Paris Trip Meeting: November 9th

Parents and Students,
Please come and hear about the Paris Trip at our meeting on November 9th. Whether you know you are going, or on the fence this trip will answer your questions and concerns. This is truly a once in a lifetime type opportunity that you will not want your son or daughter to miss out on.

I figure it might be easy to address some of the common concerns that come up at a meeting like this. Perhaps this will give you something to consider when you come to the meeting.

Common reasons for not going on a trip:

1) We can't afford it. 

• Certainly the cost is a very valid concern. But we challenge to you to consider creative ways to set the money aside. 100+ ways to save money Get your student on board and challenge them to start setting money aside/earning the money. I think every kid can benefit from being a part of the process and they will value it more! But what a perfect time for them to learn the value of a dollar and the experience of working towards a goal than before they are out of the house!

Other ways to ease the cost burden.

• Get involved in fundraising. Everyone wins when you help out. 
• Think creatively how you can earn some extra money. Get a job, rake leaves, shovel snow, learn how to fix something, tutor a younger student.
• Write a letter and send it to relatives and close friends. Explain what you are doing, why you are doing it and why you are going. Follow up with each letter and see if they might be willing to help out. 

2) I've never been to Europe, why should my son or daughter? 

• The world is becoming increasingly global. More and more jobs benefit from this global perspective. Going on a trip to Europe in high school is the first step to opening up the globe to them in way that we could not understand when we were young. 

3) It's just a band trip, why can't we just travel to a bowl game?

• This trip is about much more than band. Yes, band is what brings us together for the trip, and sharing music with other cultures is an awesome experience, not to mention sharing it with more than 100 of your friends. But this trip is about a true educational experience. Students get a rich education in History, Art, Commerce, Language, Food, Culture, Politics, on top of music.
• I've done the bowl games, and Disney, etc. At the end of the day, I walked away feeling like I just took a vacation trip. But after these Europe trips, I feel like I've changed my student's world... That's why we go overseas.

4) Why do we have to travel at all?

• Ultimately we don't. This is something that as a band director who has taken numerous trips, I have seen over and over that the opportunity to be a part of something special like this is completely worth all the extra effort that goes into making it work. The trips are part incentive, part experience and education. I encourage you to make it an incentive with your own son or daughter. It will motivate them!

I'm sure you have other things-please come to the meeting on November 9th at 6:30 in the Small Auditorium to find out more!!!