Helping Your Student Musicians Shine & feel like “Rock Stars” in the Big Apple A Director’s Story…
Congratulations to Lincoln High School Band from Sioux Falls, SD for their awesome performance in the 2024 Macy*s Thanksgiving Parade in NYC! For the Students on Broadway “red jacket” team, who spent so much time with the Lincoln band during their Thanksgiving Week NYC Experience, it was a bittersweet goodbye as the band bid farewell to the “Crossroads of the World”. Their 26-hour homebound journey wrapped up the once-in-a young person’s lifetime Band Travel Experience.
Then we read this on social media:
CLASS ACT!
When we as the band directors and chaperones loaded the bus for the final time, “class act” is how we described Students on Broadway. We can’t imagine this trip without them. They were there from the very beginning up until the very end. It starts at the top with Jerry and extends to Ariel and Jessica for all of the organizing. We met in their office for the first time last Thanksgiving and shared what we wanted our kids to experience. They made every single detail happen and then some. JT, our tour manager, was phenomenal. He never left our side and addressed every concern we had and calmed our nerves when necessary. All FIVE of our tour guides on the buses were beyond phenomenal. Our students gave them a genuine standing ovation this morning when checking out of our hotel. Tonight, when saying goodbye, many of them were in tears.
Students on Broadway is special. We were so thankful to have you on our team this week!
This is why we do what we do. The band’s outstanding performance was just the tip of the iceberg.
But we also want to acknowledge the students and how well they represented their school and community.
The director wrote in another post, [students] felt like rock stars all week and represented all of us with such class and dignity throughout their entire trip. We had people commenting regularly how respectful our students were and that they were blown away with what a group of teenagers could do. One person, who is not affiliated with our program even said, “your students give me hope for the future of this country.” Watch this video to hear from some of the students themselves.
Beyond the Band itself, we learned about the Lincoln HS community, friends, family, parents & alumni who showed up and supported the band through the challenges of fundraising and planning, while encouraging the band to strive to reach heights of performance that some didn’t think could be achieved. On top of this is the dedicated teaching staff that did what great teachers do, giving their students the time, tools, knowledge and motivation they needed to succeed.
How could the Students on Broadway team do any less than their absolute best? Frankly, our team “leaves it all on the field” with every group, every time.
Taking a group of music students to New York City is not a simple task. Having them ready and able to perform at the highest level is still another hurdle. Students on Broadway holds itself and operates to the highest standards possible. That starts with the knowledge and skill sets that only a New York City-based organization can have. It continues with 24-hour access every day of the visit. It includes being ready for every contingency and knowing, in advance, the missteps and hiccups that can happen. And, if something unexpected does happen, the Students on Broadway team knows the territory and the people on the ground who can take care of it.
Other group travel companies do just enough. The Students on Broadway team goes above and beyond in all of the cities in which we operate, including New York City, Orlando and others. Simply put, it’s the difference between a student group trip and a student group travel experience. The Lincoln HS Band & their families experienced the SBNYC difference. You can too.
The director ended his social media post with this simple statement:
We are…LINCOLN
We know what that means. We feel that “we are Lincoln” too. Congratulations to all.
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