Friday, March 26, 2010

Concert in Venice

We had our first concert today in Venice and brought the piazza down! We should have some video and pitures up for tomorrow's update. After the concert, we spent the afternoon walking the city and taking in all the famous sites. The band (and the chaperones) are tired, but are doing a great job. We are up early in the morning and headed to Austria, with a stop in Brexton, Italy for another concert. Check back tomorrow afternoon or evening for more updates!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

We're In Venice!

We have landed safe and sound and are settled into our hotel in Mestre outside of Venice, Italy. We have a very early start tomorrow morning and will be playing we’re looking forward to our first concert on Campo S. Stephano tomorrow morning. Keep checking this page for update, including pictures and (hopefully) video. Here are a few pictures from today’s tour of Verona…




Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Time To Cross the Alps

Just a few final reminders before we go...

First, great job at the concert last night band members, and thank you parents, family, and friends for your attendance. What a great way to prepare for a fantastic trip. Students, the directors would like to thank you for all your hard work, it is sure to pay off in the coming week.

Trumpet players, remember that you are bringing your instruments as one of your carry ons, but you cannot have valve oil in your carry on since it is a flammable liquid. Please put it in your suitcase (which will be checked), and be sure to take it with you to our first concert in Venice.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

3 Days To Go

Monday's Schedule
Morning: Rehearsal begins at 7:50 a.m. in the multi-purpose room. We will be ready for music testing starting at 7:30 a.m. The directors fill up quickly. It's on a first come, first serve basis.
After-school: Music testing/help will be available until 4:30 p.m.

Evening: Call is 6:30 p.m. in full uniform (Black socks, black shoes, uniform pants, suspenders, uniform jacket, white t-shirt under the jacket). We will meet in the multi-purpose room.

Uniforms must have been dry cleaned since marching band season.

Concert begins at 7:00 p.m. in the north gym.

Following the concert, all students (and parents) should meet with their group chaperone.
Packing will follow the chaperone meeting for percussion, tubas, band banner and flags. This will take some time, but we have to get it right.

Tuesday first period: We will have our final information meeting for students begining at 8:05 a.m. It is imperative that all students are present.

There will be a school truck to take sousaphones, large bass drums and quads to the airport. All other instruments are taken by students. If you play a large instrument and are leaving from Detroit, be sure to see Mr. Hughes on Monday.

Music testing update: Every student needs 200 points. 90% of the students have more than 180 points. 85% have more than 190. More than 75% have a perfect score of 200. Lets get this wrapped up. With every student contributing, the performances will be outstanding.

Folders: Please check your son or daughters flip folder for correct order, yellow dot side and red dot side labeled 1-12, and the sides of the windows should be taped shut with a small piece of tape. "Gimme Some Lovin'" should say Blues Bros 02-03 on the top. Rainer March should have a very small cheat sheet for pronounciation taped in the window (unless they speak German).

Check your flight pattern information to see when you need to be at the airport (3 hours ahead of departure). Be respectful of each others time, don't be late and make your flight group wait at check-in until you arrive. Do not check in online or check your bags at the curb check.

Here are the correct numbers for flight pattern #8. There is a typo (flight number) in the little book and on the pdf. Your tickets are correct.


Flight Date City Pairs Depart Arrive AIRCRAFT

UA 5729 24-Mar-10 CLE/ORD 1012A 1038A CRJ
LH 431 ORD/FRA 440P 700A +1 346
LH 3952 25-Mar-10 FRA/LIN 845A 955A 733

LH 414 1-Apr-10 MUC/IAD 315P 630P 330
UA 5667 IAD/CLE 955P 1116P CRJ



If there is a flight delay or connection issue, go to www.shakerbands.org for updates. A representative from Macy's will update the website if necessary. The updates will go out through feedblitz, however it may take several hours until they reach you. Also, be sure to check the website throughout the trip for information and photos.

Carry-ons: We recomend a back pack. It passes the carry-on size restictions and will be very useful to have during the trip. Don't forget the 3-1-1 rule for carry-ons.

If you are planning to use credit cards throughout the trip, be sure to contact your credit card company and inform them about your travel.

A great site for checking forecasts for the regions we will be visiting is www.wunderground.com.
Here is the list of cities we will be visiting and the days we will be visiting on:

Thursday- Verona, Italy
Friday- Venice, Italy
Saturday-a.m. Bressanone, Italy and p.m. Innsbruck, Austria
Sunday- a.m. Fussen, Germany and p.m. Munich Germany
Monday- a.m. Innsbruck, Austria and p.m. Salzburg, Austria
Tuesday- Salzburg, Austria
Wednesday- Salzburg, Austria

Info from Dr. Mawhorter

It's always best to bring medication in original containers; and in your carry-on for access. It may also help to have a day-by-day pill box. As long as a few pills are in the original container, then a pre-loaded pill box will be OK if a customs agent has questions.

