At the start of spring break 2024, more than 60 McHenry Community High School band students took part in a five-day tour of Memphis and New Orleans that included plenty of music, history, and learning.
Led by Band Director Ryan Cabildo and Percussion Instructor Jacob Tolan, band students and chaperones along with instruments and luggage filled two charter buses and a van for a trip punctuated by an outdoor concert in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
Setting out on March 22, the trip included a first stop in Memphis where band students had the opportunity to work with University of Memphis Band Director Albert Nguyen before visiting the Memphis Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel.
Then the group set out for New Orleans, which is widely known as the birthplace of jazz. Events in New Orleans included visits to Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, The Cabildo Museum and the New Orleans Jazz Museum before an evening performance by the MCHS Jazz Ensemble at Palm Court Jazz Cafe.
The second day in New Orleans started at Tulane University where band students met Director of Bands Barry Spanier and participated in a music clinic with Tulane faculty Dylan Koester. In the afternoon, the band visited the Riverwalk and performed at historic Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter. The tour then concluded with a 1-hour improvisation and jam session at Central BBQ before departing for the group’s hotel in Jackson, MS.
The group returned to McHenry on March 26 so there was still time to enjoy spring break.
