Shamrock Band Travels to New Orleans
April 7, 2008

A group of 28 members of the Saint Patrick bands and percussion ensembles, along with five chaperones, traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana over Spring Break. The trip allowed the students to experience the unique culture of New Orleans, perform at De La Salle High School and witness first-hand the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Kevin Carroll, the Saint Patrick Band Director, summed up the value of the trip, “experiencing New Orleans is the only way to understand it. Pictures and video just don’t do it justice. There is music everywhere.”

Following an 18-hour bus ride, the group arrived in New Orleans on the morning of March 26. They spent the morning at the Riverwalk Market, French Market and the world-famous Café du Monde. They also got to explore the French Quarter before heading to De La Salle High School for a rehearsal. De La Salle was the first school in Orleans Parish to re-open after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Following the rehearsal they had a chance to freshen up before eating dinner at the Hard Rock Café. The night concluded with a walk to Preservation Jazz Hall for some lively Jazz and a walk down Bourbon Street back to their hotel.

The next morning the Saint Patrick students performed an eight-song set for the student body of De La Salle High School. Following the concert, the group visited the Ninth Ward Red Cross Station, where they donated a total of 115 disaster kits (a $3,000 retail value), the makings of which were collected from Saint Patrick High School students.

The afternoon was spent at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the IMAX Theatre, where they saw “Hurricane on the Bayou” an amazing film on Hurricane Katrina and the impact of Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands. That evening the group enjoyed dinner at Michaul’s Cajun restaurant before going on a tour of “Haunted New Orleans.”

On Friday morning the group visited the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz, where the students participated in a clinic for an hour and a half with Edward “Kidd” Jordan. Jordan is a world-renowned jazz artist and educator, who has taught several famous musicians, most notably Branford Marsalis. The Saint Patrick students were thoroughly impressed with Jordan. “Kidd Jordan was just sick. He asked our piano player to go ahead and play anything, and then he performed a solo right over it,” said senior John Catalano.

The final stop of the trip was a two-hour cruise aboard the steamboat Natchez, New Orleans’ only authentic steamboat. The students got a unique view of New Orleans from the Mississippi River, and they enjoyed a delicious lunch before boarding the bus for the 18-hour drive back to Chicago.