School Music Dept. Field Trip to NYC - Worth it?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My son is a senior in the band. While the idea has been thrown about/mentioned a couple of times this fall, the majority of the parents have just found out that the music dept. (choirs,band) are planning a trip to NYC in April. I am usually all in favor of enrichment trips, but I’m really doubting this one and wondering about poor planning - tell me what you think.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>we just found out this week that the trip is a “go” (although they still are sketchy on some details) this week and just found out yesterday about a parent meeting tonight about the trip - basically one days notice of the meeting.</p></li>
<li><p>according to a letter, a $150 deposit will be due in a week -IMO, that’s not much notice for families to come up with $$$$.</p></li>
<li><p>the trip will entail (we are in Northern Ohio) leaving on a Wednesday night on a bus, traveling through the night, spending Thurs/Fri in NYC and returning Saturday - not sure if they will actually be spending Friday night in NYC or boarding the bus then.</p></li>
<li><p>they will sightsee (past trips have included lots of places jammed into two days with not much quality time at many spots) and one performance which sounds like it may just be somewhere on the streets of NYC - apparently the last time (4 years ago) they performed outside of the United Nations (?) building. </p></li>
<li><p>Cost of trip estimated to be about $600. They will do some fundraisers. Personal note: I HATE fundraising. Participating in a car wash, spaghetti dinner, etc. - that’s ok. Selling candy bars and pizzas? No. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>This is a public school with a real mix of kids. I know that some kids had difficulty paying their $140 band camp fee in the summer. This trip is not mandatory, it’s optional. </p>

<p>To me, just seems like a lot of $$$ for (I’m questioning) not a quality trip. The kids are going to be exhausted Thursday after a night on the bus and before they know it they will be boarding the bus again. My S seems like he could go either way - of course, a couple of days with your friends sounds fun, we’re talking lateish April which will also be CRAZY with senior activities including prom April 28.</p>

<p>Of course, I will hear more details at the parent meeting tonight, but always good to get other opinions.</p>

2

<p>My S went to NYC in high school. He went as a ringer for the orchestra (he wasn’t in orchestra, he was in band. The orchestra was only strings, but they decided to add a few extra instruments.) I have mixed feelings about the trip, even now.</p>

<p>Initially we said no. S didn’t care for the orchestra teacher (or the orchestra, for that matter). The teacher called and begged, and I gave in. It was quite expensive, but I don’t remember how much. I think it was more than your $600. But we thought, wow - playing in Carnegie Hall, what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.</p>

<p>Lots of things went wrong. The orchestra did fundraising, but they left the band members out of it. And the band wouldn’t let us use band money. It was money we didn’t have, and it hurt.</p>

<p>My S was given a zero by a non-music teacher for missing assignments for a “fieldtrip”. (We fought and won, but not until she had thoroughly punished him.)</p>

<p>S was not given the op to room with people he knew - he was assigned to the room no one else wanted. Didn’t matter, he spent most of BOTH nights sitting in the lobby while his room was raided by chaperones because the two boys he was rooming with were doing drugs.</p>

<p>The chaperone he was assigned to didn’t care for classical music, so they missed the whole first half of the NY Phil concert because she wanted to do something else.</p>

<p>And so on.</p>

<p>So why are my feelings mixed? He ended up going to school in NYC. I was actually glad that he’d had the exposure to the city prior to attending. Of course, performing in Carnegie Hall is perhaps NOT as unique an opportunity for him as we’d expected, but that’s a good thing!</p>

<p>In the situation you describe, I’m thinking this could be a great opportunity for some students to experience NYC for a relatively bargain price. (We’re going for 4 days next week - see my Manhatten thread - expensive!!!) I think it’s great for students to experience parts of the country that are very different from where they live - very eye-opening and broadening. NYC is a more educational destination that many choices. Seems like around here it’s always Disney World!</p>

<p>But I’m with you on the fundraising. Wish there were an easier way.</p>

3

<p>Ask your son if he’d rather go on the trip or have $150 to use as he sees fit.</p>

4

<p>Yikes Binx! What a bad situation!</p>

<p>S has been to NYC briefly (about as brief as this trip) with us as a family. One thing I think they will be doing that he hasn’t done in NYC is see a Broadway play (which one I don’t know).</p>

<p>Haha on the $150 - actually it would be more than that cause even with fundraising I bet we will have to pay at least a few hundred. </p>

<p>One thing he was concerned about was he was already wanting to take advantage of an opportunity through his school to be a camp counselor for a week (during school time) - so a week for that, band trip, likely some days missed for college re-visits or scholarship days – that’s a lot of time to miss. Frankly, I think he’d also really enjoy the camp experience and would bode well on a resume since he is considering teaching. </p>

<p>Thanks though - you are helping me think of some questions to ask tonight.</p>

5

<p>Well that $600 sounds better than what my nephew (he’s in Jr. High) just came home with…4 days (3 nights) in DC (from So Cal), for $1600! What??? I told him “I” could take him and his brother to DC for a week with $1600. Of course now he’s moping because his parents are saying “no go”…I told him not to worry about it 95% of his classmates won’t be going either.</p>

