – gone.  The final flight was cutting it really close to the concert; landing at LaGuardia at 6:30 PM.  Probably wouldn’t work, but I bought the ticket for her anyway before the options completely evaporated. (Fortunately – it was a refundable ticket if we ended up not needing it.)  So we now had an additional wild-card to play in case of absolute emergency.  

At midnight they told Kristin that her plane was grounded in Detroit for the night, and sent her to a hotel, where she got two hours sleep before having to head back to the airport and many long lines of stranded passengers.  Delta added a new flight to accommodate the passengers who had been diverted, and by 9:40 AM she was boarding a plane for JFK!  Too good to be true?  Yes.  At 7:52 AM I got a text that read, “I'm sitting on the plane with a computer/mechanical problem.”  I wrote back, “You are just trying to make this more interesting aren't’ you?” I was a nervous wreck, but was trying not to telegraph it to her.

So now you know why, when I saw Kristin walk onto the stage, my eyes misted over again.  It was mostly about relief and joy, for I so wanted her parents (who had flown to NYC to hear the concert) to hear her perform Scott McAllister's Black Dog.  I also – of course – wanted our current students to have the chance to perform that work.  It was very challenging to learn, and they did a masterful job with the accompaniment.  Here’s the photo we took within 30 seconds of seeing one another on stage. 

The fourth time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was during private/personal walks through several backstage hallways and the museum. As I looked at all the posters, photographs, signed music manuscripts, Gene Krupa's sticks, Benny Goodman's clarinet, Leonard Bernstein's baton, etc. the importance of the venue really started to sink in.  Each artifact representing a singular iconic musician, or a specific moment in music history.  My good friend and colleague, Glenn Williams, rounded the corner from one of the back stage holding rooms, and thanked me for my work in organizing the trip.  At that moment words started to fail him … and me ... and we just gave one another a hug.  The realization that our students (and we as teachers/musicians) were going to be performing in this historic space – arguably the most famous space for musicians in the world – washed over me in waves. 

The fifth time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was at about 7:10 PM.  The Symphonic Band had come on stage at 7 PM, before the house opened, to take our formal large-group photo.  As we were about to dismiss them, I addressed the band to tell them how proud we were of their hard work, and to remind them that – no matter what they do in life – they should hold firmly to their memory of playing Carnegie Hall as a reminder that when you set goals that make you “reach higher,” you inevitably improve – and often exceed your own expectations.  At that moment, when I looked at those 135 students on that stage … all dressed in formal concert-black … unified in purpose and as one team … my eyes watered yet again.

The sixth time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was during the last 10 seconds of Symphonic Band's performance of The Machine Awakes.  Our combined Concert Band and Symphonic Band began studying this piece last September, and each member of the Symphonic Band will remember that at our November concert (the only other time we performed the work publicly), we had significant timing issues between the band and the electronic soundtrack that is cued from a computer. I had selected this composition for Carnegie Hall for several reasons: 1) the composer shared with me that the piece had never – to his knowledge – been performed at Carnegie, thus it fit our “New York Nouveau” theme.  2) I thought the contemporary writing further highlighted the “Nouveau” aspect of our program and added very strong contrast to the rest of the program, and 3) I simply imagined in my mind that a 135 piece ensemble playing this composition had the potential to sound unbelievable in the resonant space of the Carnegie acoustic.  Through the rehearsal process back home, I was never quite sure the musicians in the band were totally buying into the work as a good fit for this concert. After the notes were learned, and the novelty of the computer track had run its course, I sensed at times that everyone was just going through the motions in rehearsals.  Well, last night was different in two significant ways.  First, we had no technical issues.  Thanks to Bill Miller’s expert planning, we had all the equipment we needed to flawlessly plug into the Carnegie house sound system.  Furthermore the monitor speaker Bill packed for me to assure I could hear the computer track in the loudest moments (allowing us to stay in sync) was set at the perfect level.  Thus, we stayed perfectly together!  But the real thrill was the look of concentration, determination, and accomplishment in everyone’s eyes in those last few seconds of the piece.  And when we hit the last note, and we all froze and listened to the resonance of the final acoustic gesture, it was sonically breathtaking.  And I was so happy for our combined Concert Band & Symphonic Band. 

