Ms. Neddermeyer's Blog from New Orleans
March 20-26, 2009

Saturday, March 21
We arrived in New Orleans today, three hours ahead of schedule.  The exceedingly long bus ride full of students sleeping all over the floor ended with crashing an iHop here.  We then continued for a speedy air boat tour in the swamp complete with big gators in the water and little gators in the boat.  Mild sun burns, green grass, blooming flowers, and leafy trees are a welcome change from the Minnesota winter.

We rehearsed in the afternoon at our host school, Archbishop Rummel High School.  ARHS is an all boys, Catholic school here in the area, and we will be performing a concert for their student body with our combined bands in three days.

Dinner was filled with new food and experimentation by all!  Crawfish and live jazz made the end of the first day very spicy!

Sunday, March 22

Today, we went to mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church, one of the oldest and largest African American congregations in the area.  Mass lasted nearly two hours, and still, it seemed to fly by with the Gospel choir and parishioners with their own tambourines.  It was very moving, full of life, and very open to us.  We have never done so much hand shaking during "peace."

We took in the French Quarter during the afternoon, including the food, the street musicians, the artists, the architecture and the history.  The band gave an afternoon concert at the Pavillion along the Riverwalk.  The wind played terrible tricks on us all while we tried to play.

The evening was great with a private concert at Preservation Hall and dinner at a local chain of Cajun restaurants.  The kids have recieved constant compliments on their behavior, manners, and general graciousness.  We can be proud of the students that both VIS and STA are dedicated to teaching.

Monday, March 23
Today was very busy.  We started the morning in service in the Upper 9th Ward.  We worked with students and a counselor from Archbishop Rummel High School in a community park.  The goal is to help restore community spaces that will infuse a little vitality in what otherwise still seems like a defeated area.  We were all overcome by the general devastation that is still prominent several years after Katrina.  We picked up garbage (two heaving truck loads to a dumpster), we planted trees and other plants in the park and for neighborhood yards, and we expanded our cleaning to the surrounding properties.  I can't help but feel that we are but a drop in the bucket in the big picture, but I know our quick work will make a lasting difference in the lives of the families in the area. 

For lunch, we went to a cooking school in the French Quarter.  We watched as a chef led us through the making of a traditional Cajun meal for the 58 member band group.  We all left with recipes, full stomachs, and an enriched pallet!

The afternoon was spent touring more historic sites in the French Quarter including St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, St. Louis Cathedral, and several historic buildings along the walk.  The raised cemeteries are very solemn and beautiful.

The evening was spent with live music on the Natchez riverboat along the Mississippi River.  Wonderful food, music, and history seems to soak into every crevice of the city.  You can't help but be moved by the surprises here.

More tomorrow...our last day in this wonderful city.

Tuesday, March 24
Today was a musical day.  We started at a clinic with Dr. Herbert, the Director of Bands at Loyola.  Judging from the reactions to this marvelous trip, there are likely going to be some future students graduating from STA attending Loyola.  The experience was marked by very pointed honesty from the clinician.  Students often hear the same comments phrased the same way repeatedly from their own director, and a fresh set of ears and comments is really refreshing.

We spent the lunch break at the aquarium which was small but very diverse and beautifully designed.  Students marveled at their very large, famous, albino alligator.

We performed our joint concert with the Archbishop Rummel High School Band in the afternoon for the 1,200 member student body of the all-boys high school.  The experience of playing within a 120 piece band was very new for the students from both schools.

The evening was a once in a lifetime opportunity at Evergreen Plantation.  We had a private tour of the beautifully preserved plantation and its seemingly countless buildings.  The students stood in the slave quarters and we talked frankly together about slave trade, commerce, and culture on the sugar cane plantation.  We had dinner with live music and ended the evening with a wonderful bonfire.  The evening was memorable and yet impossible to describe.

I, personally, have been in awe of the experience here.  I have marveled at our students and their interaction with the culture here.  I have relished the opportunity to have our 100% attention dedicated toward our development here both musically and culturally.  I never imagined that the learning would be so intense.  I will return on the bus, but I can't wait to make it back down to this area and this life.

Much thanks to our administration, our parents, and our community for providing this opportunity for us.  It is immeasurable and it has taken our breath away.  Thank you!

This is a picture of band's 2009 Senior class on the front steps of
Evergreen Plantation's Big House.