TAE Choirs NYC Spring Tour

That's it for now!

2007-04-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

What a big time we had in New York City! The Arts Experience Children's Choirs are home from their adventures with memories that will last a lifetime. Till next choir tour, happy trails!
Your correspondent, Beth Snead Feeback

one more...

2007-04-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

more photos

2007-04-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

photos

2007-04-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

guess what! more photos!

2007-04-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

And again with more photos

2007-04-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

And more photos!

2007-04-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

photos are here

2007-04-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Taking a breather from shopping!

2007-04-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Your correspondent got a chance to catch some kids and get their thoughts down on paper as we waited for the subway to Chinatown and then when we came back and took a short rest break. Here are a few of the comments, and there'll be plenty more later, along with photos, when we get back home to Concord. PS, please forgive any spelling or other crazy errors, this old lady is so worn out she can't even tell time anymore! PPS: Our bus is going to depart one hour earlier tonight than originally planned. We will be leaving the city at 8 p.m.

Ben:
"New York is great - at nighttime it's just like the movies - flashy, crowded, fun.
There are so many shops, it's impossible not to find what you're looking for. ... The subways are the best way to travel."

Stephen:
"We got a lot of opportunities (on this trip) that most people don't get. Not everybody gets to sing in front of the Statue of Liberty. I think the Arts Experience is a great program. ... 'Wicked' was exceptional. The lighting and effects were stunning."

Parent chaperone Deborah:
"This is Bradford's first trip to New York. It was a good opportunity."
Hearing her son's choir sing at the Statue of Liberty was a highlight for Deborah, she said. She doesn't know if he's old enough now to fully appreciate the opportunity ... "I don't think all this will really register with him until he gets older."

Grandparent chaperone Velma:
"This was a lovely opportunity and experience for the children, learning about different cultures."
Velma said she was most moved by visiting Ground Zero. Visiting the site of the World Trade Centers brought her to tears.
"Seeing that, there was so much to think about. All those people. That's a lesson and an inspiration to me."

Charlie:
"'Wicked' was amazing. When she sang 'Defying Gravity' and started rising in the air, I started shaking in my chair." Charlie's friend Sarah said he was saying, "I'm not worthy to be seeing this," during that scene.
"The music was awesome," Charlie said. "The Empire State building was pretty cool. It was very high up. The lights were amazing. The line was very long, but it was very fun. Looking off the top of the Empire State Building was very beautiful."

Sarah:
"Looking over the edge of the Empire State Building was like looking down on a huge Christmas tree in April. It was wonderful - dazzling!"

Chelsea:
"I thought the trip was fun. I liked it. 'Wicked' - I loved it. It was a great show." Chelsea said it was really interesting learning about the actors and how they got where they were.

Breana:
"This trip was fun. 'Wicked' was the best. The Empire State Building was fun. Sometimes it was scary. When you got to the edge and looked down at all those people down below, the looked like ants. That was scary."

Jeremy:
"Chinatown - I loved it. I want to go back so bad. That was the best part of the trip. I bought my mom a purse. I bought a watch, a lot of shirts."
Jeremy was fresh off the trip to Chinatown when he said that was his favorite part. He also loved "Wicked," he said. "That was a really cool play. That was my first Broadway play."

Younger choir sibling Creighton:
"I liked all of it."

Sarah, on singing at the Statue of Liberty:
"I thought it was very humbling to be there, remembering all the people that went past there, our ancestors. They saw that statue when they were coming in to Ellis Island. It was awe-inspiring."

Maya:
"My favorite thing was the Empire State Building. You could see over the whole town. It looked like Las Vegas!"

Diamond:
"My favorite part was shopping and being here with my friends and stuff." Diamond also enjoyed the actors' seminar. "That was funny. I learned a lot about what goes on in the theater. The play had a lot of big old scenes in it that I liked. The actors were really good at making it what it was."

Liz:
"Chinatown was way more Americanized than I thought it would be. Having lived in China, I thought it was very bland." Liz's parents previously taught school in China and she was a student there. Even though Chinatown didn't live up to her expectations, the trip was a blast, she said. "I really liked this trip. Our connection as a singing group is stronger. I now consider some of these people that before I didn't really know like my brothers and sisters. ... And if I could be in 'Wicked' I would be Alphaba, so I could be green."

Ciara:
"The line for the Empire State Building was really long. We stood in line for two hours."
Was it worth it? Poor little Ciara answered no, because she was just too tired at the end of the day yesterday. But she had a great time overall, she said. "Today was my favorite part."

David:
"I had fun in Chinatown. But some of those Chinese food places were kinda raw. They didn't seem sanitary."
David has had his headphones on for most of the trip, except when singing in the choir. What was he listening to, we asked. Dumb question. "Music!" he answered.
His favorite part of the trip was the Empire State Building. "That was the most amazing view! You didn't even need to go to the 110th floor. We saw it all from the 80th."

