New York 2023
New York was filled to the brim with activities for these orchestra students to see and do. After leaving Kings Junior High at 7:45 PM Wednesday night, we arrived at Verdi square around 8AM for breakfast. Sleeping on a charter bus is difficult but we persevered. Our bus drivers were Barry and JR (who Ms. Southern lovingly called RJ and he called her "Reeny"). Students could explore this area for breakfast options including McDonalds, Starbucks, and a New York "MetroCafe". Ms. Southern enjoyed an egg sandwhich and Mr. Weber enjoyed a delicious omlette. From there, we walked with our tour guide, Dave Maroon from Noteworthy Tours, to central park. On our walk, we saw the hotel where John Lennon was assassinated followed by the "Imagine" memorial from Yoko Ono.Â
We continued our walk through Central Park on our way to Rockefeller Center before our tour of Radio City Music Hall. Students enjoyed shopping and eating at this stop and learned a lot about the history of Radio City. The auditorium is huge and quiet. They met with a Radio City Rockette to hear about how they operate and were able to get pictures with her. The students then also had the opportunity to go to the "Top of the Rock" which is 70 stories up the Rockefeller center. It was a pleasant, warm day, with a light breeze and beautiful views.
After spending more time in Rockefeller, we then walked a few blocks to Times Square. Massively crowded, the students enjoyed more free time for shopping before we headed to dinner. Dinner was at Gayle's Broadway Rose at Friedmans. It was a very loud broadway venue where the servers would sing show tunes while waiting on the customers. The students absolutely loved it and were scream singing "Let it Go" from Frozen. After, they arrived at the New Jersey hotel to get the real first rest and sleep since Tuesday into Wednesday. It was a long day.
Friday morning was the morning of our clinic with New York Philharmonic Conductor Michael Adelson. We played "Carillon" from Bizet's L'arlessiene Suite and "Prelude in E Minor" by Chopin. We did not get to our final piece "Symphony No. 12" by Mozart because of the amount of detailed work we did in the previous two. We learned about being able to listen to each other to create and invent the music. The conductor is there to create phrasing and bring out nuances of the music. We worked on bow stroke techniques and how music works in general. It was enlightening and a real joy for conductor and player. He was impressed with our group and opened up a line of communication to work with us in the future.
Our next stop was lunch on their own a few blocks from where the clinic was located. It was a quick stop because we had to get to the United Nations for a tour. We also had to take the subway because of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on 5th Avenue. We made sure to make the students a little nervous to move quickly on the subway so as to not get left behind. It was a lot of these student's first ride on public transportation and they pulled it off perfectly! It is almost a right of passage to get on a New York City Subway with a transfer.
We arrived at the UN to go through security and meet up with tour guides. The UN is an interesting place as it is not United States territory. The students were split into three tour groups led by Mr. Weber, Ms. Southern, and Mr. Maroon. We saw rooms that discusses security, climate change, and the main meeting hall. We learned about human rights and how the world is changing dramatically and quickly.
Following the UN tour, we then walked our longest walk from the East Side to Times Square (again) for dinner and then a show. Dinner was held at Bubba Gump's Shrimp and we then walked again to the Westside Theater for Little Shop of Horrors. The students raved about the hilarious show. It was an excellent production with great voices and hilarious acting.
It was back to the hotel after the show so we could get another early morning in. We were all packed and ready to go the next morning since we were leaving Saturday evening. Saturday morning began with a bus ride to Battery City Park to head onto a ferry to go to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The students got to explore both islands to see the statue, learn about it's history, and learn about the history of immigration through Ellis Island. Relationships were formed between students who may not have known each other before this. It's one of the best parts of these trips!
After the ferry rides to the islands, it was back to Battery City Park to catch a bus to Blue Man Group near Chinatown. Blue Man Group was a percussive performance art which included some really cool things on stage. They ate a ton of marshmallows, Cap'n Crunch, and used pipes as pitched percussion. It was colorful, loud, and interactive. One of our very own students ended up on stage! Photos and videos weren't allowed, but the resulting "painting of the student" was on display. Yes, he gave them permission and no, he was not actually hung upside down and thrown paint on.Â
aOur next stop was the 9/11 memorial. We took the subway again, successfully, and students could explore the occulus and outdoor memorial. No photos were taken of this site. It is a poignant time in our history and the students, while note born yet when it happened, were able to grasp the gravity of this place in space and time. After exploring this area, we walked to the back of Trinity Church where Alexander Hamilton, his wife, sister-in-law, and son were buried. At this point, the students finally figured out how to count with a steady beat for attendance. There was much rejoicing. We headed away from the city for the final time to New Jersey for dinner at Medieval Times. This was dinner and a show that the students got into. We had to root for the blue knight. Souvenirs were purchased, dinner was had, and we made our way on to the bus to make it back home.
The bus ride home proved that these students created powerful and lasting relationships. They came back with some life experiences and memories for ages. This wasn't just about music, but history, and learning about real world challenges. It was such a rewarding time and we're glad we were able to make this happen after these last few years!