Arrival @ DGN estimated 1 - 1:15 PM

B. Teague

Sweet Home Chicago

Tochdown: 11:27 AM.

Made our connection ...

... with seconds to spare!

Berlin Airport

We are checked in, and waiting to board our flight to Munich.

Estimated Arrival @ DGN

Good evening (or morning!) from Berlin. It's 1:00 AM here, and in just two hours we will load the buses for our journey home. It's raining hard outside (the first time in over a week we've had any rain). Our guide said tonight, as we returned from the Berlin Symphony Orchestra concert, "Berlin is crying because you are leaving."

If all connections are smooth, and flights are on schedule, we arrive at O'Hare at 11:40 AM. We anticipate it will be 1 PM before we clear US Customs and load our buses. My best guess is that we'll arrive at North High (Prince St.) between 1:30 and 2:00 PM.

I trust families can track our flight status from the Blog. If we are late landing, tack on that extra time to our 1:30 expected arrival.

A request: Mrs. DePeder and several helpful volunteers will be in the lobby of the Prince St. Circle with two large posters of the Wittenberg concert poster. We would like every band member to sign BOTH posters before they depart the North campus. The posters will ultimately be framed, with one hung at North and one hung at South. In all the excitement of arriving home, students could easily forget to walk into the building and sign the posters. Would you please remind them?! This will be the only opportunity for signing the posters. Many thanks for your help.

Your students have been tremendous ambassadors over the past two weeks. Our faculty is very proud of them, and you should be as well.

See you soon,

Brayer Teague

Itinerary Now Available through Google Calendar

For tour participants, parents, or friends who use Google Calendars, please note that the entire D99 Honors Band Itinerary is now live using this scheduling software.

Benefits ...
- itinerary is easily accessible from any computer connected to the Internet
- you may link the itinerary to your personal Google calendar.
- you may sync the itinerary with computer calendars such as iCal, Outlook, etc.
- you may sync the itinerary with your cell phone (iPhone, or other phones with calendar apps) and other portable electronic devices (Palm, PocketPC, etc.)


If you use Google calendar, and subscribe to the itinerary from the Blog, you can easily "search" specific events.

You can access the Google Calendar version of the itinerary in several ways:

1) use the link in the upper right hand corner of the Blog. This will redirect you to a new webpage where you can view the itinerary and all the various event details.

2) you will notice that a mini-version is embedded on the right hand column of the Blog.

3) If you would like to subscribe to the itinerary, go to the main Google Calendar page (www.google.com/calendar/) and type in "D99 Honors Band" into the "Search Public Calendars" field.

For instructions on how to take "Google" on the go with your mobile device, click here.

Attire Update

Some recent questions we have received have led us to believe that it would be helpful to everyone if we clarify what the expectations are for student attire during the flights to and from Europe. As we looked back at our handouts from the earlier meeting, we realize this was unclear.

While traveling on June 7 and June 20 ...

Students are required to wear their tour polo shirt (which will be distributed at rehearsals the week of June 2). Students do not need to wear khaki pants or black shoes during travel (these are for our informal concerts in Europe). However, students should wear long pants. Jeans that are not ripped, do not have large holes in them, and fit appropriately, are acceptable. Shorts or "Pajama pants" are not appropriate. Look conservative and professional.

Students may wear comfortable tennis shoes with their jeans or long pants. Sandals that cover a substantial part of your foot are okay too; flip-flops are not appropriate for this portion of our journey together.

We hope this will clarify expectations for travel attire; our plan is to reinforce these expectations with students during rehearsals the week of June 2.

Host Family List / Change in Rehearsal Schedule

Host Families

It has arrived! We just received this morning the Host Family spreadsheet from our friends in Bietigheim-Bissingen. It was emailed to all tour participants this morning.

The list contains the name of the host family (Gastfamilie), as well as their address and telephone number. We have not been given host family email addresses. We imagine that some of you will receive email from the host family prior to our departure, but if you do not - don't worry. The host family will be there to greet us upon our arrival.

Itinerary

We have - just this week - been able to firm up our performances in Prague and Berlin areas. As soon as we have an updated itinerary from World Group Travel that reflects these performances, we will pass it on to you.

Practice!!

Our tour is quickly approaching. With the end of the school year upon us, our time and energy is being pulled in many different directions. Please assure that you are protecting daily time for music practice with a focus on our tour music. You must arrive at our first large-group rehearsal on Monday, June 2, with all ten concert band selections completely under your fingers! Some of this music (i.e. Godzilla Eats Las Vegas) will be new to everyone. For our Honors Band to have time to pull all of the literature together in one week, everyone must come to these rehearsals with the "technique" worked out. We will not have time to chase notes. We need to focus these rehearsals on ensemble execution, balance, blend, style, etc. Thank you for your advance work!

