Tuesday, April 26th (Day 6)

Well, the bus is quiet as we cross New Jersey on the Interstate. Just a few hours ago, we were enjoying tremendous performances of Memphis or Lion King on Broadway. Earlier in the day, we were at Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City for an exchange concert. Once the two bands performed for each other, they enjoyed lunch together in the auditorium. The fun began once we taught them some of our pre-performance activities including the hokey pokey and koom-chuk (I know I butchered that one) and they shared some of their traditional dances. I have the whole thing on video tape!! The whole auditorium was a celebration. It was sad to leave our new acquaintances and head into the city.

Once we took the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan, we headed to the Empire State Building. After a two-hour wait, we were on the 86th floor looking out over the entire city on a beautiful day. Talk about picture-taking heaven.

Following that, we made it back to Times Square for some last minute purchases and our final group dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.

I cannot over-emphasize how wonderful the students have been throughout the entire trip. Kudos to the chaperones for an outstanding job throughout the tour and to the many tag-alongs who stepped up to help out when needed.

I personally want to thank bus two for being "the best bus ever!" and for breaking the all-time bus loading world record of 28 seconds (not bad for 44 students ). Though I see the kids everyday in class, I always enjoy getting to know them better on these trips. Parents, you truly do have incredible kids and I am honored to be their teacher.

On behalf of Mr. Bell and myself, we hope you enjoyed the tour and that the memories will last many years to come.

Band is Life.

We will see everyone when we roll into the parking lot at GHS tomorrow afternoon.

Mr. Barnes

Just a short note tonight. Today was a very busy day with our Lincoln Center tour and performance, two clinics and Blue Man Group. Catch the pictures on the website. The kids did excellent today with their performances.

Tomorrow, we perform our exchange concert, a trip to the top of the Empire State Building, Hard Rock Cafe and the musicals (Lion King and Memphis) before we head toward home late Thursday night.

Day 4- Easter Sunday

Easter is here! The Gtown Bands made a very early start today. Six am wake up and on the bus to the city by 6:45. The majority of the group attended Easter services at St. Patrick's Cathedral or St. Bartholomew's Church in mid-town Manhattan. Some of us even saw a glimpse of Archbishop Dolan after mass. The Easter Parade was quite the scene as they closed 5th Avenue allowing thousands of New Yorkers into the streets, many in obnoxious bonnets and other head gear. They even dressed up their dogs for the event.

Following the parade, we journeyed to Central Park for a picnic lunch (and boy was the weather nice!), then a trip to the Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The kids also had a chance to meander through Central Park from one side to the other...visiting the Sheep Meadow, Strawberry Fields, the Boat House, the Ponds and literally miles of winding paths. It was a great experience to see the park up close and personal (filled with thousands of New Yorkers and visiting guests enjoying the natural beauty of the park).

After the museums, we made it back to Times Square again and had a special dinner at Planet Hollywood. Due to some rain showers we postponed the trek up to the top of the Empire State Building for a clearer (and dryer) day. The rain did provide an opportunity to go back to the hotel, enjoy the pool, relax and a game or two of Uno in the lobby (Go Seniors). We hope everyone has a good night's rest because we have our Lincoln Center performance tomorrow along with the clinic for the bands. Time to focus for performance!

The kids have been great and have represented themselves, their school and community well over the past four days. We are very proud of them.

Take care and Happy Easter!

Mr. Barnes