July 28, 2008 to August 13, 2008
55 Skyview Students are participating in the 2008 Olympic Orchestra in Beijing China. They will be part of approximately 600 students from the United States joining the 2008 member Orchestra from around the world. They will be making history by being the first foreign group to perform in Tiananmen Square. They will also perform at the Great Wall, soccer prelims and other venues in and around Beijing.
The first part of the tour for these students began in Seattle. July 25th our students departed with 66 Hockinson band students for a three day pre-camp. In true band fashion, these students became fast friends with the students from the Puget Sound area. The homestay families from Inglemore High School took very good care of all our students. Many of the homestay parents commented on how polite and courteous our students were. If you are a parent of one of these students you should be very proud that they represented your family and our community very well.
The uniforms have been passed out and fitted to fit just right.
Our world travelers made history as being part of the first foreign group to perform in Tiananmen Square. They also performed at the Great Wall. Some of the students have started communicating with their families who stayed home. They all appear to be getting plenty to eat, having fun, making new friends, and getting plenty of exercise. After the 3 1/2 hour bus ride, they had to hike about 1/2 mile to get to the wall. Not too bad of a walk, unless of course, you were the one carrying a tuba, bari sax, drums, or other large instrument.