We have the health sheets with medication lists; though some of you properly informed me that one or two items may have changed. For this situation or anyone with a slightly complicated list, I strongly encourage writing out the medication and dosing schedule on three 3x5 cards, or short printed list. One copy to the student's wallet or purse, one copy for chaperones, and one copy for me. Go through your student's medications to make sure they are comfortable with how to take them. I will be available to address any questions or concerns that may come up.

No vaccines are required, but the Shaker Health Department 216-491-1480 has free flu vaccine and hepatitis A vaccine ($12 - 18 and under; $40 over 18) for anyone wishing protection. Both nasal and injectable H1N1 flu vaccines are available.

The least sedating over the counter anti-nausea medication contains meclizine (look at the active ingredient part of the label), sold by several brand names.

Looking forward to a wonderful trip,
Steven Mawhorter MD

Thursday, March 18, 2010

6 Days To Go

Thank you for attending our meeting. Your support is greatly appreciated. The many positive comments helped. We have worked tirelessly to put together an outstanding trip, but in truth, we are all very tired.

The general pecking order for decision making for the band trip is: Band Group Needs, Individual Student Needs, Chaperone Needs, then Staff Needs. We all agree with this philosophy and will maintain it as we travel.

Thank you to all of the parents and students who assisted at the meeting. You saved everyone a lot of time.

It was worth our time to print and organize the point sheets. Many parents made sure that their son or daughter was present this morning for testing and/or music help. There is only one student below 100 points. With only 12 students below the 150 mark, we now have 83% of the band at 180 points or more. The final opportunities for testing will be on Friday at 7:30 AM and after school until 5 PM.

For band rehearsal for Friday, we will meet on the track at 10:30 a.m. sharp.

Monday’s Concert will be in the North Gym at 7:00 p.m.
-Call Time: 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room
-Dress: Full (freshly dry cleaned) uniform- Black Shoes, Black Socks, Uniform Pants, Uniform Jacket and Suspenders.
-There will be brief chaperone group meetings following the concert.
-Packing for percussion, tubas, band banner and flags will take place after the concert. This will take a while, we need to disassemble and pack the harnesses and pack/secure/weigh all of the instruments.

We are missing a few of the small tour books that go in our neck pouches. A few families or shadow trip members must have accidentally picked one up. Shadow trip booklets are larger and were in your document packet. We only had enough for each band member or chaperone traveling on the trip. If you have an extra, please return it a.s.a.p. so we can get it to the right person.

Uniform Collection
Band Uniforms will be collected from 7:45-9:00 AM the first day back after spring break, Tuesday, April 6, with follow-up on Wednesday, April 7. Students should bring their uniforms to their first period band class room, where parent volunteers will facilitate the collection. The more volunteers we have, the quicker and smoother the process will be. Anyone who is able to help between 7:45 and 9:00 AM on Tuesday, April 6 or Wednesday, April 7, please contact Mary Hundert at maryhundert@aol.com or 921-7133, or Lynn Yule at lynn.yule@akzonobel.com or 991-2532.

We have ‘Shaker Band’ neck pouches for the shadow trip. We will have them available when you check in at the airport.

Click here to see which hotel band members will be in for the Innsbruck nights.

Click here to view the Slideshow Presentation from Wednesday night's meeting (PDF version, download time will be long due to the large file size).

Monday, March 15, 2010

9 Days To Go

Testing Week Rehearsal
We are still rehearsing during testing week. Students with less than 180 points should report to the band room at 8 AM to get extra help from the directors. Solo, section features, and other special rehearsals will be taking place tomorrow and Thursday. The next full rehearsal is Wednesday morning at 10:30 AM sharp in the North Gym. Please follow the directions for entering the school through the band room as laid out in previous posts.

Final Document Meeting
The Final Document Meeting is this Wednesday, March 17, in the Shaker Middle School Auditorium. Document pass-out will begin at 6:30 PM, and the meeting itself will begin as close to 7 PM as possible. Please plan on arriving early to avoid long lines and speed up the process.

Trip Itinerary
Click here to view a detailed trip itinerary.

Final History Lesson
Here is a final history lesson on three trip stops: Dachau Concentration Camp, Brenner Pass, and Neuschwanstein Castle.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

12 days to Go

There's a lot of information here, so please read it all.

Packing Tips
-You are packing for a nine-day trip. Expected temperatures: Low 42 High 65
-It is important to pack light! Luggage space on the motorcoaches and planes will be limited.
-Pack versatile, comfortable clothing you can layer for warmth. Rain is possible. Casual, but nice, is the general attitude for dress in Italy and Austria.
-Remember that luggage space is limited and you need to leave space for souvenirs.
-Please inform Dr. Mawhorter of your child's medication.

