Every other year, the BHS band goes on a trip and this year they traveled to Chicago, Illinois. They drove to Chicago in a Charter Bus, taking about 8 and a half hours. The trip was 4 days long, with 2 days of driving, and 2 full days in Chicago. About ⅔ of the band went to Chicago along with a few parents that tagged along with the band. The trip was packed with fun activities in Chicago.
“We visited the Field Museum, Navy Pier, and the John Hancock Tower. We also took a downtown Chicago tour and saw the musical Billy Elliott and The Blue Man Group,” Daniel Welch said.
The students had the chance to contribute to planning the trip.
“I talked with students to see if they had specific interests or ideas on where they wanted to go,” band teacher Stuart O’Neil said. “I have traveled to Chicago in the past, and I knew it would be an excellent site for us to attend.”
It took lots of time and effort to prepare for the trip.
“Some of the fundraising began two years ago,” O’Neil said. “The planning began last May: I worked with the USD 348 administration to find spring dates that would not interfere with other activities. I worked with a known travel company to finalize the itinerary and cost. I then asked to be put on the June Board of Education meeting so that the trip could be approved. Once those steps were all done, I shared the information with the students and their parents. The final steps were to collect money from the families and make sure we were musically prepared.”
The band prepared and performed music while they were in Chicago.
“We prepared six songs for our trip to Chicago, they were selections from Chicago the Musical, Pure Imagination, Brighton Beach, Military Escort, American Portrait, and Zia Zia,” freshman Brooklyn Taylor said.
The hard work paid off and the trip was a great turnout.
“My favorite part was going to see the Blue Man Group,” Taylor said. “They are a group of musicians that tour around the country. They play lots of percussion instruments which I enjoyed since I am a percussionist.”
“My favorite part about the band trip was going to the Navy Pier and hanging out with my friends. I really enjoyed all the performances we saw. They were very entertaining and something I never thought I would have liked seeing,” senior Jaden Wharton said.