By Ronilyn Rasmussen
Concert band had the opportunity to travel to Chicago from May 10th to the 12th. Our band stayed at the Hyatt Regency, which was a real nice hotel. Concert band went to experience a different place and learn some things about music, art, and other interesting things, and also to have fun.
Our first stop was Vandercook College of Music. Our band had an opportunity to play at Vandercook College. One of the instructors told us about the college and told us who started it in the first place. He also told us how to get more sound out of our instruments. We didn’t have that much time to play, but it was different to get to play at college instead of at a high school.
Our next adventure was touring Orchestra Hall. We were told that it is very hard to get a tour, but Mr. Wood arranged it so we could see it. I will never forget it because I have never been to the one in the Minneapolis. It meant a lot to me. Our band had a chance to see things like the dressing rooms of the performers and the instructors and also saw the seating up above. It was neat to look down on the stage from the seats above. We also saw the box seats.
That evening we ate at the Hard Rock Café. I didn’t know what to expect at first, but I’m glad I went. It is loaded with guitars signed by different musicians and their outfits. There were tons of people waiting to eat and buy things like T-shirts, pins, glasses, etc. The food was really filling and it was not that expensive. You could order either in a line or at the table. It was a little cheaper from the table. I had a lot of fun at The Hard Rock.
That same night we went to the John Hancock Observatory. The city was lit up. It was so pretty. You could see everything.
The next day, the band walked from our hotel to the Chicago Art Institute. I didn’t know if I would like it but I did. They had things like Impressionistic, Post-Impressionistic and Contemporary paintings. These were a just a few of the exhibits the Art Institute had on display.
That afternoon, we had a chance to either go to the Fields Museum or the Science and Industry Museum. I choose to go to the Science and Industry Museum. I couldn’t believe how much stuff was in there. They had things like a coal mine, a Chicago Exhibit, the Hall of Chemistry, and an Energy Lab on display. It takes a lot of time to look around the whole building. I felt like I really had to speed through it to see everything.
After that, we had to hurry to the Planetarium for a sky show. We wore 3-D glasses. It made it so real, it felt like we were in space. When that was over we went upstairs and saw the sky show similar to the one at the Minneapolis Planetarium. It was really good and I enjoyed it. We returned to our hotel to get ready to go and see The Little Shop of Horrors at the Lincolnshire Theatre. The stage is in the center of the theatre and the seating is all around it. I thought the play was better than the movie. I have also seen Little Shop of Horrors at the Plymouth Place Hotel, which was also really good.
Our final day in Chicago was spent by going to see the Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium. We saw a presentation on the Beluga whales and the Pacific white-sided dolphins. They performed some of the things they are taught like how to wave good-bye and jump on cue. The Aquarium and Oceanarium also had an underground viewing gallery with otters, penguins, and dolphins. There was also a variety of fish and other animals.
The rest of our day was spent shopping on our own, which was a real fun experience. My friend and I went and saw bridges, shops, buildings, and statues. We had lunch at a real good Chinese restaurant. We had a great time seeing everything around Chicago.
After all of this great fun in Chicago, we went and picked the others up at the Cubs game and headed home. I didn’t want to leave Chicago, but we had to go. I hope I get a chance to see Chicago again some day. Thanks to Mr. Wood I had a great time in Chicago. I’m glad I stayed in band this year.