During the weekend (and few weekdays) of April 14th-17th, Notre Dame Prep’s concert band, concert choir, orchestra, and chamber choir traveled down to Music City for the famous “Nashville Trip.”  This particular trip is one of the most exciting events of the year for music students at NDP.  Our trip starts out with a day-long bus ride on Thursday, and a bit of time before bed spent at the gorgeous Gaylord Hotel, where we stayed for the duration of the trip.  Friday was a day of adventure and various activities.  We had breakfast at the Aquarium Cafe, where we ate every morning, and then started our day.  After breakfast, we had a bit of time at the hotel and then left for an amazing lunch cruise on the General Jackson Showboat.  This cruise included a buffet style lunch and an amazing music performance including various country singers, fiddlers, and other amazing musicians.  We also had a bit of time on deck to take in the beauty of Nashville and listen to a guitarist sing some songs.  Ellie Heffernon, Maddie Saldaña, Julianna Perrella, and I had the pleasure of singing “Brown Eyed Girl,” and Julianna also beautifully sang “God Bless the Broken Road” by herself.  After the lunch cruise, we went to the mall for a bit to shop, and then had the chance to see a wonderful performance at the Grand Ole Opry.  Saturday was the day of our performances.  We all woke up early for breakfast, and then went to perform at our separate venues (Concert and Chamber Choir went to First Baptist of Nashville; Band and Orchestra went to Brentwood High School.).  All of our groups performed splendidly!  The afternoon was free time, and if we wanted, we were allowed to go to mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.  The last activity of the day was the awards ceremony held at Nashville Palace.  There, we learned some line dances and had an award presentation.  NDP did wonderfully, and along with all of the awards our groups won (even taking the overall award for the entire adjudication), two of our students, Maddie Saldaña ’18 and Andrea Gibeck ’17, each won a Maestro Award.  This award is given to students the adjudicators believe exert qualities of leadership and a proficiency in their instrument.  There are only four of these given out for the entire competition, and NDP was blessed to have two of the four students given this award.  After the festivities of Saturday night, we returned to the hotel to get some sleep.  Sunday was started at the Aquarium Cafe for the last time, and then we made great time back to NDP.

Overall, this trip was such a blessing to everyone who went.  We all had a blast, and the talent at NDP was showcased in the many awards we brought back.  This was my first trip to Nashville, and I had a lovely time.  I am very grateful to have bonded with so many of my sisters through music and cannot wait to return next year!