The Great Wall Tour 2006

At a Thursday evening rehearsal in October of 2005, Dr. Romines introduced the masses of the Redcoat Band to the opportunity of performing in the People’s Republic of China during a two week tour. This announcement was met with cheers and much excitement. Details were not known, so we had little insight into logistically how this would come to pass. However, people were excited about Redcoats, and for one night, that was enough.
As weeks passed, we learned more information regarding when, where and how much this was going to cost. It turns out that a group known as the US/China Cultural Foundation was sponsoring this trip and would completely fund the trip once the band landed in China. This meant that all we had to do was fund our trip to get there, and any souvenirs that we purchased along the way. Still, the cost of flying to China came out to be around $1500. No small feat for college students on a very fixed income. But I saw this as an amazing, once0-in-a-lifetime sort of deal. I knew that I had to make this work financially.
As the calendar changed over to 2006, details became more numerous and we got a better idea of just what we were getting ourselves into. As the lone sousaphone section leader making the trip, I had many responsibilities behind the scenes that were very hard to undertake while maintaining my status as a student in the spring semester. I learned that 18 Sousaphone players would be joining the ensemble. That number swelled to 21 before departure and the band grew to nearly 300. This was great news, but meant that those “in charge” would have to undertake even more logistically to make this thing happen.
We had two cultural meetings where we were briefed about Chinese culture and the major differences that we could expect. Along with that, there was paperwork to be completed by each participant. It was lengthy. Some needed to procure passports, some had to be approved to “study abroad” with UGA. We also had to be inoculated against several infections for which we, as Americans, had no immunity to. I love shots .
By the time spring arrived in Athens, Georgia, most of the individual responsibilities had been taken care of and it was time for the group responsibilities to begin. For starters, what the heck were we going to perform for a larger group of Chinese people? This and other questions would eventually be answered as rehearsals approached…

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