Sisters music students tour California

The Sisters High School jazz band, vocal ensemble, concert band, and concert choir will head south to California on Sunday, March 1, on a trip designed to further their musical skill and experience.

Music teacher Jody Henderson will lead 87 students and seven chaperones on two charter buses in a trip that Henderson has been planning for a couple of years.

"This is the first time we've done anything like this," explained Henderson. "The former music teacher, Mr. Lindahl, did it every year on a smaller scale, but this is a first as far as working with a university and professionals. We were going to do it last year, but decided to wait and just have one big great trip this year."

The buses will first take the crew to Mt. Shasta High School where the students will perform in an exchange concert, where each school performs for the other.

"Our schools are very similar," said Henderson. "We're both in small, mountain towns and have a good music program with high participation. Almost half of Shasta's student body is in some type of music class or program."

After spending the night in the gym, the group will set off for Santa Cruz. That night they plan to cruise the boardwalk and begin the enjoyment of the California night life.

"It's going to be awesome," said one of Sisters' top vocalists, Heidi Shultz, who sang at the Sisters Starry Nights Concert last weekend. "I can't wait to get out and have some fun in the California sun."

For Shultz , the trip is an opportunity to enhance the art that means so much to her.

"When I sing," said Shultz, "I feel complete. I get into a mode where everything seems to fit together perfectly. I feel the most myself when I'm singing."

The following morning, Tuesday, the crowd will travel to the nearest Bay Area Rapid Transit station for a 45-minute ride to San Francisco. From there they will take a cable car to the waterfront area and enjoy two hours of supervised free time. Then they will catch the city transit buses to Curran Theater to see "The Phantom of the Opera."

"I'm excited," said Josclyn Snyder, also an outstanding singer. "I've never been to San Francisco before and I can't wait to see 'The Phantom of the Opera.'"

Next, they will pile back into the buses and sleep as they travel back up through California to Ashland and Southern Oregon University, where they will attend clinics setup with the faculty.

"This should be very educational, for the students and for myself," said Henderson. "The university faculty will take notes as we perform and discuss them with us afterward. It will be a great experience."

"The music program at SOU is excellent," said Snyder, "and it should give me a good taste of what this is like at the college level. Hopefully I will be able to continue my singing after high school."

The students will make their way back to Sisters in the late afternoon on Wednesday, March 4.

Much of the funding for the trip has come from fundraising. The major money-earners were the bed-and-breakfast setup at the high school during quilt show week and the Heidi Shultz Pasta Dinner Concert in September where 130 three-course meals were served during a jazz concert featuring Shultz. The students will foot about half the bill.

"This is the first time a lot of these kids are leaving Oregon," commented Henderson. "My hopes are that we all have a fun, safe time and gain some music knowledge and a greater appreciation for where we live."