While most Seaholm students are going to be surrounded by close family and friends over winter break, Sophomore Ande Giancarlo will be flying across the Atlantic Ocean with her other band members.
On December 27th, about 120 Seaholm band members and chaperones are leaving the country to spend the remainder of winter break in London. The band takes a big trip every four years, along with a smaller trip annually. Last April, the band traveled to New York City, but this winter the trip to London is considered the big one, giving students an opportunity they could not refuse.
“For it to be a big trip, we usually have to cross an ocean.” said Tim Cibor, the director of Seaholm band.
Cibor, along with other volunteer chaperones, are very excited to go abroad, however this also means keeping a very close watch on students at all times. Each student going to London had to give Cibor two copies of their passport (just in case it got lost somewhere along the 3,749 mile trip) and were also required to sign a behavior contract.
Although taking students abroad can be stressful, Cibor is extremely organized and prepared. Students know the expectations of their band director, and are ready to have an amazing experience.
The main draw to London was the New Years Day parade. Cibor has had the idea of this trip for over 3 years. Before the trip was finalized, Cibor had to apply to be in the parade. After sending in videos and recordings, the band was accepted to play in the parade in downtown London.
This opportunity is huge for the students of the band, being that about ½ million people will be in attendance at the parade. However, that does not include the other 200 million viewers from the televised parade.
Although the parade seems like more work than play, the band is confident that the trip will be something they will never forget.
“The trip is expensive and I want the kids to get as much out of it as possible.” said Cibor.
“The trip is going to be fun instead of educational,” said Sophomore Ande Giancarlo, who will be going to London for the first time.
“It was a really good opportunity and sounded like fun.”
The band has a lot packed into this eight-day trip, but there is also a lot of time for the students to explore the city too. Some of the things on the itinerary include: seeing the hit Broadway show “Buddy”, visiting the Oxford University, and visiting Stratford (the place where William Shakespeare was born).
Seeing all the city has to offer may sound challenging, with the band’s tight schedule, but Cibor made sure students had the opportunity to view whichever sights they pleased. Cibor has blocks of time unscheduled, in which students will be able to go off and view things like the Tower of London, the Changing of the Guards, and the London Dungeon with their chaperone groups.
This trip to London is not only going to help the reputation of the band, but each individual is also going to get something amazing out of it. Giancarlo’s reason to go to London: “To be famous!”
