I am thrilled to share this experience with this group of students and colleagues. I know the individual growth students will experience through group travel will be magnified through the homestay experience abroad. I know the touring in France and Germany will expand territories for each individual in singularly unique ways. I'm humbled and honored to share this experience with each student. When you add on the notion that we get to also make music together and share it with our friends in Beitigheim-Bissingen, it adds even more depth to what I know will be a transformative experience for everyone involved.
While I have the majority of my vision on the road ahead, I also have a small field of viewing dedicated to fondly recalling past tour experiences. Remembering the students and the sounds from these previous tours creates a heightened sense of anticipation because I know with even more certainty how this experience will impact every participant.
Parents, take a good look at your student this morning. When you greet them at O'Hare on June 24th, they will be different. They will have more confidence, they will stand a bit taller, and they will understand the world differently. They will be changed from the inside out in remarkable ways.
Finally, if I may be so bold, I'd like to offer a small bit of advice to each parent while we are on tour: Let the first communication come from your student to you, not from you to your student. Our tour bloggers will do a fabulous job of providing you with an ongoing perspective of the trip. Your student doesn't need to message you when we arrive to a destination - you'll read it on this blog. Part of the growth that happens for students is through the autonomy that a tour facilitates. To the extent you can bear, avoid letting technology disrupt that potential for growth.
The count-down clock continues to wind down to zero - time for me to finish packing and prepare for the journey ahead. I can't wait to see what the next two weeks brings for these students, and even better, to watch in the years ahead how this experience will transform them as people and musicians.
