UK Tour Day 10

By: Zoe Blickenderfer, Premier Choir

Zoe has been in BCC for 5 years. She is 17 years old.

On our tenth day of tour, after packing and eating breakfast at the hotel we left Birmingham and headed to London.

After being on the bus for a couple of hours we arrived at Uxbridge High School in West London. We were there as part of a collaboration with Teach First (which is a lot like Teach for America) and we got to split up into groups to have a sort of exchange with the kids (the name high school might bring images of teenagers, but we worked with their youngest students ages 11 and 12). We split up into three groups: PC had two groups of girls, and Young Men’s had all of the boys. In my group, after introducing ourselves, we decided to teach them We Are Together, which is a simple, but very rewarding and heartwarming song. Some girls even joined Allana on the solo part. We then taught them a song that many of them already knew: Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” However, when we worked with Depot Arts in Glasgow earlier on the trip we learned other parts to make the song even better! After our teaching session we went back into the large room that we started in and shared with the other groups. First, the boys started off with a beautiful rendition of Meguru, and then the two groups of girls sang We Are Together. Finally, everybody jumped in for Rolling in the Deep. It was a really great experience to get to teach music, and really gave me an insight into how difficult it must be for music teachers!

After we said goodbye to Uxbridge High, we ate our lunches on the bus as we headed to the BBC studios to see a rehearsal of the BBC singers! Not only was it wonderful that we got to see them rehearse, but we got such a warm welcome! Their producer was very kind and even gave us some BBC pencils and postcards! The rehearsal was exceptional, and their professionalism and talent was phenomenal and definitely inspiring for many of us, as it gave us a glimpse into what it would be like to be a professional choral singer. We left on a high note, and were off to our final stop of the day, St. Paul’s Girls’ School, to meet our host families. Getting to have host families is such a great opportunity, especially in a foreign country, because it really allows us to be immersed in the other culture (in this case British culture) to a whole different level than if we were staying in a hotel. Unfortunately, there were not enough hosts for everybody, so a lot of the Young Men had to stay in nearby hotels. All in all it was a very fun and exciting day!!!

Arrival Information for Tomorrow

I know you are all waiting for a new singer post, but unfortunately it's just us here in the office, sharing a reminder that singers will be arriving tomorrow on British Airways flight 215, which is scheduled to arrive in Boston at 7:15 PM local time. They will be arriving at the International Terminal E. Start cooking those favorite American meals!

Also, we'd like to share the following press release from Teach First, a non-profit organization that we collaborated with to do a workshop at Uxbridge High School in England. Here's a link to their press release about the event. Check out its title!

What We're Up To: TOUR!!!

This is the last blog post you will read before our Premier Choir and Young Men's Ensemble singers take over the blog entirely for about two weeks with their pictures, news and musings from tour. Tonight, 59 singers and 12 adults will board a British Airways flight to the United Kingdom for BCC's 4^th international cultural exchange tour. The itinerary is available on our website. We hope you will support our community by following along on the journey! There are 3 ways you can do that: 

1. Read our blog (you're one step ahead - keep it up!). A different singer will post to the blog each day! They will be excited to share their photos and thoughts on their day, and how it relates to their experience at BCC as a whole. We encourage you to comment on their postings - it's the best way of communicating with them while they are away. 
2. Follow us on Twitter.  For all you tweeps, our handle is @BCChorus. Please use the hashtag #BCCtour for your tweets! If you're not on Twitter yet, it might be a good time to get "attwicted!"
3. Find us on Facebook. We hope you will visit our page before the end of the tour on July 8th. During the tour, we are trying to raise the equivalent of one student's scholarship for the trip. You can find information about that Fundraising Project on our page, on the Support BCC tab. If a financial contribution is not possible at this time, we hope you will Join Our Cause, and share the information with your network of Facebook friends.

Thank you for the rich and vibrant community you've helped us to create here at BCC. We look forward to growing our reputation around the world with your support!

What BCC Means to Me - So Much More Than Just Tuesdays and Thursdays

By: Elizabeth Stutts, Premier Choir

Elizabeth has been in BCC for 7 years. She is 16 years old.