Luggage
-Each tour member is allowed to bring one suitcase under 50lbs in weight.
-Participants may also bring one carry-on bag, a medium-size school backpack is perfect
-Remember to strictly follow the 3-1-1 rule for airport security
-Piccolos, Flutes and Clarinets should be packed in your checked luggage or carry-on.
-Trumpets and Alto Saxophones will be treated as carry-ons (you may still have a carry-on).
-All large instruments will be checked.
-Check with your airlines to see all size and weight restrictions for international travel.
-Links for airline and 3-1-1 have been provided in earlier emails.

Items to Bring:
-Shirts, pants, shorts, skirts
-Socks/undies
-Band Hoodie, fleece top, sweater and/or light jacket
-Good walking shoes
-Travel alarm, watch, camera, new batteries
-Toiletries kit, contact supplies, glasses
-Info: guidebook, phrase book, map, tour handbook, trip info…etc.
-Shaker neck pouch w/student I.D., trip-tik, passport copy and emergency contact info.
-ATM debit card/credit card/traveler’s checks/cash/Euros to start the trip
-Uniform: jacket, pants, suspenders, black socks, black shoes, a white t-shirt for under your uniform (the one the boosters gave you), and the Alps trip t-shirt. (uniforms buddy program dissolved)
-Instrument: mouthpiece, lyre(s), flip folder, music, extra reeds, extra sticks, valve oil…etc.
-Medication: must be in the original container it was dispensed in, clearly labeled with your child’s name, the medication’s name frequency and dosage.

Optional Items to Bring:
-Address book
-Small umbrella and/or hat
-Small binoculars
-Small towel and wash cloth
-Hair dryer, curling iron, power adaptors for Italy/Austria. You can share items with your roommate(s).
-Ziplock bags, rubber bands, safety pins, twist-ties
-Journal notebook, pens, novel, travel game etc
-MP3 players
-Photos of home and family to show your new friends.
-Sunscreen (we hope)

Suggested Leave-At-Homes
-Irreplaceable or excessive jewelry
-Unnecessary electrical appliances
-Laptop computers
-Video game players

Testing Week:
Be sure to follow all guidelines outlined in the last email. Only enter the school through the band room door. Stay out of the hallways. Bring a lunch.


March 17th, 7:00 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium- Final Documents meeting. Each family must send a representative.


March 22nd, 7:00 p.m. in the High School North Gym- Trip Concert.


Medical and Liability Forms- Still missing 9; collected 503.

2nd Case Plan:
Bad News: The airlines have been charging full cost on every second checked bag for international flights. We have been updated by other traveling music ensembles about this. This is a worst case scenario for us. The total 2nd bag charge could exceed $20,000.00 for the trip. Therefore; we need to adopt the following plan to help avoid as many of these charges as possible.
Everyone- Be very mindful of the size and weight of your luggage. Over size or over weight luggage will cost $350 and you will be responsible for the cost. Also we are dissolving the uniform buddy program. Each student is responsible to pack and take his or her own uniform.

Piccolo, Flute and Clarinet players
-You need to either pack your instrument and case in your luggage or take it as a carry-on.
-You will be assigned to assist large instrument players through the airports or assigned a band office ‘2nd case’ to check.

Alto Sax and Trumpet players
-You need to take your instrument, in its case, as a carry-on.
-You will be permitted one carry-on (back packs are best) plus your instrument.

For Your Information

Austria
Population : 8,356,707
Area : 32,383 square miles
Capital : Vienna
Largest City : Vienna
Government : Federal Parliamentary Republic
Official Languages : German (also recognizes Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian)
Ethnic Groups : 82.5% Austrian

Italy
Population : 60,231,214
Area : 116,346 square miles
Capital : Rome
Largest City : Rome
Government : Parliamentary Republic
Official Languages : Italian
Ethnic Groups : Italian

Germany
Population : 81,757,600
Area : 137,847 square miles
Capital : Berlin
Largest City : Berlin
Government : Federal Parliamentary Republic
Official Languages : German
Ethnic Groups : 91% German, 2% Turkish, 7% other

Weather forecasts for the coming week

Verona
Occasional rain, highs in the mid 50s low in the upper 30s

Innsbruck
Rain, highs in the low 50s/upper 40s lows around freezing

Salzburg
Highs early in the week in the upper 30s; warming as the week goes on into the upper 40s. Long term forecast calls for continued warming with highs in the 50s by next weekend. Overnight lows below freezing overnight and into the 40s by the end of the week. Cloudy/partly cloudy with a chance of rain all week .