Cameron:
"The worst part of the trip was people wanting to go to chain restaurants or wanting to stay in the room. When I'm traveling I like to experience the character of the place. ... Chinatown was fun. It was fun walking around with my friends. I've really had good friendships here and I've built on them."

Ben:
"If anyone is ever in New York, an ideal place to tour is the Lincoln Center. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been."

Parent chaperone Kim:
"Anyone who has a child who is musically inclined should make sure their child is in the Arts Experience. It's a great program."

Your correspondent Beth Feeback also wishes to add that even though she has a slight phobia of Interstate travel, the drivers who will be taking us home tonight impressed her greatly on the trip here. We got a fresh driver in Fredricksburg - is that Virginia or Maryland? Somewhere near DC - and the same will happen tonight. Just wanted to throw that in there for any parents who might be anxious while their children are on the road!

Good Saturday morning!

2007-04-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Beth Feeback here from the Concord Standard & Mount Pleasant Times. This has been the longest, most exciting assignment I've ever been on.

We are starting our last day in NYC this morning. There hasn't been a lot of time to gather thoughts and post them, but trust me, your kids are going to have many adventures to tell of after this trip. I'll also be posting photos on Sunday after we return. We had hoped to do that from NYC, but it didn't work out as we planned.

After a long, exciting, yet tiring day, we all got a good night's rest. All the children are in one piece, and we are looking ahead to a full day of sightseeing and shopping on Canal Street and other fun today. Yesterday the choirs sang the Star Spangled Banner under the flag pole on Liberty Island. It was a moving experience staring up at that flag whipping in the wind and hearing our national anthem as Lady Liberty kept watch over the harbor.

The kids and adults found a seminar from Anthony and Katie from Wicked to be one of the highlights of the tour. We had no idea that the talk would be so fun, engaging and interactive. You always fear that the kids will get bashful or timid and not have questions from a grown-up speaker, but these two got the kids' imaginations cranked up and the youth came up with a jillion questions for them. My personal highlights for this tour were seeing Wicked, then the actors' seminar.

There's plenty more to tell about, but if you'll excuse me our tour group is about to LEAVE ME BEHIND!!!!!! OK. Gotta go. Will report back in this evening before we head out. We're getting on the bus at 9 p.m. to come home.

Night time in the city

2007-04-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

Beth Feeback from the Concord Standard & Mount Pleasant Times here. It's about 1 a.m. and the children are sleeping all snug in their beds while your correspondent pulls her hair out trying to resolve a few technical difficulties so she can post photos of the kids in concert today at St. Patrick's, at lunch at Carnegie Deli, enjoying sightseeing, dressing up for the theater, and on their way home from the theater with Times Square in the background.

I'm on a pay-to-play computer in the lobby right now, just to post a few lines about the musical we saw tonight, "Wicked." Hopefully tomorrow morning we can get some photos uploaded.

"Wicked" was the most amazing theatrical production I've ever witnessed first-hand. It's the story of the Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. The children were rapt as the music and story unfolded. So were the young at heart among us. The costumes, set, voices, actors and Cirque du Soleil type acrobatics of the flying monkeys were amazing to behold.

What a neat thing for a kid to be able to come to New York City on a bus and see something like that. This is an opportunity I never had as a kid. At 40 years old tonight I saw my first play on Broadway. I appreciate the Arts Experience for the chance to tag along and experience the magic.

It gets even better - tomorrow the children will tour backstage at Lincoln Center in the morning, then we'll ride the subway to Battery Park where we'll catch a ferry to Liberty Island. The choirs will sing in front of the Statue of Liberty. And after that - tomorrow evening, the children will get a visit from a cast member of Wicked. They will have a chance to hear from someone behind the scenes of the spectacle. I can't wait.

Looking forward to seeing Lady Liberty tomorrow. I will certainly feel like a tired, poor huddled mass by the time we get there, because this is a whirlwind trip.

Energy still high as night approaches

2007-04-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Arts Experience Children's Choirs made it to New York City on an overnight bus trip in the pouring rain Wednesday night, arriving Wednesday morning and hitting the ground running.
The young singers grabbed a quick bite of lunch then gave a performance at the grand St. Patrick's Cathedral following afternoon mass. Afterwards they went off in their chaperone groups to see the sights of the big city.
Here are some comments and thoughts shared by the participants throughout the day:

Liz wrote at breakfast:
"Hardly anyone slept longer than four hours on the bus. The rain seemed ceaseless and made me feel downcast."