Elizabeth during her first tour (to Japan) in 2005.

In my very first year in the chorus, I was able to go with the group on a tour during the summer to Japan. That more than anything else began to define my experiences with the chorus, and became one of the reasons I stayed involved in it for year after year. Thanks to BCC, I could go to places that my family would not be able to go to, or send me, for many different reasons. Not only that, but I was going to these different places for a reason- I was going as a performer, as an "ambassador of harmony." I could learn from this place I was going, and I had something I could contribute there as well. I learned that on my very first tour, and I have only had that knowledge affirmed since then.
 
Tour, and performances, were at first the biggest draws of the Boston Children's Chorus for me. Both were something new and exciting for me, something that I had never really been given a previous chance to experience. Over time, however, more reasons were added on to these first two. I got to meet and become friends with many of my fellow chorus members over the years, thanks to the frequent rehearsals, performances, and even tour. What had before been simply a group of children changed with each year. The ties between all of us got stronger, and soon enough, the group was close enough to become a family. At first, I don't believe many of us noticed it, and I know that I almost certainly didn't. Perhaps we all really began to notice it when we had our first graduating senior, because at that point we had our first person who left the chorus because they had gotten to old- not because they wanted to leave. That departure was a moving experience for many of us, and it showed just how much of a family we had become. The last performance in every year is now a monumental occasion, because in some cases, it is the last time that some members of the group will ever have to perform with us. It is then that we mourn the presence of a friend who is leaving us.

I know that next year, my senior year, will be hectic for many reasons, primarily because of the high expectations of the charter school I now attend. This year as well has been very trying on me, as all of my classes are more demanding than ever before, and maintaining good grades requires a great amount of time and effort. No matter how hard it gets, though, I am not going to give up on the time I have remaining with the chorus. It means too much to me to let this go without doing my best to stick through things as long as I can. I have made my closest friends through this community, and even the people I don't know as well I feel connected to, because we share something- a love of music and a commitment to BCC.

This community is much more open, and all-encompassing, and welcoming, than any I have ever been a part of, and I would have to be insane to give up a group that can look at a person for who they are, and accept them and love them for it. That has helped me to learn about myself, and not be afraid to be myself, even if being myself might seem strange to my peers at school. Their opinions do not matter to me as much as the encouragement I receive to be an individual whenever I come into chorus for rehearsal. I have had my eyes opened in so many ways over the years, it is impossible to describe. The chorus has touched nearly every aspect of my life.

If nothing else, when I do finally graduate, I doubt I will ever know again what to do with my Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. That is the time when rehearsal is supposed to be, after all.

What We're Up To: Concert Choir Tour to Worcester and Shrewsbury

By: Maddie Mechem, Concert Choir

Maddie has been in BCC for 4 years. She is 15 years old.

The first weekend of April, Concert Choir went on a three-concert excursion to Worchester and Shrewsbury, just about two hours outside Boston. Our first performance was with the Worcester Children’s Chorus and the Young People’s Chorus. These choirs are really good, and were really similar to BCC, especially in the professional, engaging way they performed. It looked like they were having fun but taking it seriously, and that is what we try to do.

Concert Choir Performs at Wesley United Methodist Church

Our first concert was in the Wesley United Methodist Church, at a benefit concert for CASA. CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) is an organization that provides abused or neglected children with volunteers who support them through the legal and social services systems. As part of participating in this concert, we were asked to donate books to CASA, which we did. The money raised from the concert was given to CASA, to help them continue their efforts to help children. All three of the choirs performed several songs by themselves, and all three came together to perform Sahayta (“helpfulness” in Sanskrit), which uses words from about 14 languages to express peace, and We Will, which carries a message of hope. These two were the finale pieces, and after these, we went to meet up with our home-stay families.

A home-stay involves two or more singers being put together in someone’s house to spend the night, with the idea being that they learn more about other people in the choir and in the communities we visit. For this home-stay, I was paired up with three other girls - Laura, Ify, and Madison, and we stayed with the LaBelle family. We all enjoyed talking to their daughter, Blair, and they were extremely nice to us.

