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Bowling Green High School
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The Jazz Band Performance
Jazz Band VideosClick the video icon below to watch a video of the Jazz Band in action:
Jazz Band Trombones video
French spectators enjoy "Zoot Suit Riot"
Peter McClanahan performs drum solo during Jazz Band concert
December 29 @ 11:15 pm Paris Time - from Peg McClanahan The good news is that all the remaining pieces of equipment and supplies arrived today! For the most part, travelers were feeling refreshed and invigorated after a good night’s sleep. Breakfast is served each day from 6:30-9:00 am. The students are struggling a little with the breakfast food because it is unusual for them. A continental breakfast was served buffet style, which consisted of mini croissants, bagettes, with marmalade or cherry preserves, a chocolate type pastry and yogurt. Beverages included juice and hot chocolate (which was more cream than chocolate.) The busses (our group requires 6 busses whenever we travel places) were due to leave at 9:00 am for a journey to Versailles, but we ran a little late, thus pushing the schedule back a bit all day. The castle was about a ½ hour ride, during which we drove around the city and could view various buildings pointed out. Although we didn’t get to drive around the city of Versailles, from what we saw, it is a lovely city. There are still many trees, which were blown down a year ago during an unusual windstorm. Tours through Versailles were limited to 30 individuals so we had several groups going through one right after the other. Versailles was the home to Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XIV. The castle has 800 rooms and although we only saw a few of them, we learned many fascinating bits of information. (Ask your child about the king size bed compared to the queen size bed….or about the secret door in Marie Antoinette’s bedroom.) Although we had the planned to eat in Versailles, most of the busses returned to the city of Paris and had an abbreviated bus tour of the City. Each bus hit the highlights of the City, including Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, and the Arch of Triumph. Some busses stopped at monuments, while others just drove past. This tour helped groups determine what they would like to do on their free day tomorrow. Again, there was a lot of information provided by the tour guides about the City and its history. Five of the six busses returned to the hotel after their tour, while the Jazz Band bus went to the beautiful Hotel DeVille (the mayor’s home) and prepared for their concert. (A picture of this building can be found on the official website of Paris.) The whole group met up for the concert and the Jazz Band performed after a string orchestra from Florida and a Sweet Adeline’s group from Arizona. These were the only three groups who performed. They did a superb job and received a standing ovation. Students are now in bed, prepared to leave the morning early to start their free day tomorrow. Just a couple of other notes: Each room has a double bed, a twin-size day bed and a trundle bed. The rooms also include a shower room and a “water closet” with just the necessities. The elevators are quite slow so many of the students are using the stairs. Besides the breakfast, the students are also a little displeased with the other food. Last night dinner consisted of tomato soup, baked chicken and a baked potato with a sauce. Dessert was a small scoop of ice cream and an apple tart. Tonight’s dinner was chicken and rice, served with a salad. Dessert was chocolate mousse. The members of the Jazz Band had dinner at a French restaurant close to the Hotel De Ville. The boys (and girls who wear hats) are learning that it is inappropriate to wear hats inside buildings in Paris and under no circumstances should they be worn when eating. It was quite chilly today, but we were inside busses or buildings most of the day so it wasn’t too much to worry about. Peter McClanahan, Allison Sproul, and Eric Boswell attended a special reception with the band directors where the band was presented with a beautiful engraved silver plate and a Paris picture book. Until tomorrow, au revoir…
Band Booster Executive Board members
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