Over winter break, after Christmas day, the school band and orchestra left the country to perform in the televised ROME New Year’s Day Parade. While visiting, students not only got to partake in a concert performance, but got to sightsee and go on historical tours as well.
From touring Vatican City and walking the streets of Rome, to visiting the ruins of Pompeii, the trip was filled with more than just music. Naomi Chun, junior, recalls her favorite part of the trip while traveling with the school group.
“My favorite part was probably the catacombs. There was just so much history in half a mile of underground tunnel. It was also just really cool being underground,” Chun said.
As part of the band, Chun plays the clarinet. She got to perform in the Rome New Year’s Day Parade and in a public performance located in Frascati, Italy, a suburb southeast of Rome. Similarly, Lucy Hay, sophomore, who plays violin in the orchestra, describes her experience while on the trip.
“It was really well organized, and they did a good job making sure everyone got to do stuff,” Hay said. “We had two concerts in two different cathedrals, and we got to explore on our own in smaller groups.”
There are many differences between students traveling with just their families compared to the large group of peers they went with on this trip. However, according to Chun and Hay, they both have their pros and cons. Chun elaborates on her opinion about traveling through the school.
“There wasn’t too much flexibility on what we could do. But, there were many benefits,” Chun said. “For example, when we went to the Vatican, we got to skip the entire line because we were such a large group.”
While there may not have been much time to scope out the best Italian cuisine in the city, there certainly was no shortage of visiting historical sites. The instrumentalists visited not only Vatican City, Pompeii, and the Catacombs, but the Colosseum and Roman Forum as well. Many of these attractions date back to over 2,500 years ago in the 7th century B.C.
“It’s just so rich with history. And everywhere you look, there’s just ancient stuff,” Chun said. “I learned a lot of history, especially when we went to Pompeii.”
Hay said she would like to go on another school trip if another one was planned during the rest of her time in high school. When asked if they would ever consider making the 11 and a half hour trip to Rome again, both Hay and Chun said they would love to be able to experience it again.
“It’s such a cool experience to be able to travel with your friends, especially abroad,” Chun said. “You get to see new things that you’ve never seen before.”