After spending the night with our home-stays, we regrouped at First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, for a concert with their Youth Singers, during Sunday morning services. We sang four hymns, as well as Al Shlosha, a Hebrew text; This Is The Day, which is a gospel piece; and a chorale from Bach’s Cantata 1.

Concert Choir singers prepare for Sunday morning service
at First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury

Spencer with a spear at Higgins Armory Museum

After the service, we made the most of our free time before our concert later in the day, and went to the Higgins Armory Museum. This museum has pieces of armor from around the world, and from across the centuries, as well. Most of the choir went to an arms and armor demonstration, where volunteers could hold pieces of chain mail and weaponry. One Concert Choir member, Isaac, got to hold a piece of chain mail in his hand while the guide ran a hand-and-a-half sword over it (Isaac was totally fine, as the chain mail protected his hand). Another singer, Spencer, got to hold a spear, which was at least three feet taller than he is.

Author, Maddie Mechem, at the Armory Museum

After about two hours of touring the museum, we left for our final concert of the tour, also at First Congregational. We performed by ourselves, and sang most of the songs we’d been rehearsing over the past few weeks, including Oseh Shalom, Sahayta, This Is The Day, and Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round. We also performed Pata Pa’ca, a song from Venezuela which was meant for a college level choir. The audience seemed impressed by that fact, and the fact that we did really well on it. After this last concert, we said goodbye to those who were leaving with their families, and packed up for the trip back to Boston. I think that, all in all, the tour let everyone in the choir come together and meet people they didn’t know all that well, and it is definitely an experience worth repeating.

What BCC Means to Me - The Importance of Connections

By: Ell McGrath, Concert Choir 
Ell has been in BCC for 4 years. She is 16 years old.

Editors Note: Ms. McGrath recently went on an excursion with her choir to Worcester, MA and Shrewsbury, MA. The text below is from her speech to concert attendees about the impact of Boston Children's Chorus on her life. 

The BCC mission statement says that BCC inspires social change through music. It is my belief that social change is not created though ideas, but through connections formed between individuals. For example, when I study for school, I absorb facts (ideas) through a book, by myself. But when we sing together, as a chorus, we do it together, and I believe that that creates social change. 

When you walk into any rehearsal at BCC there's that connection - a bond between us all; a sort of language our hearts already know how to speak.  In our Chorus, there are a number of different cultures and ideas. Everyone is different, yet we harmonize; not only with out voices, but with our hearts as well.

It is that same harmonization that has brought us all together, who would probably never have even thought to give each other the time of day. This is how BCC has affected me.

Elizabeth shares her perspective on BCC's impact during a recent excursion.

Tour 2010: Day 6

This morning we enjoyed another great breakfast at the Georgetown dining hall and climbed aboard our Dattco bus to pick up our tour guide for the morning, Artie. Artie brought us to the heart of our Nation's history by giving us the inside scoop on all of the major landmarks that we toured. One especially moving moment was when we gathered at the very spot that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on the Lincoln Memorial. Feeling such a strong personal collection to the location helped us to give an emotionally charged performance of U2's "MLK" for an attentive audience on the steps. We also toured the capitol building, and with the help of a great tour guide, were able to check out all the Massachusetts specific statues in the building. See video below!



After lunch, we were given some free time to check out DC museums. Some singers visited the Air and Space museum, others the Natural History museum, and others the American History museum. Everyone enjoyed being able to enter such interesting and engaging museums free of charge.

We then headed over to the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church to perform with the Children's Chorus of Washington. Our performance tonight was the last one of this tour, and the last performance for this year's graduating seniors. Needless to say, we left nothing behind. Every song was performed with more energy and inspiration than ever. The seniors chose "Up To the Mountain" as their last song, and as the tears started to roll down everyone's faces, it became apparent to all just how powerful and important BCC is in the lives of its singers.



Back at the dorms, we celebrated our successful tour and our seniors by having a late room check, giving us lots of time to bond with each other. Seniors were also hard at work making superlatives, a tradition we uphold every year in which each person receives a loving "most likely to..", based on their actions on tour. After some late night Dominoes, it is time to rest up for our last day of tour.

