School board approves 2018 music trip to NYC

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

Charles City High School musicians will explore the sights and sounds of New York City during this year’s spring break trip, band teacher Jake Gassman told the Board of Education on Monday.

The band, choir and orchestra departments had previously taken a major trip to either Washington, D.C., or New York City every four years, but instructors found students had other opportunities to visit the nation’s capital through school, Gassman told the board.

The music department takes a regional trip every two years to Chicago.

“We’ll see the sights that you expect, like Ellis Island and the 9/11 memorial,” Gassman said.

Students will also have a chance to see the shows “Wicked” and “Stomp” on Broadway, take tours of Radio City Music Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, explore Little Italy and Chinatown, and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other stops.

The department has 91 students and 20 adults ready for the trip, which will take place March 12-16. The tour company managing the department’s itinerary also provides a security guard, Gassman noted.