April 6, 2025
By Drew Bancroft
Webmaster
Between June 11-14, 98 members of the band, chorale and color guard will bring their talent to Colorado.
Chorale director Ms. Wise said she and band director Mr. Chwalyk chose Colorado as this year’s Music Department trip destination because the department had success traveling by plane to Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida last year.
“We wanted to go someplace where we’ve never gone before,” Wise said. “We looked at it as an opportunity to explore more west, [which] we would never be able to do… on a bus trip.”
The group will depart from Newark Liberty International Airport and land at Denver International Airport, where they will travel about 85 miles by bus to their destination.
“We have all been working really hard to fundraise and make this trip happen.”
The students will be staying at Hyatt Place hotel in Colorado Springs and are set to perform in Cañon City at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, a popular tourist destination featuring America’s highest suspension bridge, on June 12. Following their performance, students will have time to explore the park.
The following day, students will travel on the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Then, they will visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. The students will end the day with dinner at the Flying W Ranch Chuckwagon, where they will watch an original Western musical show.
The cost of the trip is $1,700 per student. However, according to Mattie Frietas, the Lyndhurst Music Association treasurer, only a quarter of students will pay the full rate for their trip.
The other 75% have reduced the cost of their trip by participating in fundraisers that included selling tickets for car washes and 50/50 raffles at the Music Department’s winter concerts.
“They have many opportunities for fundraising that start in the summer, and a lot of that money is accumulated throughout the year,” Wise said. “In addition to that, we allow students to be on a monthly payment plan that takes a small amount each time.”
Freshman chorale member Alexis Dembowksi said she is relieved she does not have to pay the entire cost of her trip.
“We have all been working really hard to fundraise and make this trip happen,” Dembowski said. “I am so happy I chose to fundraise because it takes a weight off of me and my parents’ shoulders.”
Dembowski, who will be visiting Colorado for the first time, said she is looking forward to the trip.
“I’ve never [performed] out of state before,” Dembowski said. “It’s just good to have that first experience with people who I’m really close with and spend a lot of time with.”
Senior Nate P. Hughes, who plays percussion in the band and jazz band and has been on three band trips, said he hopes to make the most of his final one.
“I want to be able to look back on this trip and think, ‘Man, I wish I was there again,’” Hughes said. “I want to be able to feel sad about it [being over], as weird as that sounds.”
Hughes said the Music Department has been working hard to perfect its performance repertoire.
“It’s a lot of repetition in terms of music and practicing,” Hughes said. “A lot of careful planning goes into things like our music list… so we’ve had our work cut out for us.”
Hughes said the annual Music Department trip is a rewarding experience for its members.
“With all the work the band, the color guard and the chorale put in…, everyone can appreciate how meaningful this [trip] is,” said Hughes.
