Drum Major Shares Ambassador of Music Experience

By Eleanor Sevigny

  School starts Monday, August 11 for Galesburg CUSD #205. Despite her busy schedule with band camp and preparing for school, Alexandria Clark took time to talk about her recent trip to Europe with the Ambassadors of Music. 

  “The trip was really good. I enjoyed it a lot, especially in countries where they spoke another language. They still enjoyed the music. We were able to communicate through music instead of talking.” explained Clark. 

  Clark visited England, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria in June. 

  “Austria was my favorite country that I visited. It was clean. The people were very kind. It’s scenic. The food was amazing (the best out of all the countries I visited). The weather was great! We had more freedom because of how safe it was there. It was very under rated. My favorite historical site was Dachau (concentration camp in Germany). I love learning about historical events like the Holocaust. It added to my knowledge base. I want to learn more and more about the personal experiences of the people who were there, especially the young people. My favorite activity was getting to see Hamilton. The cast did such a great job. They were a spot on cast. I also loved visiting the Louvre.”

  For Clark the hardest part of the trip was “having to problem solve on your own. The unanticipated challenges that occur while traveling. One of the xylophones was left in a different country and had to be shipped over to us. Being a percussionist we had to figure out how to be versatile. There were times when we wouldn’t fit on the stage, so we performed backstage separate from everyone.”

  During the trip Clark played “xylophone, marimba, bass drum, cowbell, crash symbol, and suspended symbol.”

  Her favorite pieces she performed were “American Fanfare, Yesterday (The Beatles compilation), and Danzas Cubanas song.”

  At the performances “people treated us like royalty. They came from all over to see our performances. It really felt like we were welcome there. We had a different conductor for each song. The common thread was music and our passion for making music. It was beautiful.” 

  It was possible for Clark to go on this trip because “our community showed up. I bussed tables at Judy’s on Saturday mornings. I worked towards my goal with Judy. I had a large donation from Dave’s Autobody as well as donations from people all over the country. I am incredibly grateful to our community, my parents, and my band directors.”  

  Clark would like the community to know “thank you for giving me the opportunity and letting me share my experience with you. Keep your mind open. There is an opportunity out there waiting for you and you should take that opportunity. Don’t be scared. Work hard and do it. Go for it.”