Teacher Feature: Tracy Wright
Motivated by his incredible passion for music education, Tracy Wright does it all. He’s been the Director of Bands at Ringgold High School since 2016, and was director at Ringgold Middle for 23 years before that. He heads to Seattle to assist with director programs at...
Time Well Spent: Preparing Chaperones
A good chaperone can make a trip run smoothly. An ill-prepared chaperone can leave you feeling you have even more students to keep tabs on. Before accepting a volunteer’s offer to chaperone, make sure they have a clear understanding of their obligations. This might...
Teacher Feature: Dominick Caronna
Dominick Caronna has years of history with teaching, travelling and performing. Head band director at Borther Martin High School since 2011, Caronna has seen the New Orleans school’s band through a whole lot, especially since he was a student at the school in the...
Mind Your Manners: Showing Kindness On the Road
“Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Recently, I was lucky enough to be in Oahu, Hawaii for a trip. Knowing the rental car situation had been especially dire there since the beginning of the pandemic, I went in expecting...
Be Prepared to Be Surprised
Change is part of life, and it’s a huge part of travel, but that doesn’t mean we’re always prepared for it. Even if you know to expect the unexpected, you also need to know how to deal with change in a healthy and productive manner. Everyone has their own way of...
Q&A: Performing at the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
Patrick Dailey has been working with Super Holiday Tours since he first started working as a band director, at Ardmore High School. Now he’s at Arab High School in Alabama, and they recently went on their first trip together! Dailey and his band students recently...
Immersing Students in the Travel Experience
At age 17, I was an exchange student in the Netherlands and lived with a Dutch family for three months. It was the biggest challenge of my life, especially not knowing the Dutch language, culture, and traditions. Despite my ignorance of their lifestyle, I was...
Teacher Feature: Dustin Hymel, Belle Chasse High School Band
Dustin Hymel has been traveling with Super Holiday Tours since he was a high school student. Hymel began teaching at Louisiana’s Belle Chasse Middle School in 2007. In 2008, he took over a struggling Belle Chasse High School band program and grew the program from 12...
Teacher Feature: Erin Whited
In her first year as a teacher, Erin Whited has already taken students on the trip of a lifetime. As band director for Ardmore High School in Alabama, Whited was thrust into the role of leading a trip to the Daytona 500, where her students would perform for up to...
5 Tips for Educating Parents on Student Travel
Student travel doesn’t happen without the collaboration of parents and guardians. It’s not just about convincing them to allow their kids on the trip—it’s about working together before, during and after. When you’re in it together, parents are some of your most...