3 Trips in 2 Months for Music Students

On January 17, 2024, members of the Tri-M Music Honor Society headed to Broadway for an educational and entertaining experience. In the weeks leading up to the trip, excitement grew among the Tri-M members. The delay announced the night before threatened to cancel the event altogether, a huge would-be bummer for the students. However, thanks to the persistent and commendable efforts of advisor Dr. Bhasin, the trip could still happen, albeit delayed. 

The culmination of the trip would be seeing the Hadestown Broadway show, but the first stop was a studio, where the students tried their hands at singing and dancing in a workshop led by a Hadestown cast member. The first step was learning the song, “Livin’ it Up on Top” (Hadestown). There was a wide range of singing levels among the students, which created a unique medley of sounds (I take credit for every off-tune screech). Nevertheless, the energy was high and only rose as the workshop progressed. 

Combining singing with dancing proved to be especially tough. The challenge of jumping and twirling while continuing to control one’s voice stumped many, but it felt good to get the body moving before sitting down for the show in the afternoon. 

After singing and dancing for an hour the cast member sat down with the students to answer questions. The students had already experienced a tiny snippet of his challenging lifestyle through the workshop, but the Q&A session allowed the students to gain some more insight into how he got involved in the theater industry.

Following the workshop, the students walked over to Daniela Trattoria for some grubs before the show. The nourishment was much needed after learning and performing the high-energy choreo, and the garlic bread did not disappoint.

Finally, it was time for the show. The students walked a few blocks to Walter Kerr Theatre, picked up Playbills, and sat down to enjoy the show. As the lights dimmed, a saxophone solo emerged and the world of Hadestown unfolded. The show was quite amazing, with beautiful singing, a thrilling plot, creative use of the stage, and an incredible cast (including Jordan Fisher). The show was sure to transform casual theater-goers into theater lovers and remind theater lovers again of their love for theater.

A few weeks later, members of the jazz band and chamber orchestra geared up for the annual “World Tour.” The plan was for both ensembles to play select pieces at each school in the Yorktown Central School District and give the elementary school students a brief taste of the music program at YHS before they choose their instrument in 5th grade. With five schools to visit, the music students had a busy schedule ahead of them.

The first stop was Crompond Elementary School. The assembly was to be held in the gym, and upon stepping in, many students were surprised to see how much smaller the Crompond gym was compared to the gym at YHS. This created a nostalgic feeling that only grew when the Crompond students walked in. The assembly was held for the 5th-grade students, most of whom were experiencing their first year playing an instrument in the band, or orchestra. Seeing their enthusiasm was refreshing and reminded many YHS students of when they were at Crompond attending the same assembly, inspired by the talented YHS students in front of them and eager to play in the band or orchestra.

After Crompond came Mohansic Elementary School. Many music students never attended Mohansic, but for those who did, this stop was a huge trip down memory lane, with the unforgettable artwork adorning the walls of the auditorium/cafeteria. After playing music for the Mohansic students, the YHS students got a special surprise: the Mohansic students whipped their recorders out of their fanny packs and gave a special performance, showing off their singing and recorder-playing talents.

After Mohansic, the music students were getting a little tired, but the drive to BOCES Pines Bridge School provided a brief but much-needed respite. Playing for a great audience with a little more time than usual, both ensembles performed some exclusive pieces. After the performance, the music students bussed over to Hirame for buffet-style Asian cuisine and some good sushi.

Bellies full, the music students came back down Crompond Road, passing by the high school and stopping at Mildred E. Strang Middle School. For the freshmen, this stop was quite familiar and they knew some of the faces in the audience, but for the upperclassmen, MESMS provided another source of nostalgia. The walls, still adorned with artwork from pre-COVID years, reminded the older students of their unprecedented middle school experience and how much has changed in only the last few years.

The final stop was Brookside Elementary School. Like Mohansic, this stop was only familiar to some students, but those students felt a wave of nostalgia passing through the place that created so many of their childhood memories. Again, like at Mohansic, the music students were in for a treat. With dog and cat balloons and the “unity tree” decorating the stage, the elementary students had just had their concert earlier in the day. Still, the high-school students did not expect the elementary students to break out into song, giving them a taste of their concert through song and dance.

For some orchestra students, the week of February 5, 2024, was especially fun. Two days after the “World Tour,” the concert orchestra took their annual trip. But this year it looked a little different. Usually, the concert orchestra has an overnight trip over the weekend, but this year, they headed to NYC for a day trip. Nevertheless, the trip proved to be just as fun as an overnight trip.

The first stop was The Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music. In the weeks leading up to the trip, YHS concert orchestra students exchanged letters with their assigned pen pals from Celia Cruz High School. Everyone was nervous but also excited to finally get to meet their pen pal face-to-face. The concert orchestra arrived before the Celia Cruz students did, but once everyone got settled in, the room buzzed with the excitement of meeting new friends. Before too long, all the music students had to get to work, preparing the piece to be recorded as a mega-ensemble. After making some tweaks in sectionals, everyone came back together for the recording. With so many instruments, the sound was incredible. Following a successful recording, the students headed to another classroom for lunch and more socializing.

After getting to know the orchestra students at Celia Cruz, the YHS concert orchestra students headed to their next stop: the world-famous Carnegie Hall. While they did not get to hear a concert at the hall, the students gained insight into the history of the hall through guided tours. With features so unique and sometimes accidental, Carnegie Hall is truly a masterpiece in architecture and acoustics. (The students could also take from an unlimited supply of Ricola cough drops, as they are the official cough drops of Carnegie Hall.)

Following the tours at Carnegie Hall, the concert orchestra students headed to Cafe Manhattan for a snack. After refueling, they walked over to RiseNY, a relatively new museum in Times Square, for an immersive experience of the history and culture of NYC. The experience consisted of three parts. First, the students sat down in a film room with projectors coloring the walls to make it look like the view from inside the subway. As the film played out, the “subway” gradually transformed from its original, historical state to its modern state, establishing the theme of the whole experience as an exploration of the city through history. The second part was the museum, which was composed of various interactive props and unique exhibits that highlighted the vibrant culture of NYC and its evolution throughout the years. Finally, the students made it to the 4D ride, which brought the students on an aerial journey through the city, swerving around the Statue of Liberty and “nearly” flying into baseballs, swooping down the New York Harbor and feeling a misty spray in the process.

After the RiseNY experience, all that was left was going to Bowlero Chelsea Piers for bowling, arcade, laser tag, and dinner next to the Hudson River. As a whole, the trip was educational, fun, and refreshing. While the trip took on an abbreviated format this year, the students still made great memories and friendships that could last a lifetime.