I also want to make sure I take a moment to recognize the virtuosity of Peter Wilson, the principal violinist at the White House and the Concertmaster for the President’s Own United States Marine Corps Band.  Pete and I go way back, having been fraternity brothers in college (I was his ‘pledge father’) and I will forever be in his debt for giving so much of himself musically to be a part of our New York Nouveau (both with Symphonic Band, and through his contributions to our “Rhapsody In Blue.”

The seventh time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was during the Wind Ensemble’s performance of Angels in the Architecture.  I read one of our student Blogger’s account of that performance, and the student wrote something along the lines of, “Angels in the Architecture seems like it was made for Carnegie Hall.”  I was really thrilled to read that comment because when we first announced the Carnegie performance, I immediately programmed that composition, by Frank Ticheli, as the corner-stone of the Wind Ensemble’s set.  Before we knew any of the other lit, we knew we would include Angels in the Architecture.  But it is a challenging piece.  College bands have to work hard to make it sound acceptable, much less good.  I knew it was going to take a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of our students, and so I did something I had never done before in 25 years of teaching: I gave a very specific “summer learning” assignment.  I emailed every member of the Wind Ensemble their music in early June, and told them they needed to come back to school in August with all notes and rhythms learned. I gave them reference recordings and listening guides. I didn't want to start the year teaching those things they could work out on their own.  I wanted to start diving into the music – at a deeper level – on day one.  I think this approach paid huge dividends for us at Carnegie Hall; our student’s performance rivaled nearly any other I've ever heard of this piece.  I rarely become so moved by music – while conducting – that I begin to cry. It happened last night during this piece. I wondered if my students would notice, but when I got on the bus to head home, and went down the aisle to thank each student individually, many told me that they had the same reaction, at the exact same moment, and some admitted their emotions were triggered and/or released when they saw my visceral reaction to the music. Even before I got to the bus I had a sense that students had enjoyed that moment in the concert.  One student messaged me that he had not stopped crying since Angels had ended.  I think he was exaggerating a bit, but I understood what he meant. 

And I want to make note that we had a very special 'Angel' singing the soprano solo from the 2nd Tier Box.  Allison Kirkegaard was beautiful in the performance.  I imagine the moment was especially poignant for her father, Dana Kirkegaard, who was sitting in the audience listening.  Mr. Kirkegaard was the Acoustical Engineer who orchestrated the renovation of Carnegie hall in the late 1980s.  I can only imagine what that must have felt like to him, to hear his daughter singing so beautifully in that space.

The eighth time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was when I acknowledged Dimis Wyman and Alan Roselieb, both who had traveled to New York for the concert.  Ms. Wyman graduated from Downers Grove High School in 1955, and played clarinet in Mr. Shoemaker’s bands.  (Mr. Shoemaker, Director of Bands at Downers Grove High School 1928-1963).  Ms. Wyman has been to dozens upon dozens of our DGN Band Concerts over the years, and I regard her as one of our most important links to the history and heritage of our school music programs in Downers Grove.  The other very significant link to that history is Mr. Alan Roselieb, father of current DGS Fine Arts faculty member Craig Roselieb.  Al was on the committee that hired me in 1993, and was my cross-town teaching colleague for several years preceding his retirement.  As I introduced these individuals last night, I found myself fighting back tears of pride as I considered how fortunate I am to be associated with a school system, and a community, that places a high value on the arts, and has for many, many decades. 

The ninth time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was when I sat down as a performer, behind the DGN drum kit, watched the stage door open and observed Ian Williams and Don Owens take the stage for Rhapsody In Blue.  While I never had Ian Williams as a student directly, I feel like I know Ian almost as well as many of our most involved student musicians at DGN.  I have followed his musical development for many years as an outside observer, and when I pitched the idea to Mr. Roselieb that we could program the Rhapsody as a concert finale, I was excited to hear Mr. Roselieb suggest Ian as a potential soloist.  We invited Ian to sit in the soloist chair last summer, and he has been diligently studying and preparing the work for the past nine months.  He was magnificent last night, adding his own very inspired interpretation of the traditional Gershwin cadenzas, and engraving his own artistic signature on the work.  Finally, to sit behind my primary instrument (percussion) on the Carnegie Hall stage, perform with current students, alumni, colleagues, and be conducted by one of my mentors … well, you might be able to appreciate why my eyes watered a bit.  Fortunately not so much that I couldn’t see the music.

