A musical adventure in Japan

February will be a learning experience for the Blaine high school wind ensemble. They will travel to the Funabashi music festival on the outskirts of Tokyo. Now in its tenth year, the festival draws thousands of music lovers. This will be the first time a U.S. band has gone to the festival.

Two days after the annual Arts and Jazz performance, the wind ensemble will leave for Japan from the Vancouver airport and return 10 days later. In Japan students, will stay with Japanese families, visit and perform in elementary and high schools, tour a temple and travel to Tokyo to play at Disneyland

“This will be a great experience and pretty exciting,” sophomore Matt Berry said. The trip is not only about music but about learning another culture. Four cultural activities are scheduled to learn about Japanese music, food, language and the dos and don’ts of Japanese society. “This is not just a normal field trip,” junior Ian Head thought.

Each of the 40 students has been asked to pay $750, while the other half of the $1,500 price is paid through corporate sponsorships and fundraising that will be held throughout the year.

Fundraising kicked off with a performance by an eight member percussion orchestra from the Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, where the Funabashi festival is held. The next fundraising event will be a rummage, craft and bake sale on October 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Blaine middle school cafeteria. That same day there will also be a golf tournament held to raise money for the trip.

For questions call Dorita Gray at 380-8226 or e-mail at jabodo@earthlink.net. If you would like to contribute to the trip fund call Nancy Hamburg at the Blaine middle school at 332-8226.

 

Back to Top