Tour 2010: Day 5

This morning we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the Georgetown Dining Hall, and then headed over to Saint John's Church in DC to perform in the Sunday morning service. Saint John's serves as the Presidential Church, every president since James Madison has attended at least one church service there. Singers enjoyed checking out the presidential pew (number 54) and taking pictures seated in the pew. We performed a variety of religious and patriotic music, and especially enjoyed collaborating with the Saint John's Summer Choir, Organist, Timpani, and Piccolo player on "Battle Hymn of the Republic".



Following our performance and lunch, we headed over to the Kennedy Center, where we spent the afternoon relaxing and rehearsing. It was almost 100 degrees in Washington DC today, so we were glad to be able to stay inside and avoid the heat. At 6pm became our big Kennedy Center debut! We performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for a very large audience, and our performance streamed live on the internet and is now available in the Kennedy Center's web archive. Check it out here.

After performing and dinner, we gathered in the grass outside of the Kennedy Center and watched the 4th of July fireworks. It has been such a privilege to be in our nation's capital for the Fourth of July. Nowhere does patriotic better than Washington DC! Looking forward to collaborating with the Children's Chorus of Washington tomorrow.

Tour 2010: Day 4

This morning we said farewell to Saint Joseph's University and embarked on mission: three cities, one day. After a three hour drive, we found ourselves out of Philadelphia and into Frederick, Maryland, home of our accompanist, Emily Howe. We arrived at All Saints Episcopal Church, and were greeted by singers from the Chamber Choir of the Frederick Children's Chorus, who provided us with wonderful walking tours of the city and ample shopping-time in downtown Frederick.



We rehearsed briefly, and then took to the stage for our concert which was well attended and received by the local Frederick community. After the concert, the Frederick Children's Chorus hosted a wonderful dinner, and performed two pieces for us, "The Storm Is Passing Over" (which some BCC members joined them for) and a uplifting song that they commissioned for their 20th anniversary. We then taught them a favorite song of ours, "We Are Together" which we all sang together. It was wonderful to meet them and we are so grateful that they hosted us so kindly.

Following dinner, we again boarded the bus, and have since arrived and checked in a Georgetown University (making Washington D.C. our third location of the day!). The dorms are lovely and we are very much enjoying our stay thus far. Looking forward to the Campus Tour on Monday. We are headed to bed early as we have a big performance tomorrow -- performing at St. John's Church (Obama's Church) in the morning, and then performing at the Kennedy Center in the evening. Can't wait!

Tour 2010: Day 3

On Friday, we had a great breakfast and then gathered outside our dorm for a Campus Tour of Saint Joseph's University. We were escorted into the SJU Chapel for a presentation about the University and then then broke up into small groups for a campus tour. Our tour guides informed us that SJU's campus recently gained a lot of land and increased in size by 58%, allowing them to add a new music center. Pretty cool! After our tour, we boarded the bus and headed over to the NBC Philadelphia station, where we rehearsed briefly and then entered the studio to tape a performance of "God Bless America". The taping went wonderfully and our performance played later that day on NBC Channel 10.

After performing, we headed back to Saint Joseph's for lunch and a little bit of rehearsing for our evening performance with the Wanamaker Organ. Following rehearsal, we traveled over to the African American Museum in Philadelphia for an African Dance Workshop. We got along wonderfully with our instructor, and believe it or not, weren't even half bad at some of the dancing! Although we got sweatier than anticipated, everyone really enjoyed themselves. Perhaps we'll perform our new moves at a concert soon! (Don't hold your breath for it..)



Following our workshop and tour of the museum, we arrived at Macy's Philadelphia, home of the Wanamaker Organ. The Organ is HUGE -- it has 28,500 pipes! We rehearsed with the fabulous organist, Mr. Conte, and then gave a performance for the shoppers of Macy's, many of which stopped shopping to listen to us sing. It was an awesome experience to sing with such a well-known and massive organ.



We then headed over to Buca de Beppo, a favorite Philly restaurant of ours that we visited when we came here for ACDA East. Upon arriving back at the dorms, we packed up and prepared to give a fond farewell to Saint Joseph's University, as Saturday brings us a trip to Georgetown.

