Gull Lake High School Band trip - New York City, March 21 - 25, 2024
We are excited to announce our Spring Break 2024 trip to New York City!
Please watch this space for updates and more information as we get closer to departure.
Click on the drop-down menu above for pages dedicated to different topics about our trip.
Please note that the deadline to register students has been extended to JANUARY 27, 2023.
After this date, registration will close and any additional students who wish to register will be placed on a waiting list.
New York City trip travelers --- mandatory meeting on Monday, March 11, 7:30 PM
This is a required meeting for all travelers and their guardians to hear final expectations about the trip. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria and is anticipated to last 30 minutes. Please plan to have one guardian represented for each traveler.
Please bring with you a COPY of your traveler's health insurance card (front and back) to this meeting.
Please watch this space for updates and more information as we get closer to departure.
Click on the drop-down menu above for pages dedicated to different topics about our trip.
Please note that the deadline to register students has been extended to JANUARY 27, 2023.
After this date, registration will close and any additional students who wish to register will be placed on a waiting list.
New York City trip travelers --- mandatory meeting on Monday, March 11, 7:30 PM
This is a required meeting for all travelers and their guardians to hear final expectations about the trip. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria and is anticipated to last 30 minutes. Please plan to have one guardian represented for each traveler.
Please bring with you a COPY of your traveler's health insurance card (front and back) to this meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions ---- we will continue to update this section as questions come in!
Have a question you don't see answered here? Please email Mrs. Peters or Mrs. Stark
Mrs. Peters [email protected] or Mrs. Stark [email protected]
Registration deadline
Registration was originally set to close on January 10, 2023. Registration has been extended until Friday, January 27, 2023
Eligibility
- Which students are eligible to participate in the trip?
- Students who are currently enrolled in the 8th grade Middle School or 9th-11th grade High School band program (2022-2023 school year)
- Students must be enrolled in both second and third trimester High School band during the 2023-2024 school year
- Students must be in good standing with GLCS and the GLCS band programs, and have completed all of the necessary paperwork and payments
- Does a student have to participate in Marching Band to participate in the Spring Break trip?
- No, participation in first trimester Fall 2023 Marching Band is not a requirement for the trip. Students must be enrolled in second and third trimester Concert or Symphonic bands during the 2023-2024 school year
Itinerary and activities
- Please see the "itinerary" page for our detailed schedule! All tour inclusions are subject to change due to weather or other events out of our control.
- What will students wear for the performance on the Intrepid?
- Students will wear their blue GL Bands performance shirt; please see Mrs. Stark if your student needs to order one!
- Can my family come to watch the performance on the Intrepid?
- Yes! You will need to purchase your own tickets for entry to the Intrepid Museum, but families are welcome to come watch!
- Will the performance on the Intrepid be recorded?
- We are unable to professionally record or livestream the Intrepid performance. We hope that one of our families in attendance will take a recording for us!
- Can my family come to watch the Broadway Workshop for Instrumentalists?
- Unfortunately, the Workshop is closed to all but participating students and our chaperones
- Will all students perform?
- Yes, all students on the trip will be expected to participate in the Intrepid performance and the Broadway Workshop for Instrumentalists. Students are required to attend scheduled rehearsals prior to the trip. Please see the BAND groups for the schedule.
- Will student instruments be transported?
- We will transport all necessary performance instruments on our charter buses, with the exception of large percussion instruments that will not fit or travel well in the cargo bay. We will rent large percussion instruments in NYC. They will be dropped off and picked up by the rental company for our use.
- Our family is planning our own trip to NYC - can we pick up our student at the end of the band trip?
- Yes! We have scheduled our trip so that families may also take their own Spring Break vacation after our trip. You are welcome to collect your student from the hotel on Monday, March 25 before we depart. We will require notification in writing prior to the trip. More details to follow, including specifics of time and and location to collect your student. Students must be collected by an authorized adult.
- Will we be taking school buses or charter buses?
- Thornapple Travel has reserved two charter buses for our use for the trip to and from NYC, as well as transport around the city
Chaperones
- We are grateful for our excellent team of parent chaperones! The chaperone application process has now closed.
Accommodations
- Please see the "Transportation and Accommodations" page for details of our hotel
We understand that families may wish to join their student on this trip. We are unable to offer family travel packages through Thornapple Travel, but you are welcome to plan your own trip to coincide with our itinerary.
- Families are welcome to book their own travel, event tickets and tours, subject to availability.
- We cannot guarantee availability at all of our scheduled stops for anyone outside of our registered travelers. We cannot offer seats on our charter buses, book hotel rooms with our student group, or include you on our tours.
- Families will be able to watch the performance on the deck of the Intrepid with purchase of your own tickets. The Broadway Workshop for Instrumentalists is closed to all but students and chaperones.
- Your student is our responsibility for the duration of the trip, and will not be allowed to skip scheduled events to join your family.
- If you wish to pick up your student from our hotel on Monday, March 25 before our morning departure, you are welcome to do so. Our trip is scheduled so that families may also take their own family vacation after our trip. We will require notification via email; more details to follow.
Meals
- Please see the "Meals" page for details of our planned meals and cashback provided each day
- Please see the "Traveler Safety" page for details
All students will need to bring:
- comfortable, school-appropriate travel clothes for Thursday, March 21 and Monday, March 25
- "Sunday Best" clothes for the performance of Hamilton on Friday, March 22
- GL Band NYC trip shirt (distributed at the March 11 meeting) for the Broadway Workshop for Instrumentalists on Saturday, March 23
- blue GL Bands performance shirt for the performance on the Intrepid on Sunday, March 24
- comfortable walking shoes for every day of the trip
- See the packing list provided on the March 11 presentation (posted on BAND)
- We will NOT be bringing extra blue Gull Lake Bands performance shirts or white Gull Lake NYC shirts. Students - please remember to pack your shirts - they are your performance uniforms. If you are not wearing the appropriate attire, you will not perform.
Notifications while on the trip
All student travelers, parents of student travelers, and chaperones should have joined our designated BAND groups.
Information while traveling will be posted on BAND. We will be difficult to reach by email while traveling!