The Pride of Paoli marching band will be leaving for a trip to New York and Philadelphia on November 21 and returning on November 26. They will do activities such as tour Philadelphia, eat at unique restaurants and most importantly, march in front of over 200,000 people in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. POP will get to see a lot of things such as the sunset over the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, the Juilliard School of Music and even go on a small dinner cruise for an evening.
“Band travel opens up the doors to Paoli students to see and experience the possibilities of living and visiting other cultures, lands, states and regions,” said band director Bill Laughlin.
The New York trip is Laughlin’s favorite of them all because it gives the students and parents a chance to see the history and scenery of New York. Many former Paoli band students have gone on trips that inspired them and eventually made a living in those places.
“Travel is one of the best educational tools we have to make our history and geography books come alive,” said Laughlin.
Laughlin believes allowing his students to travel gives them a sense of where they can go later in life. Some students do not get the chance to travel. Going on band trips broadens their horizon when looking for places to go.
“Many students haven’t had the opportunity to go on trips like this before, so many POP band members are looking forward to it,” said junior clarinet player Breanna Ward.
As the band students continue onto other competitions such as State, wish them the best of luck to bring home another trophy.
Story by Kinley Block