Tour 2010: Day 2

Today we arose bright and early and had a nice and nutritious breakfast at the Saint Joseph's University dining hall. After gathering our belongings, we boarded our beloved Dattco bus and headed over to Independence Hall where we performed patriotic music for a special Naturalization Ceremony, during which 26 people representing 19 different countries were granted U.S. Citizenship. Above we are pictured with Ale Mayorkas, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). We really enjoyed meeting him!

Following our performance, we headed over to Independence Hall for a very informative tour and then broke for lunch, during which small groups of singers got a taste of local Philadelphian cuisine. After lunch we made a liberty bell visit, and then we met up with our fabulous tour guide, Ryan, from the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Ryan led us on a walking tour around Philly, showing us various murals, and explaining the background and significance of the murals and the Mural Arts Program, an organization that unites artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. We stopped to sing in front of a mural, which Ryan recorded for a Mural Arts Program initiative and said he would put on the internet soon. It'll be blogged when it's up! Pictured below is the mural we sang "We Are Together" in front of.



After our tour, we walked to the City Tavern, a restaurant that serves authentic 18th century cuisine in a history filled building Dining in a favorite hot-spot of John Adams and friends made us feel apart of history. Following dinner, we headed over to the Penn's Landing area, where we bonded on the boardwalk for some time before heading back to the dorms for a good nights sleep.

Tour 2010: Day 1

Tour 2010 is officially underway! This morning we made a smooth departure from BCC Central around 10am, and were on our way to Philadelphia. We quickly discovered that our bus has Wi-Fi which was great news as the seven hour bus ride got a little bit boring after a while. Needless to say, we were very glad to arrive at St. Joseph's University around 6:00 pm, and settled into our dorm rooms before having a great BBQ dinner in the SJU Student Center. After dinner we brushed up on the music we'll be singing tomorrow at Independence Hall for a Naturalization Ceremony -- rumor has it multiple US Secretaries will be there! We can't wait to welcome immigrants into the US with song. Check the twitter to review the updates from today, and to get frequent updates in the upcoming days! http://www.twitter.com/bcchorus

Jordan Tour: Days Six and Seven!

Sorry for this late update, we were at the King's Academy yesterday and internet access was a challenge.

Yesterday we checked out of the Amman Marriot hotel and headed to the King's Academy for a full day of fun. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly by student counselors from the King's Academy Summer Enrichment Program (SEP). SEP brings under-privileged and over-achieving 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from throughout Jordan to the King's Academy for a two week summer program designed to allow these students to further their knowledge to an extent further than possible at their regular schools. The program combines academic and extra-curricular classes, allowing the students to have a good time while cultivating a love of learning.

After a tour of the King's Academy's stunning campus, we had the joy of eating lunch in small groups with kids from SEP who were all incredibly kind and friendly. Everyone really enjoyed getting to know the SEP kids and learning about their culture. After lunch and a meeting in the auditorium, BCC and SEP students were broken into small groups and assigned topics to discuss and create a presentation about. After nearly an hour of conversation and preparation, 12 wonderful presentations were made discussing the similarities and differences in American and Jordanian culture, which was eye opening for all involved.

Following break time and a wonderful dinner, BCC gathered for a much needed reflection on the trip thus far. From the comments made by nearly the entire choir and staff, its clear that everyone is having a enjoyable and life-changing experience here. Its been incredible for us to see what is really going on in the middle east and singers are eager to share their new found understanding.



Today we woke up bright and early for a tasty breakfast (King's Academy food is WAY better than regular food) and then headed over to the auditorium to perform for the King's Academy graduation recital for the 8th graders. The performance was one of our best so far. The audience was really enthusiastic and very into some of our music, especially the song "Zikr", an Islamic celebration song. After an outpouring of audience members exclaiming, "again!", YME actually reprised the song, which they found exciting and uplifting.

After performing, we said goodbye to our King's Academy friends and headed to Kerak to sight-see. Wandering through the fort at Kerak was really cool, it is really well preserved and their is historical reasoning behind the design, which was interesting for us to learn about.

Following our explorations, we enjoyed a buffet lunch in Kerak and then headed to the Al Hussein Cultural Center to rehearse and perform for the Jordan Festival. This concert, which was our final definite one for this tour, was a tremendous experience. We've never had such an enthusiastic and vocal audience; the applause and cheering after each song was overwhelmingly strong. Singers truly had a great time.

