David Merrill is a band director at Longmont High School in Longmont, Colorado. Merrill travels with his band every other year, usually alternating between a “theme park” destination like Los Angeles or Orlando, and a more cultural oriented location such as New York—as well as trips to their sister city, Chino, in Japan, when possible.
Trips typically have workshops with collegiate conductors, and they will take in a major symphony orchestra or similar professional performance. On the Japan trips, they spend extensive time partnering with a local youth band in order to learn how their “band culture” and approach differs from what we do here in the United States.
We talked with Merrill right before his recent trip to Japan.
What are you planning for this Japan trip?
Longmont’s sister city is of similar size to Longmont and is located in the mountains west of Tokyo. In 2014, I won a grant to go to Japan, and while I was there, I met with the high school’s band director. Through that meeting we forged a relationship which culminated in a joint concert in 2017. This year is the 35th anniversary of the sister cities relationship and, once again, our bands will give a joint performance. While in Japan, we will spend a few days sight-seeing in Tokyo before heading to Chino, where students will stay with Japanese host families. This will be a great, immersive experience for them. We will also rehearse together, since a portion of the concert will be played together.
What are you most looking forward to?
Japan is such a special place. It seems so different at first (language, customs) but in reality, the students have much more in common than they realize. The thing I’m most looking forward to is watching students get to know each other. It sounds a little corny but I believe that, in our small way, we are spreading world peace.
Watching the students become friends was my favorite part of the previous trip. They forged strong bonds with their host families. But I also loved our performance together. It illustrated how music is truly a universal language. It’s also fun to see our students become adventurous with food and customs.
How do you fundraise and plan for a trip of this caliber?
Yes, it can be expensive to travel internationally. Our band consists of multiple schools and each has their own opportunities for fundraising. The biggest thing I can do for this trip is try to find ways to keep expenses down. Host families really helped with keeping expenses low. They offered a free place for kids to stay and are feeding them breakfast and dinner. It also helps that the exchange rate is quite favorable for the US Dollar right now.
I wish I could plan every trip the way I planned this one. The key component is making a connection with people from the area. This means we are not merely tourists; we are visitors. After this trip, students will have friends to visit again should they return. And the Japanese students will now have friends in the United States. I feel that, educationally, anytime we can make a connection with people when we travel, it enriches the experience so much.
Photo courtesy of David Merrill.
