After a year of planning, 75 members of the marching band will depart for their Christmas markets tour of Germany and Austria on Dec. 14.
“I wanted to go because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” clarinet player Avery Descheneaux said.
This is an optional trip that was open to all members of the marching band. The band will be performing at one of the famous German Christmas markets. They will play traditional Christmas songs in small brass and woodwind ensembles.
“I like the pieces we are playing. They sound good and I enjoy them,” trombone player Riley Walsh said.
The band members will be visiting big cities like Munich and Salzburg.
They will see tourist attractions ranging from the sights from popular film “The Sound of Music,” and the scene at Germany’s esteemed Christmas markets. The group will also tour places of history, with the most important being the concentration camps from the Holocaust.
“I’m most excited to go visit all the different places. It’s going to be a really interesting trip with different scenery,” Descheneaux said.
The group will depart from the Orlando International Airport on Dec. 14 and take a layover in Iceland.
The first flight to Iceland will last seven hours and 15 minutes, followed by a shorter flight to Germany. They will return on Dec. 22.
With any school trip, decorum and manners are expected of all the attendees. Students are to be on their best behavior and follow all rules that their guides and teachers give.
Despite strict rules in place to keep students safe, the excursion is expected to be fun and intriguing by the people going.
Many say that they “can’t wait” for the trip that takes place in less than two weeks. Some have never been out of the country before and they look forward to making international memories and learning about previously unknown cultures.
“I don’t know much about foreign countries,” Walsh said. “It will be interesting, but I’m sure it will be a good experience.”