After the concert, we headed to dinner and then boarded the bus for a two-hour ride to the Marriot Dead Sea Resort and Spa, which is where we are now. Everyone is settled into their rooms and we're looking forward to getting a good night's sleep for our day of relaxation by the Dead Sea tomorrow.

Jordan Tour: Day Five!

Today was yet another jam-packed day! We left at 9:30 to head to Jerash, the most well preserved Roman ruins outside of Rome. The sights were absolutely incredible. We had the opportunity to sing in the Roman amphitheater where the acoustics were out of this world. Afterwards, many singers climbed to the top of the amphitheater and took in the view, which was outstanding.

After Jerash, we went out for lunch at yet another wonderful Jordanian BBQ restaurant and then headed to Zarqa Cultural Center, our performance space for the evening. After a little R&R (rehearsing and relaxation) we gave a great performance at 7pm for a considerable audience of enthusiastic members, during which we sang for over an hour and a half. It was really fun to sing a long set, we had the opportunity to perform songs we hadn't sung in a while.

Post-concert, we headed out for Mexican food which really hit the spot for most of the group. With being in a foreign country, the risk of dehydration and illness increases, and although we've had a few sick singers, for the most part, we're doing really well.

Tonight we've all got a lot of packing to do as we're headed to the King's Academy tomorrow for an overnight. We're all really excited to get to know the students there. Check back for updates soon!

Jordan Tour: Day Four!

Happy Fourth of July! This morning we visited Madaba, home of Mt. Nebo and a whole bunch of amazing mosaics. The view from the top of Mt. Nebo was incredible, we could see the west bank which was pretty cool. We also learned a lot about the religious significance of the location and visited the Mt. Nebo museum which contained many interesting artifacts.



After Mt. Nebo, we visited a workshop where people were hand-crafting mosaics. We got to see them up close at work and were amazed by the detail of their creations. We then checked out their store where many singers picked up awesome souvenirs and had a great time looking around and taking touristy photos.



Before proceeding to lunch, we stopped at a beautiful mosaic church, where we discovered the acoustics were incredible... yeah we squeezed a little singing in. We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Haret Jdoudna where we were served a traditional Jordanian BBQ. We were seated outdoors and the weather was sunny and wonderful.



After lunch we headed to the US Embassy where we performed for their 4th of July festivities. The US Embassy was cute... it was like a little piece of the USA nestled inside Jordan. Unfortunately there are no photos as we weren't allowed to bring cameras however be assured that the event Embassy was beautiful and we had a great time being there.

After a hour of shopping at City Mall, we headed back to the hotel where some singers had the joy of participating in an arabic choral singing workshop with the conductor of Dozan Wa Atwar, a local choral group. Singers enjoyed the experience immensely and learned a lot about combining rote and sheet music based learning methods for the best possible outcome.



Around 8:15, we headed out to dinner at Chinese WOX, a local restaurant. The food was great and spirits were high as we reflected on the great trip we've been having so far.

Where we are now!

Follow our whereabouts on Google Maps.


View Larger Map

Jordan Tour: Day Three!

Today was a jam-packed day! After breakfast and money exchange, we headed out to do some major sight-seeing. Visiting the crusader forts and desert castles was absolutely incredible. It's one thing to see and hear about ancient ruins, but to actually visit them in person was a moment to last a lifetime.



We took a little detour on our way to lunch... Note the sign in the upper left corner.

We weren't sure which way to go... we headed towards Iraq.

After sight-seeing, we headed to Kan Zaman for a Jordanian BBQ lunch and then visited adjoining flea market, Souk Jara. Singers enjoyed lunch and many invested in great souvenirs.



After returning to the hotel for a little bit of unscheduled rest and relaxation, we checked out another local flea market before enjoying a splendid dinner at books@cafe. Post dining on great pizza and pasta, we celebrated the birthdays of YME singer, Cautchy, and our fabulous teaching fellow. Happy Birthday Guys!

It's awfully late so this post will be kept short, but check back tomorrow for more updates!

