At 8:00 AM on Thursday, April 4, 204 of Good Counsel’s music students, along with their directors Dr. Slocum, Mr. Spotswood, and Mr. Kamer, and 29 amazing chaperones, began to assemble their luggage and instruments. Mirroring junior retreat, the students loaded their luggage onto buses via caravan style. They would spend the next seven hours on a long bus ride to Boston.

The first activity of the following day was a visit to the famous New England Aquarium. There, students saw hundreds of different animals and were allowed to touch stingrays, starfish, and anemone.

The Aquarium visit presented the opportunity to connect with and explore the vast variety of marine life on our planet. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the trip was when students were allowed to roam free around Faneuil Hall & Quincy Marketplace, and spend the next few hours eating, shopping, and exploring.

Later, a step off tour guided students in the exploration of the history of one of America’s most famous cities. On the tour, they learned how daily life was for Paul Revere and the townspeople during the colonial era and took in the city’s landmarks. To end the day, students dressed in their most stylish attire and attended a performance of A Bronx Tale at the Boston Opera House. The play is a passionate tale about a young boy’s progression into adolescence, and the gangs and racial prejudice he deals with on the way.

The third day of the trip was the most important and the reason for the trip. The GC Bands and Choruses performed, for adjudication, at two separate venues, the Duxbury Performing Arts Center and Silver Lake Regional High School. The Wind Ensemble performed first, followed by the String Orchestra, and then the Symphonic Band. Then to the applause of all the students, the Pride of GC performed.

Later, the Chamber, Honors, and Concert Choirs each gave beautiful performances. With the intense work of performing done, the students attended mass at Holy Family Church, where the Chamber Choir sang to the amazement and applause of the parishioners.

On the final day of the trip, over five-hundred student performers, representing multiple schools, gathered in one auditorium. As always, the Good Counsel Bands and Choruses made Good Counsel proud. The majority of the Good Counsel ensembles received a rating of ‘excellent.’ However, the GC Marching Band received the top grade of ‘superior.’ In addition, both the Marching Band and String Orchestra also placed first in their divisions. Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Honors Choir placed second, while Chamber Choir and Concert Choir placed third. Finally, our String Orchestra received the award for Best Overall Orchestra. Beaming with pride, the GC students and chaperones cheered as hard as they possibly could for their classmates.

As in the past, the GC Music Trip was a rousing success! Arriving back at Good Counsel on Sunday evening, all were extremely proud, joyful, and exhausted.