Rehearsal Schedule June 2 - 6

Monday, June 2

*** CHANGE FROM ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SCHEDULE DUE TO THE SNOW DAY. DISTRICT 99 FACULTY HAVE MEETINGS IN THE MORNING, SO REHEARSAL HAS BEEN PUSHED TO LATER IN THE DAY. EAT AN EARLY LUNCH BEFORE YOU ARRIVE. YOU MAY BRING A SNACK FOR THE BREAK. ***

11:30 - 2:30 PM - Honors Band

3:00 - 5:00 PM - Honors Jazz Ensemble

Tuesday, June 3 - Friday, June 6 schedule remains as previously published.

Tour updates - April 11

EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE NUMBER

This number was emailed to tour participants on April 11, 2008. If you did not receive it, please contact Mr. Teague.


HOST FAMILY UPDATE
Our friends in Bietigheim have the student information cards now, and are currently working to secure host families. We suspect (this is only our best guess) that those placements will be completed in late April or very early May. At that time we will be sent a roster of all student placements which we will forward on to you. This roster will include the name of the host family, their phone number, and their email address. You will know exactly where your student will be staying prior to our departure.


MONEY MANAGEMENT:

World Group Travel has offered the following suggestions for your consideration:
A) For those parents who already have as Visa card (or similar), you may contact your card carrier and obtain a Visa debit card that the student can take with them. Parents can monitor and add money if needed.
Follow this link for more information on Visa debit cards:

http://usa.visa.com/personal/student/debit_cards.html

Follow this link for more information on the Visa Buxx card (a form of Visa debit cards):

http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/visa_buxx.html

B) There is a company in Lisle called Travelex whom World Group Travel customers have used.

www.travelex.com

1504 N Naper Blvd # 148
Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 955-0535
Travelex can provide cash for those who would like something in their pocket as well as variety of Debit Card options.

MEAL EXPENSES:

We are now able to provide an estimate of how much money students will need for meals during the second week of the tour (that are not covered in the tour package).

Students will be responsible for five (5) lunches during the second week. June 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. A typical bakery sandwich, chips and a drink – or fast food meal like McDonalds or KFC – will cost approximately 8 Euro ($13 at today's rate of 1.60 = $1). Therefore a budget of approximately $65 US should be adequate.


STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT:

Relative to students being present in social situations where alcohol may be present, we are able to offer the following clarifying language:

Students may – as a part of this tour – find themselves in culturally appropriate situations where they will be interacting with adults who are legally consuming alcohol. Examples include:
• meals in the host-family home
• post-concert wine & cheese receptions
• performances at city-governed outdoor band-shells or parks
• rest stops on the autobahn
• informal social dances with Musikschule students at local restaurants (i.e. Waldhaus disco, Asperg, etc.)
• Musikschule sponsored meals in public restaurants
• Guided group tours through a local brewery

Students on this tour are permitted to be present in the situations outlined above. However, to be clear, it is important for students to understand that they are not – under any circumstance – permitted to consume alcohol. Any violations of this District 99 policy will result in the termination of tour participation for the student participant. If you have any questions regarding this policy, make certain you communicate with your band director prior to departure for clarification.

Final Payment Update

Dear D99 Honors Band tour participants and families:

We have recently received information from World Group Travel that airline imposed fuel surcharges, coupled with the continually weakening U.S. dollar vs. the Euro, will necessitate an increase in the total tour package cost. This is detailed in a letter from World Group Travel that was emailed to all participating families on April 10, 2008. If you did not receive this letter, or the final payment coupon (Coupon #8), please contact Mr. Teague via email and he will resend it.

When the district received this information last week, we negotiated with the agency to allow payment at the end of May (as opposed to adding the additional money to the 7th payment). As such, please remit the 8th and final payment no later than May 30, 2008.

We trust you know that - as a faculty - we have done everything we can to modify the itinerary and create cost-savings as we have put the program together. We are concerned about the extra financial burden this places on families, but we recognize that there is only so much control or influence we have over inflationary costs. You may have seen in the news this week that fuel prices are upwards of 60% higher this year than April of 2007. And this of course has a domino impact on the entire economy.

Should your family have immediate concern about being able to accommodate the cost increase, please contact your band director at school and we will work with you to create a payment schedule that will insure your student does not miss the opportunity to travel on this very special tour. We stand ready to help as needed.

Bill Miller
Craig Roselieb
Brayer Teague
Glenn Williams

March 10 Meeting Follow-Up

Thank you very much for your attendance at this evening's meeting, and for your kind attention to the presentation. Based on several questions we fielded at the end of the evening, we wanted to share the following:

* We neglected to return to the topic of host families and WHEN students will find out who they are staying with. Our friends in Bietigheim have the student information cards now, and are currently working to secure host families. We suspect (this is only our best guess) that those placements will be completed in late April or very early May. At that time we will be sent a roster of all student placements which we will forward on to you. This roster will include the name of the host family, their phone number, and their email address. You will know exactly where your student will be staying prior to our departure.

* Due to the short rehearsal schedule prior to our departure, and the fact that many students will immediately attend camps upon our return, there will not be a public concert here in Downers Grove by the Honors Band. Fortunately, Don Wilson's participation on the tour will allow our concerts to be taped while in Germany, and DGTV will air these locally later in the summer.

