Acaltraz then a free afternoon!

Well,
we all enjoyed the 5 minute jaunt down to the pier this morning then the ferry over to 'The Rock' Acaltraz for a tour.

The students enjoyed breakfast at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) next door before this and were really interested in the audio tour around Alcatraz and the opportunity to take in the history of one of the most famous gaols in the world!

After a great few hours, and walks through the grounds where the famous 'Escape from Alcatraz' movie with Clint Eastwood was made, we headed back to Fisherman's Wharf where we relaxed and had some lunch locally, with many of the students and staff enjoying Clam Chowder in sourdough at Boudin's Famous Bakery on the Wharf! Click on the Panorama shot from Alcatraz below to check out the Bay Bridge - then San Francisco - the the Golden Gate view from Acaltraz! Amazing day.

The afternoon saw most students head into Union Square to Shop, and several also venture across the Golden Gate Bridge on bikes with staff to take in a few sights. The students really enjoyed the downtime to take in the city sights.

We also celebrated the excellent results of the Year 12's on tour as they received a huge acknowledgement from the tour party prior to heading out for dinner.

Tomorrow sees us on a tour across the Golden Gate Bridge and to a National Park. The evening will see us become Basketball Fans at the Sunshine State Warriors v San Antonio Spurs Game at Oakland! Should be great.... coming from the mouth of a die hard sports fan. Will update again tomorrow. Gotta start thinking about packing - scary for some! Brad M...

Washington to San Francisco - A little tired! But having a great time....

So, 39 students, 5 staff all awake between the hours of 4-5am, then they head off to the airport in Washington. 5 hour flight and then the beautiful San Francisco appears....

What a glorious city and a fantastic way to end the last leg of this most amazing experience for all involved. After nearly 14 days of travelling down the East Coast of the USA, we are back in a climate that is allowing us to actually feel a bit like we're in Australia. Even the feel of the place gives that impression.

We've had a great tour around the city this afternoon, and seen the mix of San Francisco, the cultures, the houses, the Cable Car, Lombard St - and yes, we will definitely explore these more over the next few days. Some people are still wanting more shopping.....

We also sang the 'Star Spangled Banner' for our guide atop the lookout over the city this afternoon and also sang Happy Birthday to Jenny Khouw as well to celebrate her important day. After celebrating Jane Hughes birthday the other day, it has been a busy time for celebrations amongst the tour group.

We are staying less than a block from the wharf and tomorrow we will walk down to the pier and take the ferry over to Alcatraz and enjoy the history of this famous Gaol. See the pictures from my brief walk this afternoon.

Birthday Girls - Jenny and Jane

City Lookout

Group Shot 

Looking across San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz

On the famous wharf 

Singing for our guide

'Star Spangled Banner' - up high over the city

Here's a few pictures form today. No doubt there'll be more tomorrow. We've lost three hours on our body clocks so we'll start adjusting the body clock. I think the IHOP (International House of Pancakes), next door is going to become a popular location! It is the spot for our breakfast for the next three mornings. Wondering which student will eat the most pancakes? Watch this space.

Brad

Washington - Being tourists and a performance at St Alban's Church - Visit to National Cathedral

One of the joys of being on a tour is that you often get the chance to visit the interesting parts of the cities that you are in, often learning about things that you may have wondered about, but never really experienced in reality.

Yesterday was more about sight seeing, with us walking the mall and visiting the Smithsonian Institute (for flight) where many Barker students and staff tried their hand on simulators with little success (yesterday). We also visited the exquisite Arlington Military Cemetery, the home of Robert E Lee, the Shrine of remembrance for John F Kennedy and saw the changing of the guards.

Today was one of those days where we took in some serious history of the USA. We were lucky enough to visit the Capitol building and receive a guided tour through the connections of one of the parents from the St Alban's School, and also visit the House of Representatives.

Walking through the various buildings (the old senate, where past Presidents argued the toss) and the House of Representatives (with the famous whispering room) , the dome and other prolific sights made us all a little more aware of those landmark decisions that had gone before in the history of American politics.

After that we visited St Albans Church and did a performance for the students for the school and once again, our strings and voices were in fine form.