Jordan Tour: Day Two!

Today we woke up bright and early for our first tour performance! After enjoying Marriot Amman's continental breakfast (where we noted a spiffy article on us in the Jordan Times), we boarded the buses and headed to the Queen Al Sharaf Institute for Development (ZENID), Jordan's leading national institute dedicated to promoting learning for social development.



Upon arrival at ZENID, we performed for a large audience of students of the ZENID program who were similar in age to us. The audience expressed feeling truly touched by our performance, which is always rewarding to hear. After performing, we had the opportunity to meet and greet the students, and some of them even graced us with a performance of original raps which resulted in a brief and somewhat wild (BCC style wild... don't worry) dance party.



After ZENID, we boarded the buses for a brief tour of Amman, and then arrived at the Amman Children's Museum, which would be our performance venue for the evening. It was at about this time that the jet-lag started to hit some singers pretty hard, but we all supported each other and took the afternoon easy.



Our evening performance went wonderfully. Although it was outdoors, for the most part we were just fine in terms of temperature. As you probably know, the temperatures are pretty high here in Jordan, however we've noted that its a dry heat and thus most have been content temperature wise. We'll see what tomorrow will bring as we're spending a lot of time outdoors, but we aren't too concerned. We've also been rockin' our snazzy red Converse shoes, compliments of Converse Inc., our official footwear sponsor.



After our performance, we headed to Tawahin Al Hawa for a traditional Jordanian BBQ. We enjoyed trying new foods, bonding with each other, and reflecting on tour thus far. Everyone is having a great time, and we're so excited to see what this trip will bring. Check back tomorrow for another update!

BCC Arrives in Jordan!

We've arrived in Jordan! It's really exciting to finally be here. Right now it's almost 11:00pm Jordan time and we're all winding down to go to bed. Yesterday we met at BCC central for a 2pm departure by bus to head to New York. After loading all of our luggage onto the bus and saying farewells to our parents, we left approximately on-time, which is a feat for this group!

Our bus ride was fairly uneventful. Because we're such a large group, we had to split up into two buses. Upon arrival at JFK, we checked in and got dinner before boarding our flight at 9:45. Our flight from JFK to Amman Airport in Jordan was eleven hours... eleven hours is a LONG TIME! Thankfully though, many of us were able to get some sleep and we all entertained each other pretty well.

It was quite odd to arrive in Jordan after traveling nineteen hours and have it be 5 in the afternoon. We lost a whole day in there somewhere... so strange. But provided we sleep well tonight, we will have adjusted to Jordan time fairly easily. To most of us, it felt like 5pm when we landed, which is great!

Clearing customs was surprisingly easy. Probably because we're a large group, the airport staff was lenient and accommodating in terms of working with us... they collected our passports and returned them swiftly, avoiding individual processing for each person. Also, our checked luggage was transported directly from the plane to our hotel rooms with minimal help from us. Overall, we're pretty well taken care of!

Once we arrived at the Amman Marriot Hotel, we gathered with our roommates, got situated in our rooms, ate a quick dinner, and then settled in for a much needed rehearsal. Although most of us were pretty tired, it felt great to get together with the whole group and sing.

Right now we're getting ready for bed. We hope to sleep a full night so that we're feeling good for tomorrow as we have a jam-packed day that's sure to be awesome! We're trying hard to keep healthy and hydrated which is made easier by Pepsi, our official drink sponsor for this tour. Check out the picture below of singers showing off the new polos we received from Pepsi. How cute, thanks Pepsi!




Check back soon for more updates!

Deval Patrick joins BCC for a Jordan Send-Off!

On June 25th, PC and YME singers were invited by Deval Patrick to the State House for a Jordan Send-Off photo and farewell!

Prior to Deval's arrival, many singer's representatives visited and all extended words of interest and encouragement towards us. We were mid-rehearsal when Mr. Patrick arrived and he encouraged us to keep singing! Our performances of "We Are Together", "Shosholoza" and "Make Them Hear You" were met with enthusiastic applause. After posing with us for a few photos, Mr. Patrick wished us a great trip, said he is looking forward to hearing all about it, and invited us to come back to the State House anytime!