Philadelphia Tour Day 1 Overview

Tour Day 1: Philly Fun!      

Day 1 of our tour dawned bright and early as we gathered at AACS for a 7:30 am departure. We loaded onto two buses and headed northeast, enjoying the generous goodie bags provided for us by the parents as we settled in for a few hours of rest and conversation. 

We arrived at Temple University for our 10 am clinic with Christine Bass and two of her assistants. The acoustics in the auditorium were wonderful, and students warmed up and then started by singing “God is Seen.” They received a lot of encouragement (apparently we do more clinics than most high schools Mrs. Bass has seen!), as well as a lot of helpful instruction. They worked hard at shaping the dynamics of the piece, which builds in a crescendo of praise that encompasses all of God’s creation.

At various points, Mrs. Bass had the men doing squats to help them visualize how to support the notes they were singing, and encouraged both the men and women to communicate the tone of the piece through their faces. One memorable moment was when she praised Loretta Grant for her expressiveness, saying, “I need a choir full of Lorettas!”

The students worked on syllabic stress, pronunciation, and communicating the emotion of the pieces they were singing. Feel free to ask them about how maple syrup, sparkles, and hamster wheels are related to all of this! Other highlights included Aaron Lorenzo serenading the women of the audience in “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” and the women’s choir being told to have “more sass” in exhorting the audience to “enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” In their reflections on the bus, the students noted that they could hear the change in their sound as they worked with Mrs. Bass and her assistants. We are very grateful for this experience, and the privilege of learning from others who are experts in the craft! All three clinicians praised Mrs. Coleman for her work with the choirs, as well.

Fortunately, the morning had given us time to work up a good appetite for our Philly cheesesteak experience. We were dropped off near the legendary Pat’s and Geno’s, and students joined the lines spilling off the sidewalk and into the street. They’d had time to peruse the menus and practice how to order (particularly “wit” and “wit-out”, which mean “with onions” and “without onions”, respectively) on the bus, and our preparation paid off—no one was sent to the back of the line, and we were soon enjoying delicious cheesesteaks in the heart of downtown Philly.

After everyone finished eating, we gathered in a small grassy area and had just enough time for each choir to sing for passers-by (many of whom stopped to listen!) before we boarded the buses again to head to the historic district. There, we spent some time street performing (or, “flash-mobbing”) near Independence Mall before enjoying a little bit of free time.

Students learned how challenging street performing can be, even though YouTube makes it look easy! The first ‘target’ of the men’s serenade walked away hurriedly before they could sing to her, and another woman stayed around long enough to be sung to, and then made a quick getaway. Fortunately, they attracted some interested audience members, who stayed long enough for both choir to sing several numbers.

After some free time, we took a “family photo” with city hall in the background, and then boarded the bus to travel to our hotel. We had time to rest and dress up for dinner before heading back into Penn’s Landing to board “The Spirit of Philadelphia” for our sunset dinner cruise.

We had an entire deck to ourselves, and were delighted find that it was the topmost enclosed deck. Students sat by birth month, giving them an opportunity to interact with people they may not have had a chance to speak with earlier. The crew and wait staff were not only helpful, but excited to have us aboard, and we had a wonderful evening!

As we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner, the sunset and clouds over the river were breathtaking, especially with the city skyline in the background. Students went outside to the outer decks to take photos, reenact the famous “Titanic” pose, and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

Just as we finished eating, the music started. Many students made their way to the dance floor at one point or another during the evening, and spent the remainder of the cruise dancing, watching the view from the windows, or gathering round the railing that looked down to the dance floor to watch their friends and teachers bust some moves.

After three full and delightful hours, we headed back to the hotel, ready for a good night’s sleep! All in all, it was a wonderful day of fellowship and fun.