The tenth time I was unexpectedly overcome with emotion was when it was all over, and the buses were pulling away.  I had just seen several DGN Band Alumni that had come from near and far to be at the concert (and were oh so patient to wait at the buses for me).  In that moment I was feeling pride for our amazing team of music teachers who worked to put the tour together for our students.  Teachers who had energy, vision, and a shared passion and drive for excellence.  A ‘can do’ attitude that gave 350 District 99 students the chance to play their very own concert on the world’s greatest concert stage … along side world-class guest artists (some of who are D99 alumni!). And to top it all off a multi-generational jazz orchestra of current students / alumni / pros to recreate the original 1924 Rhapsody in Blue.  I think the relief of realizing that we had pulled it all off was the trigger for a couple more damp eyes. 

I have been the blessed recipient of many notes, emails, and Facebook messages today.  This particular Facebook message - from a New Yorker who had no direct family affiliation with any of our student performers – was extremely meaningful to me as someone who endeavors to expand the walls of the traditional classroom through educational travel:

Thank you so much for last night's wonderful and inspiring concert.  I was marveling at all the talented kids, and they are truly talented.  But it was more than that.  I think all kids have the potential to do those kind of great things.  What all kids don't have is the right combination of educators, parents and community to help them to realize their full potential.  It's clear that you have that in abundance in Downers Grove, and it paid off in full with last night's wonderful concert, which will be a life highlight for all who participated and attended, myself included.  Really tremendous.  A big congratulations to you all.

The author of that note is right.  It takes a LOT of people coming together to provide these kinds of experiences for students and to help them develop to their full potential.  I am grateful to work in a school district that values the arts, and that includes the hundreds of dedicated parents that support our Fine Arts programs in such meaningful ways.  And I must say this: I am deeply indebted to all of my colleagues who collaborated with me to make this dream a reality: Greg Hensel, Bill Miller, Jennifer Mullen, Don Owens, Craig Roselieb, and Glenn Williams.  What a team effort!

When the DGN Marching Band performed in the 2012 London New Year’s Day Parade, our Wind Ensemble performed at Cadogan Hall during that tour.  Cadogan is a beautiful concert hall, with very good acoustics, and home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  It was truly a joy, honor and privilege to perform in that space.  Right before the concert I addressed the band, and told them how proud I was of them.  Everyone was rightfully proud and excited about the concert that was about to happen.  I remember saying to the band at the time, “Folks, I don’t know what we’re going to be able to do to top this one …”  At that moment Isaac Stevenson, one of our percussionists, quickly shot back in a very dramatic voice, “I predict the DGN Band will one day play on the Moon!”  Everyone cheered. 

Carnegie Hall wasn’t the Moon.  But I thought a lot about Isaac’s words this past weekend because I’m over-the-Moon proud of our students.  I know I’ll never forget this performance; I suspect my students will also remember it for the rest of their lives. 

The End

So we're back home now, and it simultaneously feels like we've been gone for 5 minutes and 5 weeks.  This trip was an incredible experience from beginning to end.  From watching a Broadway musical, to shopping in Times Square, to seeing the city from the top of Rockefeller Center, and of course, to peforming in Carnegie Hall, this trip was everything I could have imagined for a visit to the Big Apple.  I am truly amazed by how great both bands sounded on that stage.  I know that I personally will never forget the massive moment near the end of the wind ensemble piece Angels in the Architecture.  We sounded phenomenal and in that moment, I couldn't have been more proud of our band and the hard work that we put into this concert.  This trip was an amazing experience, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to return to the city that truly never sleeps.

Home All Safe

Around 5 o'clock today we arrived to the main street parking lot after our 20 hour bus ride home. This trip was an amazing experience that I will never forget. We did so many things I never dreamed I would ever do. Being on that stage at Carnegie Hall was so surreal and a moment that will live with me forever. On the bus home we spent a lot of the time playing "Heads Up" which was a fun way to pass the time. This trip was amazing and I am so grateful to have participated. New York is the city that never sleeps, and kept us all awake for the time that we were there!

Performing in Carnegie Hall

     After waking up and packing all of our stuff onto the bus, we headed to Manhattan for the last time. The first thing on our agenda was some free time before a tour of Carnegie Hall. Myself and a few others headed to Central Park since we were not able to see it during our bus tour. Despite the lack of greenery, Central Park was pretty and it was nice to be able to walk around in a more natural environment. We then headed to our tour of the hall. It was nice to learn some about the history of the place we would be performing in. The hall amazed me with how beautiful and ornate it is.

