As some people may know, East’s Marching Patriots and Orchestra participated in a field trip to Boston recently. The trip included a clinic with the wonderful Mr. Harden of Hanover High School, a friend of our own band director Mr. Morehouse, and a performance the next day at Faneuil Hall. Alongside an outdoor performance for the people of Boston, however, there was plenty of entertainment. It was quite a trip.
The first day was rather simple. The group departed on charter buses during Lunch & Learn on Thursday, November 21. It’s about a 6-hour drive to Boston, and factoring in a quick stop, we got to the hotel at about 6:00 PM. After checking in and unloading, we had dinner and senior roasts for the marching band. That was about it for the day, and we were off to sleep.
Friday is where things got good. After breakfast, we boarded the charter buses to head to Hanover High School in, of course, Hanover, Massachusetts. Here, we were to have a brief clinic with the previously mentioned Mr. Harden and the school’s band. It was a couple hours long and frankly quite fun. The two directors present, Mr. Harden and Morehouse, took turns conducting pieces we were performing the next day, and it was altogether a good time.
The afternoon was quite packed too. After lunch, we headed towards the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. This is a combination library and museum dedicated to the life and legacy of the legendary president the building is named after. The exhibits depict his early life and political career, as well as the lasting impression he has left on America.
After dinner at FiRE+iCE, a Mongolian grill-style restaurant, we went to see the Blue Man Group at Charles Playhouse. The show was quite good, blending music and humor together very well. The interactive aspect of the show was quite nice as well, as people from the crowd participated in various gags conducted by the Blue Men.
On Saturday, after the usual morning routine, we went for a guided walking tour along the Freedom Trail. The guides’ outfits match those worn by colonial Americans closely, and they did a good job of telling the history of Boston. Lunch was at Faneuil Hall and the adjacent Quincy Market, which is a very busy space packed with vendors selling all sorts of food and merchandise.
Initially, Mr. Morehouse had called off the performance due to the weather, but as conditions cleared up, he decided that the show must go on. We played many of the pieces we had been rehearsing previously, both in school and at the clinic in Hanover, and despite mishaps with the wind it went rather well.
Later that afternoon, we got to see Boston from atop the Prudential Center via View Boston. It was quite a remarkable experience. There was not much else to say for Saturday. We had dinner back at the hotel, and there was a fun interactive murder mystery experience.
Sunday was the day we went home, though not before checking out some more parts of Boston first. The first thing we did was go to the Museum of Science. It’s a very large museum full of all sorts of things related to both life and physical sciences. After lunch at a nearby mall food court, we then went on one of the famous Boston Duck Tours. These are narrated tours of Bostonian history from inside an amphibious vehicle that goes all throughout the streets of Boston and then into the Charles River. It’s certainly very interesting, and the guides do a good job with the narration.
At about 3:30, the Duck Tour was over, and we boarded the buses to return to none other than Central Bucks East, our school. That’s about it for the trip.
Though it may be time-consuming and quite intensive, the school’s marching band is a great way to get to know fellow students and have a great time performing at football games and competitions. This trip is also a yearly occurrence, although the location changes (last year’s trip was to Disney). Interested students can register for the 2025-26 season sometime in June, at one of the “spring training” sessions Mr. Morehouse conducts towards the end of the year. New members are always welcome.