Dora Bradley shared her thoughts about riding in the front seat of the motorcoach all night long watching the rain driving against the windshield:

"The windshield wipers were busy with all the rain and they reminded me of very tall skinny birds swaying back and forth. The kids were kind of sleeping and very well-behaved and very excited."

Connor shared his plans for Saturday morning. He wants to spread the message of the Arts Experience to a national TV audience.

"I plan to get a group together on Saturday morning to go to the “Today” show to help raise awareness of the Arts Experience. I joined the Arts Experience two years ago because I wanted to develop my musical side."

After singing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Thursday afternoon, several Arts Experience choir members shared their thoughts:

Danielle:
“It was too beautiful for words. It was very echo-ey, too. If anybody is coming to New York, my advice is to wear comfortable shoes.”

Breana:

“It was so incredible. It was just a whirlwind of fun. St. Patrick’s Cathedral looked like some people took a lot of time building a home for Christ. If there is one place I would give anyone advice to visit if they have a relationship with Christ, go there. I felt really close to God there.”

Meredith:

It was breathtaking walking in and looking up at the ceiling. It makes you dizzy. Singing there (at St. Patrick’s) was really cool. There was an echo going through there.

Julie, a parent chaperone:

“I thought their performance was wonderful. They were all so awed by it. They were interested in things all around them. They did a good job.”

Karley:

“That was a lot of walking this afternoon. Singing at St. Patrick’s was good.”
It was bigger and taller and more beautiful than any church she’d ever been in, she said.

Ciara:

“It’s FREEZING outside! But at least it stopped raining. It was scary singing in St. Patrick’s because it was so big. I think we did good.”

Liz brightened up after the weather improved:

“It stopped raining.”
She enjoyed singing at St. Pat’s and going with her group to a big bookstore in Manhattan, she said.
When the group was singing at St. Patrick’s Liz was nervous.
“My leg was itching. When I’m nervous, my leg starts itching.”

Anna:

“Singing at St. Patrick’s was scary, but it was exciting at the same time. I’m not Catholic, I don’t know anything about what you’re supposed to do.”

Alec:

“We went to Sony Wonder.”
The group Alec was in enjoyed the technology and games on display at the Sony store.

Cameron:

“As much as I loved everything else, my favorite part of the day was going the wrong way and seeing the Chrysler Building. It’s my favorite skyscraper in the world.”
Cameron had never seen it in person before today. He’s only seen it in books or on television.

Taylor:

“It was awesome.”
She was talking about the whole day, she said.

Kim, a parent chaperone:

“The kids enjoyed Hard Rock Café and Times Square.”

Ben:

“Singing at St. Patrick’s was fun. It was a big church. The reverb off the walls made it hard to sing. The organ was nice. We also got to sight-see along the way back. We heard a live radio broadcast in the Hard Rock Café.”

Creighton, a younger sibling along for the ride:

“This was awesome. I got to burn a candle (at St. Pat’s.)”
He said his favorite part was going through the Lincoln Tunnel on the bus, tied with walking in Times Square and seeing soccer star David Beckham’s picture flashing on a giant billboard.

We'll be posting photos a little later this evening, after we get some technology issues resolved!

TAE tour featured in the Independent Tribune

2007-04-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! Beth Feeback here from the Concord Standard & Mount Pleasant Times newspaper. I'll be traveling with the choirs as they head for New York City. We depart in 9 hours! Just wanted to mention that the choir tour is featured in today's (4/11/07) edition of the Independent Tribune, and we also understand that Gail Smith Arrants of the Charlotte Observer's Cabarrus Neighbors has interviewed Quincy Foil about the tour. So keep a look-out for that story, too. We'll update this blog as often as possible while we're in the Big Apple now that we've figured out how to do it. But you can read all about the choir tour in next week's Concord Standard & Mount Pleasant Times.

This is a test

2007-04-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hello folks - this is Beth Feeback of the Concord Standard & Mount Pleasant Times newspaper. I'll be joining the choirs on tour to NYC to report back to the hometown folks about the trip. I'm still in Concord right now, trying to get a feel for how this blog works and to see if I can figure out how to post photos of your children while we're in the Big Apple. I'm doing a test with a picture of one of MY children - the four-legged furry kind are the only ones I've been blessed with. Here goes!

The Arts Experience Choirs Spring Tour

2007-03-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

TAE Choirs are celebrating 12 seasons with a singing tour to New York City, April 11 through April 14. While there, choristers will sing at St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Statue of Liberty. In addition, they will see the hit Broadway show "Wicked", have an actor's seminar with a cast member from the show, and enjoy a backstage tour of Lincoln Center. An evening trip to the top of the Empire State Building and tours of China Town and Little Italy and will also be highlights. TAE Choirs are conducted by Dr. Jacqueline Yost.