Taking school groups on a spring trip can be a fun and rewarding experience for students, staff and parents. I can recall loving the experiences and memories I made from these trips – which continue to remain with me still to this day.
Directors and teachers can use these spring trips as a means of motivation for students throughout the course of the year. Consequently, the spring trip serves as a power educational and social tool for our students.
Benefits
What are the benefits of going on a spring trip? The answer to this can be better communicated based on the objectives of the individual program. Many music educators treat spring trips as an opportunity to travel to a location that is fun for the students, such as a theme park or festival. Others may invest heavier sums of money and travel out of state and take part in multi-day experiences.
Regardless, most performing group use this opportunity to perform and compete in new venues. For many organizations, this educational component is the determining factor that administrators use for approving these sorts of trips. In the event that a competition venue is not available, music educators will arrange for students to attend a clinic or a professional performance.
Organizational Challenges
It is not a secret that planning for a big end of the school year trip is not easy. It often takes months of planning, fundraising and preparing for a successful event. Topics of consideration, when planning for a spring trip, include:
- Date Setting
- School Approval
- Cost
- Performance Preparation
- Buses
- Buses
- Chaperones
- Meals
- Hotels
- Spending Money
- Parent Meetings
- Security
- Rules and Regulations
- Schedule Creation
- Uniforms
- Communication with general school staff
- Tour Company or Festival Organization
- and much more…
Closing Thoughts
End of the year trips motivate students, staff and parents to remain active in their associated music programs. As a result, programs tend to have more positive experiences that last a lifetime. Motivational factors, for educators, can be used to academically, ethically, physically, musically and intrinsically motivate students. In conclusion, consider the benefits and rewards that taking on the task of organizing an end of the year trip will have. You may find it is the best thing you’ve done all year.
