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Senior Account Manager, Alahree McDonell-Reid, shares her experiences of being on tour with some of our groups on their school music tour to Belgium this summer.
I jumped at the chance to join and film some of my groups in Belgium in July and arrived in the busy seaside town of Ostend to film a concert at the historical bandstand. After working with the two heads of department from the school in Gloucestershire since the late 1990s, it was great to finally see them on tour. Very experienced, popular and inspiring party leaders, they had no less than 13 leavers join them on the tour. After a hearty dinner back at the hostel, I headed out with the group for an evening of bowling. With laser lights flashing and a stream of UK-friendly hits playing, our youngsters sang along at full volume and had a great time.
The following morning found us in Ghent where the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Thankfully we were safely inside our glass topped boat with a couple of the best guides I’ve come across. The talk had just the right mix of history and witty banter for a group of teenagers who rewarded us with an impromptu, skin tingling performance. On then to St Michaelskirk, absolutely colossal in size (although the students seems quite unfazed by this) for the next performance. The rain counted in our favour and the church was nicely scattered with a decent sized audience for the group’s final performance. Considering the challenges of finding a venue for a group of mixed ensembles ranging from a jazz group, string trio, full choir and a number of soloists, this venue worked remarkably well and the setting afforded the group ample space for staging the many changes.
I then travelled over to Ypres to meet a brass band from one of our Welsh music services performing at the Menin Gate for the Last Post ceremony. In spite of the rain, the Menin Gate was packed full and it was easy to see why. Aside from the beautiful music that accompanied the service, the whole experience was incredibly moving. The band performed three pieces while visitors laid their wreaths. The party leader told me afterwards how much it meant to the group to pay their respects to those that fell during the Great War.
The following day the group returned to Ypres’ main square for a more upbeat performance and it made me reflect on how diverse the school music tour opportunities in Belgium really are.
This was never more true than when I met up with my final group, a school from Wales, back in Ostend, and I saw at first hand just how close and accessible everything is in Flanders. A short hop to Bruges and after a fun and informative talk about the chocolate making process we squeezed ourselves into a tiny chocolate shop where not one person left without making a purchase. A guided tour of the city rounded off our visit before we headed for the coastal town of De Panne for the group’s first concert.
Coastal Belgium is well geared up for summer outdoor concerts. It’s not uncommon for towns to have their own bandstand or moveable semi-permanent structures strategically placed for maximum audience attraction. And De Panne was no exception. Again the weather didn’t deter people and a hundred or so people stalwartly sat through the whole concert with many more passing through – thanks in no small part to the great entertainment being provided.
The next day we were off to Bellewaerde theme park, which has everything a group of thrill seekers could want. I was reliably informed by the thrill seekers in the group that not only were the rides as good as anything at Disneyland Paris and Thorpe Park but queuing times were just five minutes – surely this is Flanders’ best kept secret. Then on to Brussels where later that afternoon in Brussels’ most trendy of districts the group performed at the cultural centre. The acoustics were amazing and the group responded with a final sterling performance, a brilliant high to end the tour for me and the staff and students.
Belgium has always been the perfect destination for school music tour groups: there are good concert venues to suit almost every kind of ensemble; a combination of fun and educational excursions; and it’s just two hours from Calais. I went with a mission to spend time with my groups and bring back lots of inspiring film footage of venues, but what I came back with was an overwhelming affirmation of what I already knew about Belgium and the wonderful music touring opportunities it offers.
Destinations
