Checking in

Mr. Park checking the group in. No more motorcoach sleepin'! Till Sunday, that is. We had a great day—relieved to be settled in for the night, and excited for tomorrow.

People You Meet

Having dinner at Trump Tower (built of orange marble, reflective surfaces, and solid chocolate bars), I went back to the counter to ask if I could buy a hot tea. The guy there decided just to make me one for free, and asked me about our ensembles. He told me he graduated from high school this May and moved here to study acting. Best of luck to you, friendly actor!

Dinner at Trump!

Buffet style. It's been a long day. 

-Linnea

NBC Tour!

We just finished our NBC Studios Tour! We got to see the sets of SNL,Today Show, and other shows you see every daaaaay.

Band's Master Class

We're finished with the master class under the direction of Dr. McCauley. We learned a lot, and despite being only a fraction of our real band, he helped us fill out our sound. Some of his main points were to have a vision about the piece, much like the composer had while writing the music, as well as making sure we have intent behind each note. He also helped us to understand the importance of awareness as an ensemble, emphasizing the difference between written dynamics and dynamics in context of the group. 

Thank you for a great class, Dr. McCauley! We learned so much and still had loads of fun. 

Chilling After Orchestra Class

Orchestra is done with our class, so now we are just relaxing in the Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall in Montclair State University.

The class was really interesting, you can tell that Dr. McCauley is a really musical man. Personally, I learned a lot and I think everyone gained something from today.

Lunch is to come soon on campus. Speaking of which, this building is pretty cool! Christian and I explored the hall a bit. These practice rooms are really cute.

- Kevin J. Lee

Orchestra Master Class

Orchestra master classing right now with Dr. Tom McCauley at Montclair State University. 

Montclair State University!

After a smooth/bumpy night of sleep/not-sleep, we've arrived at the Montclair State University. Nothing like the sound of an orchestra in the morning!

3 Hours Out

Mr. Mayer's a little tired. It's 3 am. We'll be at Montclair State University warming up for our master classes in about 4 hours.

Thanks to Al and Sundar for safely transporting us to State College, Pennsylvania. Our new drivers are settled in and we're off. 

???, Ohio

First pit stop in ???, Ohio. With bellies full, we trek on.

On the bus!

Hi, I'm Zeena, a junior blogging for band. The bus is packed up and we're ready to go!

Here we go!

We have a long ride ahead of us...

- Kevin J. Lee

Last orchestra rehearsal at NCP!

Chamber Strings is currently having its last rehearsal before we embark on our trip!

My name is Kevin Lee, I am a freshman in Chamber Strings and I will be one of the bloggers on this trip. I'm very excited and I am sure everyone else is too.

30 minutes until we are officially dismissed from school and an hour away from departure! See you then!

- Kevin J. Lee

Almost time...

I wonder how well we followed directions. At least the garment bags appear to be in the right place.

-Linnea

NCP to NYC Orchestra - Csardas

NCP to NYC Orchestra,

Please shed your Csardas parts.  We will be performing it for our masterclass on Friday morning and at Lincoln Center on Friday afternoon.

We will not be performing it at the Heritage Music Festival.

LP

Garment Bag

NCP to NYC -

We are requiring all students to store their concert and business-casual attire in a garment bag.  Seeing that our first performances are on Friday morning and afternoon, a garment bag will ensure that students won't be on stage wearing a wrinkled outfit that was stuffed in their suitcase.  The music department owns a handful of garment bags.  If you are in need of one, please email Mrs. Martinez (NMRivera1@cps.edu) as soon as possible.

Garment bags will be stored in the luggage bay but will be easily accessible on Friday morning when we arrive at Montclair State University.

It would be wise for you to write your name on a piece of tape and affix it onto the garment bag.

  

Bus Ride Entertainment

NCP to NYC -

Each bus will be equipped with a DVD player.  After we watch and sing-a-long to The Sound of Music, in its entirety, we can watch movies that you bring along.  This means you should BRING MOVIES!!!

MLP

Student Contact Information

NCP to NYC -

On the right side of this blog you will see a link titled Student Contact Information. Clicking on the link will take you to an online form requiring the submission of your name and mobile phone number. Only teachers and your respective chaperone will have access to your number.

Why do we need your mobile phone number?

In the event we're loading onto the bus in Hoboken, NJ, and you've decided to head to a vending machine without telling anyone, we'll need to call you to vocally berate you for leaving the group without telling anyone. More importantly, we'd like to know where you are and that you are safe. Got it?

Thanks, MLP

Greetings

Students, Parents and Friends -

This blog will serve as a go to for up to date travel logs, including pictures and videos, of our time in New York City.  We have a busy handful of days ahead of us but we'll be sure to keep everyone connected to all that transpires.

Along the right side of this blog are links to important trip information.  We will continue to add links as our departure nears.  If there is information that isn't on the blog right now that you'd like access to, please email me at LYPark@cps.edu.

We'll see everyone at the buses on Thursday at 2:30 pm.

LP