Stanford, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Home

At Stanford University, Dr. Sano, Director of Choral Arts took our students through the paces. He did an extended warm up very different from what the kids were used to. Not surprisingly, they stepped up to the plate and met the challenge.
































He warmed up the entire group with "Search Me Oh God" and worked with 2 competition songs: Sleep and Chariots.

Dr. Sano gave them some valuable lessons to put in their bag of choral knowledge. He taught the group that music has shape and the top three things to take away were: Find the note in your head, get there fast, hold the note until the next vowel change. He ran them through some challenging rhythmic exercises and when he was done, Chariots was brilliantly executed by our students.

Despite the kids being so tired, they were engaged in the session and responded quickly and positively to each set of instructions. Dr. Sano was impressed with the group's flexibility and I think he actually had fun!



We ate lunch on the Stanford campus before taking off to the Golden Gate Bridge.


It spans 1.5 miles and most of us took the trek across. It was windy but not uncomfortable. The view was spectacular! May 27, 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.



We had a nice dinner at Fog Harbor restaurant on pier 39. I'm always surprised how well a staff can work to feed so many people at one time. To thank the staff, we sang "Lord Bless." It pretty much stopped the eating crowd as they listened to such a beautiful benediction. As a parent of a senior, this song gets harder and harder to listen to. As I looked around at other parents, I'm not alone.

The group was released with boundaries at Bay Street, Polk Street, and Pier 39, and the bay itself.

































After bidding the bay area farewell, our tired, but happy crew boarded the redeye and headed back to Indy.

It was a memorable trip. For the seniors an awesome ending to high school; for the Freshman an awesome look forward to their high school career.

Our students were superb in every aspect and represented Heritage Christian School in a manner that would make every parent want to chaperone another spring break trip. :)

In closing, here is the group photo taken back stage at Disney Land. Happy Easter, everyone.

He Is Risen!

Monterey Aquarium, Redwood Forest, and China Town

This morning’s stop at the Monterey Aquarium was awesome. We were just in time to see several different feeding sessions. I found the Jelly Fish and Sea Horse displays to be my favorites.









































We took another 2-hour drive up Highway 1 to the Redwood Forest. What an amazing place! The kids had an hour to walk a .5-mile loop. Most of them went around twice. A fire had gone through the area leaving interesting tree structures. In a few of the trees, you could walk inside the trunk and look up at the sky.















Chinatown was a fun place. We had about an hour to shop before dinner. My favorite T-shirt was the Alcatraz Triathlon Team. LOL!

Dinner was at the Hunan Home. The food just kept coming and coming!





















It was a very good meal and at the end, our boys serenaded Chelsea with a birthday tune. Happy Birthday, Chelsea!



Tomorrow is Stanford University and a day to roam San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf area. We will have our last dinner together and head home.

Pacific Coast Highway 1

We were all thankful for the extra hour of sleep this morning. Everyone looked a little fresher.

We packed up and bid the Anaheim area farewell and headed to Pismo Beach.

Pismo Beach seemed like a sleepy little beach town. We only had time for lunch and a quick look at the ocean.

Our next stop is where the Elephant Seals occupy a large portion of the shore line. It was incredible to gaze upon hundreds of these seals all snuggled against each other to protect themselves from the constant wind. These seals ranged in size from 4 feet to 14 feet. All of them were adolescent and had not yet developed their distinctive nose shape.


















The ride along Pacific Coast Highway 1 was fun for some and not so fun for others. The cliffs were very impressive and the scene was breath taking. We did make a quick stop along Ragged Point to get a few pictures and snacks for the rest of the way.



































We arrived safely in Monterey where it is quite cold and were thankful to hop into Gianni's Pizza where it was warm and toasty! Gianni's closed off an entire section so we could eat together. In thanks to the staff for taking care of us, we sang "Lord Bless." The staff took video and took pictures. The acoustics were amazingly awesome in the diner and the kids sounded great despite being so tired!

Disney Performance and Workshop

In the morning we all picked up our fast passes for one of the evening shows, played around the park, had lunch, and then met in Toontown for our performance.

The kids and a few chaperones had a special opportunity to see Disney backstage. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures but that did not dampen the experience one bit.

We met our guides and did take a group picture. I bought one of the 8x10's and will attempt to post a copy on the blog for a post tour update. While in the staging area, we saw many groups, but none quite our size. I spoke with other visiting chaperones and the first question was, "How many are in this group?!"

The stage was small and Colla Voce looked large and very beautiful in their outfits. While they were singing, many passersby stopped to hear them. The crowd especially enjoyed Twa Ton Bou and really enjoyed Africa. The stage was such that the thunder the kids produced REALLY sounded like thunder rolling across the plains of the Serengeti. In a word: AWESOME!



Encore sang next and Seth Grandidge and Caleb Himes had solos. They sang a Gospel tune that had our visitors rocking in the background!



The groups combine for their final several songs and the crowd outside the area grew. I'm pretty sure they stopped initially to see if we could actually fit on the stage, but stayed to listen to the whole set. We were all so very proud of our kids in their performance, poise, and how they represented HCS!



