It’s a pretty good vacation if you can travel to two major cities in six days and see all of the sites. For their spring trip, KAHS band travelled to Washington D.C. and New York City from April 9-14. The band brought 68 students and 10 chaperones on their trip. “This is the biggest trip that we have taken,” said band director Keith Haake. “This was the farthest distance that we have travelled, and we saw two major cities along the way.” The students left KAHS at 4 a.m. Their first stop was in Port Washington, Wisc. Haake’s son is the current band director in this town, so the two bands met and played for each other. The bus got the band back on the road and brought the group to Washington D.C. Haake explained that the band saw many things. They spent half of the day at the Holocaust Museum and students could then decide which Smithsonian museums to tour. The group walked the Capitol mall, visited Arlington Cemetery, saw the Ford’s Theatre and the Lincoln Memorial. They also took a night tour of the different monuments which are illuminated by lights. “This is the only way to see the monuments,” Haake said. Band members really enjoyed D.C. and it was the first time that many of them had been there. band president and clarinet player Tammy Kuechle said, “We saw many things that we wouldn’t see on a family trip.” While in D.C. the students were also given some time to explore and find out what interested them. Next on the agenda was heading off to New York City. Here band members performed a concert at South Street Sea Port on the wharf. “It was a beautiful day to play,” recalled Haake. “There were sailing ships lined up along the harbor and many tours walking past.” “It was really fun to perform there,” said percussionist Cole Loewen. “It was very mellow.” Band members talked about reactions to their performance in New York. Percussion-player Mandy Libbesmeier remembered, “One lady said we were really young for how well we sounded.” Other band members recalled tourists stopping to watch and talking with the band. They said that everyone seemed to enjoy the band’s performance. Besides performing in New York, the band also toured the city. They saw the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Empire State Building and Ground Zero. The band also attended “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. The play was a favorite event for many of the students. “It was awesome,” said flute player Rachel Stein. “The trip was a lot of fun, but the best part was seeing ‘Phantom of the Opera,’” said Alison Ecker, whose eyes lit up as she thought about the performance. Ecker plays clarinet in the band. “The students all had a great time. The trip was a great educational experience for them,” Haake said. “Hopefully we planted a seed for them to go out and see other things.” Funding for the trip The band takes a trip every three years and works throughout the year to fundraise for the upcoming trip. “Basically, the school gives us nothing but the days off,” said Haake. The band has a boosters club which organizes fundraisers including annual sales of magazines and pizzas. They also receive donations from different community groups. Without these funds, the trips would not be possible. More than just a trip While the east coast trip has been a major event this year, the band program doesn’t stop here. Students have performed three concerts throughout the year and participated in many different competitions. They have been doing very well in their competitions. Individually, over 80 percent of the students have taken state superiors at these events, which is the highest award the state gives. The jazz and senior bands also received superior ratings.