To complete the day we visited the National Cathedral and then the choir sang a number in the 6th largest Gothic Cathedral in the world.

Tonight, we are all packing (trying to squeeze the shopping into the bags) as we head to San Francisco in the morning. The 5.15 am depart time will certainly challenge us all! Next blog will be from the West Coast, until then.... Brad M

Goodnight Moon - Washington Concert

There are moments in music-making which take your breath away, that give you a shiver of visceral excitement or that move you profoundly. These are the moments for which we go to concerts. They sometimes sneak up on you and sometimes they grow as you sense the emotional impact of the performers’ vision. And then there are those unusual ones which you know are coming and they hit you anyway. The performances of “Goodnight Moon” being given by Barker’s choir on tour have been doing that time after time.

This is a stunning choral rendition by Eric Whittaker of an American children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown, very well-known in the States, but not so much in Australia.

Barker shared in its recent commissioning and the choir has been giving “premier” performances in the cities and towns we have visited. Every time, some people are in tears; some in the audience, even the performers. Tonight was the best performance yet, given in the wonderful Hearst Auditorium at the National Cathedral School in Washington. I was sitting in the orchestra with the students, waiting to play in the combined choir items, so I had a view of the stage and the audience. EVERYONE in the US knows this book, either from having read it, having had it read to them or reading to a child. Or all of the above.  So when my colleague Peter Ellis introduces this work, the audience nods and they think they know what’s coming. And then they all sit forward in their seats, their faces tilted slightly upwards and the look on their faces changes; “Tell me a story”, they say.

There are so many levels of resonance in this shared experience. The younger ones remember that time when this simple story – which chronicles a child’s goodnight ritual – was a totally magic, perhaps nightly event, and the older ones take an unexpected moment of time travel and find themselves in that fragile moment when their child was oh so innocent and vulnerable.

But just to retell the story would not be enough. Whittaker has created a mini-masterpiece that captures all the things about this special time and then transforms it into a work of art that transcends any idea of it being “just” a children’s story. And you know it’s a masterpiece because every night it gets you right where music really matters. Tears were welling in the eyes of people in the audience tonight by the second line. Apart from my own response to this music, I find such unfiltered vulnerability quite moving, so I had to turn away. But in the choir, the singers are also totally in this moment, both telling the story and living it. (It is really not so long ago when such books were their bedtime ritual and not Facebook and YouTube!) And in the choir also are tears being shed and a transcendent moment being shared.

Music can be so many things; exciting, diverting, entertaining, challenging, beautiful, funny, monumental…. But some moments of this trip have also allowed the students to experience what I am sure will be some of the most special moments of their musical lives.

David Saffir

Hershey to Washington - Gettysburg Stop Off

On a day where it snowed from start to finish, the touring party enjoyed the chance to relax and also take in the amazing sites and story of the Gettysburg Battle in 1863.

After a short trip from Hershey, we stopped in at the Vistor's Centre then started a two hour Coach trip around the battlefields, while we also enjoyed the chance to get out of the coach and really feel the cold, and yes, engage in some of our own battles with the balls of 'snow' that were very popular with many of the students.

We also visited the many fields and saw the monuments that remind the tourists the  enormous loss of life over three days of fighting over three days in July 1863. We also viewed a movie that contextualised the importance of Lincoln's monumental address and the impact that the Gettysburg Battle had upon the formation of America's independence and union as a nation. The subsequent freedom afforded to all slaves and negroes through the actions of the President Lincoln's actions at the time were evident as the students toured the museum and the battlefields.

Later in the tour, we climbed up a large viewing tour, some 30 metres above the ground where the choir sang Billy Joel's 'And So It Goes', with some students saying it was their coldest performance ever. As we stood underneath the large memorial as a group, we also sang 'The Star Spangled Banner' for our tour guide.

After this we headed to Washington as the snow continued to fall, and met our hosts at St Alban's school. As we had a little difficulty finding the school and arrival point, we were lucky enough to receive assistance from the local member of the police who also provided a police escort to our parking area! The first time I can remember such and arrival on any tour with flashing lights and the full treatment.

Anyway, tomorrow is touring day in the Washington Mall, then another performance tomorrow night, so watch this space. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures from today. Brad M