Whether they’re winning the hearts of the judges at festival, or simply entertaining the crowds, seeing San Dimas High School’s award winning Jazz Band truly is an amazing experience. Over Spring Break, the group packed their instruments up and went on a trip across the United States to New Orleans, Louisiana to pay their respects to the birthplace of Jazz and to play on the streets like the locals do. Their trip lasted over the course of six days, where they visited museums, met musicians, and played music.
From 4am to 4pm, the first day consisted of traveling to the airport and flying across the United States. This trip was a combination of San Dimas High School and Bonita High School’s Jazz Bands. Once they arrived and settled in their hotels, the group was off to see the iconic Bourbon Street and to go on a Ghost Tour that would send a chill down their spines. A guide would take them around the city, telling them true historical stories of vampires, ghosts, murders, and other horrors. It was hilarious to watch some of the Jazz Band kids jump at the smallest details that were being said.
The Jazz Band Groups Arriving At Their Hotel On Day One
The Second day started with breakfast at Cafe Du Monde, a restaurant known for their beignets, a doughnut-like pastry covered in a mountain of powdered sugar. Dancing to the jazz that is commonly played on the streets, it was a delectable powdery party! Walking along the Mississippi river front, the group had lunch on a steam boat where there was live music and a dance floor. Many Bonita and San Dimas students intermingled with each other, dancing and turning it into a lively good time. After lunch, they visited the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium, where many students were challenged to eat a very crickety snack! Once the sun went down, the students split into two groups to enter the Preservation Hall, the building where jazz was said to have been born.
Dancing On The Steam Boat On Day Two
The third day was spent at the Oak Alley Plantation, a slave plantation that’s been turned into a museum to preserve its dark history. It was here that Bonita and San Dimas performed for the first time, however the wind was deciding to be difficult, and the groups had to hold each other’s stands so they wouldn’t fall over! After lunch and performance, they went to Mardi Gras World, a museum full of old floats from past parades of Mardi Gras, a celebration that takes place in New Orleans every year.
The Groups Had To Hold Each Other’s Stands
The fourth and fifth day included visiting the National WWll Museum, the New Orleans Jazz Museum, a Swamp Tour, walking Bourbon Street, going to the mall, having a nice dinner at Landry’s, seeing more live Jazz, and visiting Vue Orleans! The swamp tour showed alligators from as small as your forearm to as big as 8 feet long! The tree that Disney scanned for the making of Mama Odi’s tree was on that trail, where the locals call it the Wishing Tree. Vue Orleans is a 34 story tall building with a panoramic view of the entire city and the Mississippi river. After these amazing adventures, they performed a second time in Washington Artillery Park, where it was so incredibly hot that most people had to hold umbrellas for each other to keep from fainting!
The Final day was supposed to be with a high speed airboat tour, but the weather decided otherwise with pouring rain and lightning. The group was stuck at the airport for almost 6 hours! That didn’t stop the fun for these students however, as they pulled their cards and board games out to play a few rounds.
Playing Cards At The Airport
Saint Scroll Interviewed many people that went on this trip and what their favorite part of the experience was.
Bella Marroquin and Alyssa Franco both said that they really enjoyed the culture and liveliness of New Orleans. “Walking around French Quarter and Bourbon street showed how lively the city was with all of the music, lights, and food.” says Bella, and Alyssa adds that “The experience there was truly inspiring, I found myself wishing to stay there and have a life filled with rhythm and spirit like they do.”
Visiting Cafe Du Monde
Both Leanne Flores and Bella Nazaryan, our local San Dimas jazz singers, said that their favorite part was singing with the locals, exploring the historic city, and seeing real live Jazz.
Eating Lunch On The Steamboat
London Redfox, Christopher Betancourt, Levi Waage, and Jove Reyes all said that their favorite part of the trip was the swamp tour.
Ariana Golsorkhi and Kianush Zamiri said that their favorite part was enjoying it with their friends. “I really enjoyed the liveliness of the city and how there was always something interesting around each corner,” Kianush says, “and I really enjoyed seeing that with all my friends and being able to enjoy and fully appreciate that with them.” Ariana says she’ll “always miss NOLA and all the experiences it had to offer.”
Visiting Oak Alley Plantation
All in all, the six days that they were together was an unforgettable experience for everyone who attended.
