Revenge of the Chaperon

Well, we did it.  We're home after a terrific week in Florida.  Yesterday our orchestra and Counterpoints students looked and sounded terrific at the Boathouse venue in Disney Springs.  I looked around a little during the choral performance and observed passersby stopping to enjoy.  The lady sitting next to me was moving with the rhythm.  The Disney stage techs were visibly engaged and enjoying the performance.  I myself was tapping my foot.  It was really great.

We jumped on the buses and moved from there to Animal Kingdom, where we had only four hours to enjoy the park.  So the choice there was the new Avatar 3D ride with a 160-minute wait, or five other things.  I chose the former, fellow chaperon Jeff chose the latter, and both of us were happy with the day.

So now that we're home it feels right to share some of my personal highlights of the week.

I got to know some terrific young people a little better.  Yes, it was great to watch them show off their musical skills at a foreign venue, but it was even better to feel proud of them while they did it.

I spent vacation time with my daughter.  Those opportunities don't come every day.

I was reminded why vacations are good.  Florida is breathtakingly beautiful and warm.  It took three days there for me to relax and realize how good I felt being away.  Many other people apparently understand this and go to Florida.  I saw a lot of them.  The problem is I get into the bad habit of confusing my view of day-to-day life with LIFE.  They are not the same thing.

I got to write this blog.  I hope you enjoyed it.  I certainly did.

Until next time.

The Chaperon Strikes Back

EPCOT is my favorite. I had just finished telling my daughter that the Disney experience was not really my cup of tea when we came upon the World Showcase Lagoon. The gardens are stunningly beautiful. There are flower beds the size of Bel Air High School riotously in bloom with color. The sight lines across the lagoon, the architecture of the represented countries, the openness of it all make being here my kind of vacation. I retract my earlier comment, Rachael. I could spend my whole week here. And I didn't even mention the food!

The Bel Air High School Marching Band performed at Epcot yesterday. They marched from Great Britain to the big, central fountain where they were introduced over the booming PA system. They played Shut Up and Dance while a crowd gathered and enjoyed them. It was live-streamed on Facebook and the whole thing was pretty spectacular.

 I had just finished telling Rachael how much I liked Epcot when the ride Test Track by Chevrolet - in whose line we had been waiting two hours - abruptly shut down. The temporary difficulty they kept announcing they were having must have become more permanent. We're really sorry guys, but we're going to have to ask you to evacuate the building at this time. Oh. So we moved across to Mission Space, where we waited another 90 minutes before having to abandon THAT line to be in time for a Fast Pass on another ride. Perhaps I would have been better off walking around looking at flowers.

Today is our last day here. The chorus and orchestra perform at Disney Springs this morning, then we spend half a day at Animal Kingdom before taking our leave. And if our students have enjoyed this time in any way as much as I, then they have had a terrific Spring Break.

Here's an observation left over from the Magic Kingdom. It is impossible to traverse the area in front of Cinderella's Castle near Walt Disney's statue without photo-bombing someone. I appear, uninvited, in at least a dozen family keepsake photographs of special memories of the Magic Kingdom.

I hope they got my good side.

Return of the Chaperon

It's hot and crowded at Disney. We went from freezing back home to worrying about sunburn and hydration here. I know, cry me a river.

Yesterday was Workshop Day, when each performance group created a professional recording with a Disney engineer. That's tricky, because you want to capture your best possible performance for the recording of Beauty and the Beast, or Frozen or whatever.

We spent yesterday at Magic Kingdom, along with approximately a million other people. It was crowded! Two hour wait for Haunted Mansion, but worth it.

And kudos to Guest Services. You can go there just a few hours after losing your cellphone on the monorail and they will have it. Magical!

Today Epcot where our marching band will perform. I'm excited, and I'm thinking the food will be good too.

On being a chaperon: I'm responsible for eight young men to be where they're supposed to be and to check in with me twice a day. No issues, our students are doing us proud.  I haven't even had to threaten them with Double Secret Probation.

Yet.

The Chaperon Awakens

Hello from Orlando, Chris Barsam reporting. What a pleasure it is to be here with the BAHS youth, I am grateful.
We are successfully completed our first day here, a day that was about 20 hours long, oy.


Several observations come to mind to share with you.


Not easy moving 106 teenagers from buses to airports (boarding passes and security and all that), from buses to hotel rooms (luggage and room keys and all that), and from amusement parks to buses. That it was successful is a credit to the music faculty and the students themselves.


I fear Disney dining is going to kill me. If fried chicken, burgers and fries are your thing, no worries. But there was a healthy wrap kiosk at the airport, and I was pining for something like that at Disney Hollywood Studios all day. And when did Disney become so boozy? Beer and cocktails from every vender. Could I please just have an iced coffee?


Today is another early day, seminars for chorus and orchestra. Band can sleep in. At least until 7:00.


More soon.