Here is the photo, thanks to Senator Reed's office and the official Senate photographer, of the EWG High School Concert Band.  The Senator sends you his regards, and congratulates you on a fine performance!  Download your own copy of the photo below (the original signed copy will be framed and placed in the band room).

Day three was a resounding success - our performance at the Naval Museum had a reasonable audience (larger than the ensemble itself, which was a feat considering the weather today).  The kids played an excellent program, which consisted of the following:

Brighton Beach March by William Latham
The Gallant Marines by Karl L. King (conducted by our student teacher, Mr. Zawatsky)
Concord by Clare Grundman
The Hosts of Freedom by Karl L. King
The Star Spangled Banner (A Love Song to Our Country) arranged by Jack Stamp

Following the performance we traveled to the museum of Natural History for Lunch, and split up for a little while.  I, along with two chaperones and a few kids went to the National Art Gallery, where we saw works by John Singer Sargeant, Voltaire, and even the famous painting of George Washington by Rhode Island's own Gilbert Stuart.  Other students and chaperones visited the Museums of Natural History, American History, and Native American History.  As we were waiting for our bus, it REALLY poured on us - further evidence that we should not have played outdoors today.

A Reasonable Dinner at Buca di Beppo:

And then the bus picked us up in front of the hotel where President Reagan was shot, finally heading back to the hotel for some R and R.  It was a tough day with huge energy exertion, so we just kept things simple at the hotel.

I hope to post more pictures when we are home, since it's so late at this point.  Maybe if there's time in the morning I can, but it's an early breakfast tomorrow so we can get to Six Flags.  That's it for now!
 

So day two was an excellent day - the weather was absolutely amazing - the cherry trees are still in bloom, but mostly are just budding leaves.  I did catch a few nice photos:


The internet is slow, so I'll have to post more pictures - I don't want to be late for the bus!

So yesterday we started with Hotel breakfast buffet, followed by our guided tour of the Capitol.  We actually discovered that Mr. Anthony was a FAR more effective tour guide, and provided much more interesting facts.  We finished off that tour by walking to the Capitol visitors center and eating lunch, followed by our meetings with Representatives Cicilline and Langevin, and Senator Reed:

While we were waiting for them, we actually saw the President's 3 Helicopters (we weren't sure if he was on them or not, but they are otherwise known as Marine One).  The kids asked truly excellent questions about the current state of Washington and current legislation.  Senator Reed's staffer was impressed by their intellect.

The big change is that we're no longer playing at the Lincoln Memorial - our concert has been moved indoors to the Museum of the Navy.  It's impossible to explain exactly what that took to happen, but we are grateful to our entire congressional delegation, and ultimately it was our own tour company that saved the day (Thanks Kathy!).

The Spy museum was REALLY cool - if you're ever down here, it's absolutely worth seeing.  Most appropriate for ages 14 and up (younger may not appreciate the details). 

Well, it's time to pack up for our gig, so I'll leave you here.  If there's time later I'll post more pictures.  Wish us luck!

Good morning! 

You'll never believe this, but almost all of the boys were up and at breakfast before 6:30am.  I have yet to see all the girls, but we all know how difficult it is to get ready in the morning...

We're lamenting that there are supposed to be violent rainstorms tomorrow for our performance, and are actively searching for another site!  I'll update you if anything changes.