<p>$1600 really? For a 12 year old class trip…think again teachers…(also a public school in a non affluent area)</p>

6

<p>I guess I am more harsh than most, but I do not support music trips that take kids out of school for days. My kids only went on the alternate-year one-day Saturday music trips that were not such a distance away. From where we live they can and did go to NYC for a day, had lunch, saw a show, and came home. The alternate years they had big trips (Disney World, a cruise, Hawaii, etc.) which my kids did not go on because it would have undermined the academic priorities IMO. </p>

<p>For the longer trips, the other subject area teachers do get annoyed that so many kids are out (our band was over 200 kids), and do not give them a lot of support. Often the opposite – tougher make-up tests, etc. My kids were, IMO, better off being in school and keeping up with their classes (first priority) than being sleep deprived and rushed around on a superficial trip. So many trip agendas I have seen have been unimpressive, not how our family would choose to use our time at that destination. (Examples are going bowling in Boston, spending hours at a huge mall while in Hawaii – ARRGGHHH!) Re being with friends, they can do that right at home.</p>

<p>So tell your kid he is lucky I am not his parent, as it would be a certain NO from me. However if your kid is highly responsible about schoolwork, etc. you *might *give him more input into making the decision. How much does he want to go, on a scale of 1 to 10?</p>

7

<p>How much does he want to go? I think that is a good question. The kids don’t have many details about the trip yet either. </p>

<p>That’s one of the things that bugs me about this is it appears that VERY LITTLE of the trip is related to music! The brief performance they will do and I suppose if the play they see is a musical that could count…it sounds more like a band-music-get-out-of-school-for-a- couple-of- days -trip.</p>

8

<p>The other thing to scope out tonight is who the chaperones will be. Are they already chosen? Do you get the feeling the trip was planned by a few parents who really want to go to NYC and have other people’s kids pay for them? (That happens here a lot.) Are they chaperones you trust? Do you know their kids?</p>

<p>I chaperoned one band trip, and after talking with my S after the trip, we decided he wouldn’t attend anymore band trips. Apparently the chaperones are all partiers, and while the trips did generally include a performance, it was a minor portion of the trip.</p>

<p>I agree that students need to spend their absences wisely. In my case, my S was already planning to pursue music, so music ops took priority with him. Jyber is right - the vast majority of teachers (and much of the rest of the population) does not consider music to be “real school.” The same teacher I referenced above yelled at me (literally) for allowing my S to spend so much time on a hobby.</p>

<p>In general, we as a family took school and education seriously, and it was a high priority. Along the way, though, we did experience occasions when the best education did not involve a school building. It’s a judgement call.</p>

9

<p>The letter said there will be 1 chaperone for every 10 students, 5 of which will be music teachers. Any adults wanting to attend beyond chaperones needed will pay just as the students do. But I definitely would want to know who they are, AND who my student will be rooming with.</p>

<p>Our band just basically finished a couple of years of fundraising to buy new uniforms - something like $20,000. The band usually tries to take a trip like this every 4 years (I guess so every student has 1 opportunity to go) - I think they all of a sudden realized this was the year that a trip needed to happen and are quickly trying to put it together.</p>

10

<p>D’s band went to NYC to perform in the NY Wind Band Festival a couple of years back.</p>

<p>[World</a> Projects Festivals and Tours - 2010 New York Wind Band Festival](<a href=“http://www.world-projects.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185:2010-new-york-wind-band-festival&catid=87:new-york-festivals&Itemid=70]World”>http://www.world-projects.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185:2010-new-york-wind-band-festival&catid=87:new-york-festivals&Itemid=70)</p>

<p>What an absolute blast it was! A small concert in Central Park (too cold) and a performance in Carnegie Hall. I went with a group of parents who did not chaperone–and it was one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on. </p>

<p>It was pricey, to say the least…considering airfare and hotel stays.</p>

11

<p>I WAS a parent chaperone on a band trip with DD when she was in the high school band. It was a bus trip from CT to Disney. I have to say…I thought it was a great trip and well worth the time and effort for our band kids. BUT we also knew it was coming the previous spring…not in the early fall. The kids worked very hard and played a program that was actually judged and critiqued. They attended several music performances (at some well known churches along the way). I will say…it was a great experience for all of us. My disclaimer is that my DD was very actively involved with the band program at her school for the full time she was a student there. Also, there were NO academic penalties for students who were on this trip. This was “cleared” with all of the HS teachers first (to avoid things like midterm exams) and with all of the sports coaches (so it would be between sports seasons). It was a miracle the band folks found a trip to even DO with all the time constraints.</p>

<p>The only down side was the very long bus trip but honestly, even THAT was fun. We brought a fistful of funny videos on our bus (the other bus watched Lord of the Rings until one of the kids on that bus begged me to “loan them” some of OUR movies). Most of the long distance driving was done at night.</p>

<p>The band program at our high school is very highly regarded and the school and community fully supported this trip. As a parent on the Music Parents board, we made sure that ANY family who needed financial assistance got that help…no questions asked.</p>