TRAVEL WAIVER / MEDICAL FORMS:

If you did not turn in your packet of forms this evening, please add a copy of you medical insurance card, and return the packet to your band director at school PRIOR TO SPRING BREAK. If you turned in the packet, but without the medical insurance card copy, please bring a copy of that card to your band director PRIOR TO SPRING BREAK.

MONEY MANAGEMENT:

In the next several weeks we will share with you more detailed information about money management options you may consider. If in your own personal research you find options that you feel other families might find appealing, please feel free to forward your ideas/suggestions to me, and I will compile these in the next correspondence.


MEAL EXPENSES:

We are waiting for an updated itinerary from World Group Travel relative to the second week of the tour. As soon as we have that, we will provide to you a more concrete list of meals students will be responsible for buying, and an estimate of how much money they will need for said meals.


STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT:

We will be seeking clarification from the District 99 Administrative Office relative to students be present in a social situation where alcohol may be present (i.e. at a local disco). The forms distributed this evening utilize the standard language found in every District 99 overnight travel waiver (with one exception added about dinners with host families). We will make sure that all tour participants hear a consistent message about our expectations in the weeks to come.


Thank you to Zach Wetta for preparing information to share with families this evening.

Tour Polo Shirts / Tour T-Shirts

Tour polo shirts will be worn with khakis during airline travel and for casual, outdoor performances.

You may purchase more than one polo shirt, if you choose. (Some may want to do this since we will be wearing them more than once. Keep in mind, though, that you will be staying in a home the first week and will have access to washing machines.)

As a gift for your host family, you will be leaving behind a T-shirt with the same design and a list of all tour participants on the back. If you would like one of these T-shirts as a keepsake, please indicate that below. Note: You do not need to specifically order a T-shirt size for your host family. The shirt will be "one size fits most.".

The required tour polo / host family gift combo will cost students $20.00. This money will cover the cost of both shirts. (Additional polos will be $17 each, and students may purchase their own souvenir t-shirt (optional) for $7 each.

Students will be asked to fill out a size-chart/order form at the March 10 meeting, and families will be asked to submit $20 by check or cash on Monday night. Please come prepared with your check book or cash. (Please note that all checks - regardless of your child's school - will be made out to "North High School Fine Arts."

(Note: This shirt is available in Men's 3XL, 2XL, XL, L, M, S and Ladies 2XL, XL, L, M, S)

Roommate Preferences - express on March 10

At the Monday, March 10 meeting students will be given the opportunity to share their roommate preferences for the second week of the tour. While we are in hotels (Prague and Berlin) students will be assigned primarily to TRIPLES.

If students have a roommate preference, they should work collaboratively prior to the Monday night meeting to create groups of three. They will then have the opportunity to write down those three names on a "request sheet" at the meeting. This will be the only opportunity for students to give their input relative to roommates.

Students who do not have a preference will be placed in room groups based on gender, age, instrument, and school.

March 10 Meeting Reminder / Passport Expiration Date

Families are reminded of the mandatory parent/student meeting on Monday, March 10, at 7:00 PM. The meeting will be held at SOUTH High in the Cafetorium. This meeting will cover all legal and medical forms that must be completed for travel, updates on the itinerary, and an optional presentation at the conclusion of the meeting by representatives of Best Buy's telecommunications department, that will share suggestions with families regarding cell-phone use in Europe.

OF SPECIAL IMPORTANT NOTE: Concerning the expiration date of passports: THE EXPIRATION DATE ON ALL PASSPORTS MUST BE A MINIMUM OF 6 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF TRAVEL. (i.e. returning in June 08, must have expiration date of at least December 08.) We have been informed that renewals are now taking 4-8 weeks. If anyone needs to, they should immediately 'renew' their passport and ask for the process to be put on 'expedite.'

We look forward to seeing you on March 10th.

January 18 Mailing

The January 18 electronic mailing to all tour participants includes several important documents that need your immediate attention:

1. Cover letter explaining the attached documents, the time line for returning completed documents, and directions for their return (different pieces of information are due on different days, and returned to different people).
2. Personal Information Card to be sent to Germany (you will need to print this out at home).
3. Passport Photocopy form (you will need to print this out at home).
4. Rehearsal schedule for the Honors Band. Please mark these required rehearsals in your family calendar now. There may be no absences from these rehearsals, which will be held the week prior to departure.

You may access PDF versions of each of these documents by clicking on the underlined link above.

If you missed the meeting ...

Parents who missed our Kick Off meeting are asked to download the itinerary and the payment coupons (which includes the registration form) using the links on the right hand side of the Blog. Please remember that deposits are due by October 1, 2007.

Kick Off Meeting

Thank you to all of the North and South High band parents and students who attended our official "Germany 2008" kick off meeting!

Need a Passport? Don't wait!!!

First time passport applicants need to apply in person. A useful guide to determine whether or not an in-person visit is required as well as information on preparing documents and obtaining passports quickly may be found at the link below.


Click HERE for the U.S. State Department's information on applying for a passport.

Click HERE for a list of locations where you may apply for a passport.

D99 Honors Band #1

Gabcast! D99 Honors Band #1