Lovett has a rich tradition of excellence in choral music but hadn’t traveled overseas in 30 years. Last spring we spoke to the students and parents and decided that there was enough interest in an overseas trip. We decided on a tour that would occur just before the Christmas break, singing songs from Lovett’s annual Lessons and Carols service. We decided to travel to London for a couple of reasons: With this being our first time taking students to an overseas location, we wanted to travel to a location where there would not be a language barrier, where the currency would be similar to ours, and to a place we could perform music from our Lessons and Carols service. London seemed like the perfect location. It has its similiarities to the United States but is very different at the same time.

Once we made the decision to go and received the commitments from the students, we immediately began working with Music Celebrations International to plan the trip. MCI asked us what type of sight-seeing we were interested in as well as booked the performance venues. They were excellent to work with.

The tour was an absolute success! Students and chaperones had a wonderful time and we certainly look forward to another overseas trip in a few years. In addition, we had a good number of audience members at the performance venues. They were very receptive to our performances which added to our positive experience. Although traveling during the holiday break kept a few students from going on the trip, it was wonderful to be in London during the holiday season and to share our love of music with the people of England during this season. Several of the students had traveled to London before but they thoroughly enjoyed traveling with their friends. As the teachers, it was enjoyable watching the students experience the culture of London and hearing them talk about the differences and similarities of the two cultures. We would definitely like to do this tour again in four years.

Scott Martin, Director
Lovett School