12

<p>Just came back from the meeting. First three fundraisers: catalog selling, Avon and Pointsettia sale - not doing any of those. The only one we would participate in was that one band mom is manager of a popular Mexican restaurant in town - she said she would sell $10 gift certificates for $4. I came home and said, “guess what kids?! You’re all getting $100 in gift certificates to “restaurant” for Christmas” :)</p>

<p>I still feel up in the air about the whole thing. They showed us a “sample” agenda - but these events might change. Not sure yet what play the kids would see. $600+ would only include 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. Hotel is in NJ. At this point, besides the music dept. teachers not sure who the chaperones would be. At this point a music performance is just considered “a possibility” - huh??? Likely they will schedule something I suppose, but just seems odd to me.</p>

13

<p>I think $600 is too much to spend for a trip if you don’t think it is well-planned and educational, especially for a senior looking at senior year expenses. Performing in some random place without much of an audience and not having firm plans to attend cultural events in NYC and really enjoy them would make this a no for me as a parent.</p>

<p>I went to NYC with my high school singing group for a week over spring break in senior year. We did see three plays, several museums, and major sights, but our director was a complete witch to us and we ALL got sick with terrible colds. It has been my only sightseeing trip to NYC, so I am glad I had the experience, but it isn’t a city to visit in a hurry or without proper planning (or when you are sick).</p>

14

<p>My D went to Disneyland twice with her competition dance team to “perform.” I didn’t mind her getting to go to Disneyland with her group, but the performance aspect was really a joke. There was really no audience, so what is the point? Just to say you did it, so it sounds like a better reason to go? And your kids will have to tote their intstruments with them?</p>

15

<p>I think a 2-3 day trip to NYC that includes busfare, four meals, hotel, and a Broadway show is a bargain at $600. My kids are long past field trips but with 5 Ds, we certainly went through this many times through the years. I’m a big believer in the benefits to kids to see places and do things that they may otherwise not have the opportunity to do. My kids had all travelled extensively, including many trips to NYC (and even lived there for a time) but I still okayed their school trips there. Not all learning takes place in a classroom, and the opportunity to spend all that time with fellow students exploring a new place and experiencing a city like no other, attending a Broadway show, well, for lots of those kids, I would bet, they will never get this opportunity again. My kids didn’t attend schools that had ridiculous rules about missing class for field trips, that kind of nonsense drives me crazy and it shouldn’t be allowed. Trips like this were an annual event at all the schools that my Ds attended. Additionally, there was an annual European trip, too. Only one of my Ds did the Disney music trip and she thought it wasn’t worth it so none of her sisters ever wanted to do that one. The ‘performance’ was the typical one offered there and all the kids thought it was a joke. One of the favorite trips that a couple of my Ds went on was to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.</p>

16

<p>if you don’t think it’s planned well, then don’t do it.</p>

<p>All of the music trips that I went on, from a high school near DC, (7th - Hershey Park, 8th - Myrtle Beach, 9th - Atlanta, 10th - Toronto, 11th - Disney, 12th - Myrtle Beach) included a competition, generally through Fiesta-val. I also went to DC, Boston, NYC, and Montreal in college. In college the trips included performances at high schools, and master classes with college faculty.</p>

<p>In more recent years, my former band has also done the trip that ellenmope posted.</p>

<p>How is the school getting approval for a trip that does not include a music performance? You cannot do a trip and play music if people from the band do not go. What if the tuba player or the first chair <em>whatever</em> stay home? But, if there is no performance than obviously that is not an issue. It does sound poorly planned. All of my trips were set from the beginning of the year. My high school did “tag day” where the goal was to literally knock on every door in the school district and ask them for money on one saturday in the fall. We also sold fruit during the winter. Students received a portion of the money they made on these to put towards things like trips. I believe the boosters also work with families that cannot afford to go on the trip.</p>

17

<p>While I think the cost is a bargain (Our kids pay twice that for a DC trip), I wouldn’t send him. There are too many unknowns and my kids would hate getting restaurant gift cards for Christmas;)</p>

18

<p>^^^Ha ha!</p>

<p>There are still awaiting “approval” from the school board for the trip. I think the goal is for their to be a performance “somewhere” but unless something great falls in their lap, it will probably be a casual performance outside somewhere (with permission). </p>

<p>Talked to my son last night…I’m glad they gave us an extra week to make a deposit - we will wait to see what more info comes about in the next two weeks and he will see what friends are truly planning on going.</p>

19

<p>I wasn’t joking when I suggested you offer him $150. That might make him really think about whether he really wants to go or not.</p>

20

<p>If your son has never been to NYC, then I think this would be a great experience–unless you fear that it’s not organized properly and the kids won’t be safe, etc. etc. I think exposing kids to new places and experiences is a great thing. I really tried to encourage a spirit of adventure (don’t know if that’s the word) in my kids. I grew up afraid of going to new places/doing new things and have worked hard to overcome that as an adult. I really didn’t want my kids to have such fears.</p>