Music Learning in New York City

Funded Nov 25, 2018

I want to thank everyone who supported the Tartan High School Band Trip to New York City, March 7-12, 2019. Our trip was educationally impactful (and of course GREAT FUN!) in so many ways for all of the students who traveled with the group, but especially for the scholarship students who were able to participate with the help of your most generous financial support.

Our trip went without a glitch, thanks to the exceptional planning provided by our fantastic travel agent at Carlson Wagonlit Group Travel Services. I crafted the trip around the theme of music and migration.

On our first day, after lunch in Chinatown, we visited the Tenement Museum and in the evening, heard a performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Day two began with a morning ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty and visit to the Immigration Museum at Ellis Island. We spent the afternoon at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and ended our day enjoying the Carnegie Hall, NPR broadcast of "Live From Here", with Chris Thile. Following the show, the kids were able to meet and talk with Chris. What an incredible opportunity!

Day three started out with a morning viewing at the Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History. I'm a big fan of Neal DeGrasse Tyson and wanted my students to experience this incredible educational facility. The show was great! In the afternoon we went back to Time Square for a matinee performance of "Wicked". Predictably, "Wicked" was one of the performance highlights of the trip.

Day four began with one of the very best performance clinics my band has ever had! The group worked for 2 hours with Michael Dansicker, a noted Broadway and film score composer. His comments regarding our performance and stories about working as an instrumental musician on Broadway and in the film industry were very interesting and informative. Again, our clinic was an absolutely wonderful educational experience! Following our morning session, we traveled to Harlem for a guided historical tour of that part of the city. Highlights included seeing Duke Ellington's home, the mosque that Malcolm X founded, a brief visit to the Apollo Theater, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Our trip concluded with a stop at Rockefeller Center for a very fast elevator ride to the Top of the Rock for a final view of NYC, some photos, an opportunity to reflect on everything we experienced during our stay, and food before our long drive home.

There were just too many trip highlights to name one top moment or experience. I have to say that in all aspects, this was the very best trip I have taken with my band students.

We heard several world-class performances, met and worked with incredible music professionals, and experienced interesting and informative museums and tours. For my students, an invaluable aspect of a trip of this sort is the broadening of educational horizons, seeing what's possible in life, and experiencing how other people live. Additionally, the trip theme of migration and immigration allowed my students to draw parallels to their personal experiences within our own evermore diverse community in St Paul, MN.

On behalf of the members of the Tartan High School Band, I want to thank you again for your generous support!”

With gratitude,

Dr. Anthony Teehan