Everything You Need To Know About Booking A Tour For Your School Orchestra

Photograph Author

Most UK education establishments now run some kind of lunchtime or after-school orchestra club for students with musical talents. This can be a great way for kids to socialise whilst also working on their skills and becoming better musicians, which is probably why the level of uptake is usually so high. Performances are a big part of this, and although many settle for simply getting on stage at their local theatres or at other nearby schools, some are lucky enough to venture out on international tours, and this is what I’m going to focus on in my article today.

I remember being at school and wishing I could have gone to Italy with our orchestra, but unfortunately I was far too concerned with becoming a rock star than playing classical music. Still thousands of kids learn the play the violin, trumpet, clarinet, double bass and all the other main instruments each year, so the amount of students traveling to other countries for performances is steadily increasing year on year.

Anyway, spend a moment or two reading through the information below and I’ll do my best to highlight how you should go about booking a tour for your orchestra next year.

Making Travel Arrangements

Before anything else, you’re going to need permission from the parents to take their children abroad, so deciding on a location now and getting the letters printed off as quickly as possible is probably your best move. We all know how kids like to “lose” things you send home. After this is done, it’s time to think about how you’re going to get to your chosen destination. In most cases, it’s easier to travel by coach when visiting Europe, but depending on the amount of bodies you’re taking along, it could make more sense to fly. Either way, it’s important that you call the travel companies direct and inform them of the nature of your visit to obtain the best deals.

Finding Suitable Accommodation

Some teachers like to do this themselves, others find it more sensible to employ the services of a company that specialises in booking music tours for schools. Again, the final decision will be down to you, but unless you’re incredibly experienced and have done this sort of thing many times before, it’s probably best to leave it to the experts, as they can also help you to book concerts and performances etc.

Keeping Everybody Safe

This is a main concern for most teachers, as they will almost always be held responsible for any injuries or mishaps. So, making sure you set out strict policies and explain them carefully to all the students present will be the best course of action. At the end of the day, accidents will happen, especially when you’ve got 3 adults looking after 30 kids, but minimising the chances of any significant issues should help to ensure everyone has a truly memorable time.

So, now you know everything about booking a tour for your school orchestra next year, I hope you feel a little more confident with the whole endeavour. Like anything else in this world, things will become a little less nerve racking once you’ve got a few trips under your belt.

Have fun!

About the Author