After the 30 minute performance we headed backstage to where rehearsals and recordings are actually done. The room was large enough to fit our kids and more. We were introduced to Brett Simmons, our producer and director.

The kids were given the opening theme to Home on the Range starring Johnny Depp. Many of them had not seen the movie and had never seen the sheet music. Mr. Simmons ran those kids through a rehearsal unlike anything I've ever seen! He had the tenors and basses run through a phrase, critique them, perfect it. Then he had the sopranos and altos do the same thing. Then he combined the two sections until they were spot on.

I know, I know...it's just like Mr. Hummel's rehearsal right? It was different because of the speed in which Mr. Simmons pushed the kids. The best part about it was that the kids all rose to the occasion!

One of my proudest moments was when Mr. Simmons stopped the group and said he heard the 2nd Sopranos. He had not split the girls up, but they took the initiative and sang the part. And sang the part well enough to be recognized! Our kids are so talented!!

Everyone, including chaperones, were given a set of wireless headphones, and in two takes we were watching the opening scene to Home on the Range with HCS singing! Very cool!

The next song's rehearsal time was even faster. They sang circle of life with Macauley Anderson, Sarah Grace Mariani, and Kelley Taylor performing the opening solos. In a matter of minutes, the kids were cutting their second sound track!

Everyone left the soundstage all with smiles! Being in the recording studio with Mr. Simmons was a rare treat that our kids will never forget!

Oh...and what was Mr. Hummel doing the entire time? He was one of the kids singing and having a blast!

We had the rest of the day and night to finish up everything in Disney. Some rode every possible ride, many watched the parade, and a good majority of us saw one of the night shows before bidding Disney farewell. All in all, a great time at Disney!

Next...Highway One along the coast to Monterey.

p.s. The Carmel High School performance was cancelled so we all got an extra hour of sleep! As much as we wanted to perform with CHS, we all welcomed the extra down time.
p.s.s Thank you Mr. Hummel and Mrs. Sikes for your coordination and flexibility! There is so much going on behind the scenes that is transparent to the kids, and we adults see your efforts and appreciate it so much!

LA tour, Kodak Theatre, Farmers Market, Pepperdine, Santa Monica Pier

We took a bus tour through LA and Hollywood. Our tour guides pointed out various fun facts about the area.



We walked on the walk of fame and made a quick stop at Grauman Chinese Theater. Most of the kids stepped over legends such as Jimmy Durante, George Eastman, and Charles Bronson without a thought. Us chaperones ooh-ed and ahh-ed and reminisced over "our" stars. The kids ooh-ed and ah-ed over Michael Jackson, John Travolta, and Arnold Swartzenegger.


The Kodak Theater, the home of the Ocsars, is now home to Cirque du Soleil Iris. For 10 months out of the year Iris is in the theater and for two months, it's all about the Oscars. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed during this part of the tour, but everyone had a great time learning about the big events.

Our time was a little on the short side due to LA traffic. It's exactly like in the movies!

We did get plenty of time to grab a bite to eat and look around at the Farmers Market. Some of the kids saw Mario Lopez and Gene Simmons doing a little street side interview.

Pepperdine was just up the coast. We divided our college tour/clinic into Colla Voce and Encore. Both groups were awesome! Our kids sang a song or two and then the Pepperdine Ensemble would sing. There was not a clinic, per se, but an opportunity to listen to another exceptional group sing.




































The director and the students were blown away that we have a program that allows us to even have a music program---and on top of that a program that is musically strong and allows us to travel. It appears that many fine arts programs are being cut in the public schools, and for them to see a musically strong group was actually a blessing to them.




















We did not eat dinner at Pepperdine, but took a 30 minute ride to the Santa Monica Pier. Many of our group enjoyed a seafood dinner at Bubba Gump while watching the sun set over the Pacific. It was quite beautiful.



We got back to the hotel a little early which is nice for the kids.

Tomorrow is a day at Disney. We will play a little, meet up and perform, and then have a workshop. No photos are allowed during the workshop, but we will get plenty of pictures of the group performing!

p.s. We are thankful of the medical staff that are with us taking care of our kids! Thank you Dr. Beckwith, Dr. Tomlin, and Mrs. Hertz!

Palm Sunday and Disney Land!

Early morning. 450 a.m…just thankful we had an extra hour of sleep the night before.

We performed at St. Paul Lutheran Church for Palm Sunday.



























True to form, our kids can bring tears to your eyes.


























The kids sang for three services and they were magnificent!




We were blessed with beautiful, sunny weather at 68 degrees all day at Disney Land. The kids were able to go to both Disney Land and California Adventure. They will be able to do the same on Tuesday.

We all were given a $50 gift card to help offset food costs and/or souvenirs. This card is for both days.

Tomorrow is a tour of LA, the Kodak Theater, Farmers Market, Pepperdine workshops, and Santa Monica Pier.

Ok. Just so you know…the kids are doing great although tired, and your chaperones are hanging in there even though it feels like day twelve. Lol! These chaperones got game!



We have all enjoyed your children and are blessed to be with them on this tour.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Eric Somers and Macauley Anderson!
P.P.S. We miss you, Eric and hope you are feeling better! Hope your Jayhawks win tonight!