While the term one holidays are the perfect time for rest and relaxation, for students of our music department it meant the trip of a lifetime as they took their instruments and talent all the way to the United States of America! The strength and quality of our music department spans decades. The experience of taking the trip to America – one of many international music tours – immersing themselves in the history of defining musical figures and locations broadened our students’ outlook on aspirations for their futures and is something we are thrilled to have been able to offer. With our enduring commitment to musical excellence, we are thoroughly proud of all students and staff who took part in this memorable journey and represented Camberwell High School.
Some of the workshop and performance highlights included exploring renowned music schools of Manhattan and Staten Island and working with Grammy Award winning musician Randy Brecker and acclaimed composer Mark Camphouse, before travelling to the west coast to join Disney’s Imagination Campus! Our outstanding ensembles entertained audiences before delving into a private Disney Soundtrack Session where students recorded their very own real Disney soundtracks, including excerpts from Star Wars, The Avengers and A Bug’s Life!
There was no shortage of incredible sights on our coast-to-coast adventure. In Harlem, we explored the rich jazz history of icons such as the Apollo Theatre, The Cotton Club and made a visit to the home of Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. And in Queens, we toured the house museum of one of the world’s most recognisable entertainers, Louis Armstrong. No visit to NY would be complete without a stop on Broadway, so we took our seats to enjoy the Tony and Grammy award-winning musical, Hadestown.
Travelling south, our students stood in the room of Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was signed, before touring Washington to explore the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the Arlington Cemetery.
From sampling local foods to glorious views as we flew over the Rockies and the Grand Canyon, our students soaked up every moment of their travels. They enjoyed amazing world class performances featuring some repertoire that they too will perform across the course of the year, explored the Hollywood Hills, saw the stars of homegrown talent on the Walk of Fame, and met some cuddly favourites at Disneyland.