     We next had o go get our instruments off the bus so that we could rehearse a little before we played. Hearing ourselves play there was neat.

     After eating dinner it was time for the performance. I am in Wind Ensemble so I was able to hear the Symphonic Band. They sounded great and the soloists were outstanding. Due to the acoustics of the hall, you were able to hear everything, which is something that doesn't happen often.

     Playing was an unforgettable experience. I think we played our pieces well, and the venue made everything sound even better. I think, like Adam, my favorite piece was Angels in the Architecture. That piece sounded like it was made to be played in Carnegie Hall. 

     Overall, this trip has been an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Guest Commentary: Glenn Williams (DGS Fine Arts Chairperson)

With his permission, I am posting to our DGN Tour Blog an entry that Glenn Williams wrote earlier this morning on the DGS Tour Blog.  I have long admired Mr. Williams ability to capture feelings, thoughts and emotions through the written word.  I hope DGN fans will enjoy this captivating read:

I now have the opportunity to recapitulate briefly about an experience I'm not sure I comprehend the depth and breadth of yet.  As the daylight begins to gradually illuminate the sky, I'll take these moments to share what I've been able to wrap my brain around after an amazingly comfortable evening of rest on these deluxe coach bus seats.

CURRENT STUDENTS
I'm so proud of our current students for how they played as artists on this tour, and, for how the lived out their roles as ambassadors to our school and community.  Numerous tour guides, bus drivers and wait staff sought me out on this tour to tell me how exceptionally behaved are our students.  Professors at Ithaca College remarked on their engagement as while listening and while rehearsing.  Everyone was on time for every aspect of the tour without exception.  I know that thinking about traveling with 350 students can make some people cringe, but this was literally a joyful experience because of how our students deported themselves during the tour.

COLLABORATION
The collaborative nature of this tour was a massive public display of a core belief of our instrumental music team - we are able to achieve far more corporately than we can individually.  Sharing this experience with the students and staff from across town created a sense of excitement and purpose with every activity, but especially with the music making.

I'd be remiss at this point if I didn't fully acknowledge the vision for group travel cast by my colleague, Brayer Teague.  Even though the nature of this trip was highly collaborative, a tour still has to have a pont-person.  As a tour coordinator, Mr. Teague is unrivaled.  His grace and ability to plan well under pressure is unmatched.  We thank our crosstown colleagues for sharing this experience with us, but we send a special note of gratitude on behalf of all of our students to Mr. Teague for his imprint on this experience.

FORMER STUDENTS AND PAST CONNECTIONS
Being able to share the stage with DGS alums Lauren Wood and Ian Williams was humbling and gratifying.  Hearing them perform and where they are as artists and people was both musically and personally enriching.  Seeing them interact with our current students illuminates a longitudinal connectivity that is special in the music industry.  We are so proud of Ian and Lauren as people and as artists.

For me personally, I was able to reconnect with several former students, and, with former colleagues.  A trombone section mate of mine from the 1984 Walt Disney World All-American College Marching Band is currently an archival librarian at Carnegie Hall.  I got to spend about 45 minutes with Rob as he told me about all the cool projects his is working on to preserve the history of this iconic American performance venue.  Even after 30 years, our connection was strong because of the music making experience we shared one summer.

BEING A PART OF A EXPANSIVE MUSICAL HISTORY (and amazing acoustics)
The sonic experience playing on the stage at Carnegie was indescribable.  As a performer, I heard things with a clarity I've not experience previously, which allowed me to listen and lock in with the artists around me.  Conducting on the stage was pure elation.  The perspective looking out and upward was humbling, the look of the faces of the student musicians was inspiring.  Walking around the hall, seeing the posters and pictures from the history of the hall is both humbling and daunting.  The artists that have played in the same I hold in very high regard, almost in an untouchable category.   Having a shared experience with those artists on the historical performance continuum is extremely humbling and a tremendous honor.

Thanks to every family that contributed to this tour, and, for sharing your students with us and for preparing them to be functional young adults.  Special shout-out to our chaperone team for "putting on a happy face" through all the changes during the course of the tour, and, for shepherding our students so well. Personally, it was great to get to know these amazing people and parents on a deeper level through the tour experience.  Finally, we thank our district, school and community for affirming what group travel brings to students by supporting this experience.  We are fortunate to live and work in a learning community that values the complex nature of what an arts education provides for students.