Shakopee Senior High School

European Tour Choir - France 2021 Information Meeting

Monday, September 9th 2019

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Important Dates

2019 o Monday, September 9 (Thrust Stage) – IMPORTANT Informational Meeting covering:

• Comprehensive Tour Details • Fundraising Opportunities • Parent Chaperones • Friends & Family Shadow Tour • Safety & Security • Organizational Structure • Finances • Auditions • Rehearsals • And more...

o September 10-20 – ETC Auditions

o Tuesday, October 1 – DUE:

o $100 Earnest Money o Registration and Tour Agreement Form o Completed Applications for Chaperones

o November 1 – Standard Payment Schedule begins

2020 o January – ETC Rehearsals begin

o February 1 – Alternate Payment Schedule begins (for Band student traveling to Ireland &

France) 2021 o March 25 – We board the plane and fly to Paris, France!

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Shakopee Sr. High School Concert Choir

2021 American Celebration of Music in France

Itinerary (7 nights / 9 days) Thursday March 25th, 2021 Day 1 Depart from Minneapolis on your overnight flight to Paris on either Delta/ KLM or Icelandair. Fly transatlantic overnight to Paris with in-flight meals and beverages. In-flight Depart from Minneapolis via scheduled air service, including full meal, beverage service and in-flight entertainment. The destination is Paris, France.

Friday March 26th Paris | Rouen | Bayeux Day 2 Arrival in Paris. Off to Rouen to see this medieval city where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Impromptu sing in the famous Rouen Cathedral. Walk to the Place du Vieux Marché and enjoy lunch. Continue to Bayeux in Normandy. Check into the hotel and enjoy a welcome dinner. B/D

Saturday March 27th Utah & Omaha Beaches | Bayeux Day 3 Landing Beaches | Bayeux World War II history comes alive at Utah and Omaha Beaches as you perform a brief memorial concert at the Normandy American War Cemetery. Visit the WW II War Museum. Return to Bayeux to see the Tapestry Museum or shop in the quaint Old Town. Perform an evening formal concert at the Bayeux Cathedral. Enjoy a post- post-concert dinner at a local restaurant. B/D

Sunday March 28th Bayeux | Mont St. Michel | Blois Day 4 Bayeux | Mont St. Michel | Blois Off to Mont Saint Michele to visit the 11th century Romanesque Benedictine Abbey. The Abbey was a prison during the French Revolution and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Possible impromptu sing in the Abbey. Travel in the afternoon to the Loire Valley, a region known for its chateaux and vineyards. Arrive in Blois. Check into the hotel and enjoy dinner. B/D

Monday March 29th Loire Valley | Blois Day 5 Loire Valley | Blois Visit fairytale Chateau de Chenonceau—Catherine de Medici’s manor house with a possible impromptu sing. Continue to Chatuea Chambord or return to Blois with time for exploring in small groups. Evening concert. Perform a formal evening concert and then enjoy a fun post-post-concert dinner at a local restaurant. B/D

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Tuesday March 30th Blois | Chartres | Paris Day 6 Blois | Chartres | Paris Our first stop is in Chartres to see the magnificent Gothic Cathedral, which was constructed in the Middle Ages with towers built in two architectural styles. Afternoon concert in the Cathedral. Continue to Paris where you check into the hotel. Travel to Montmartre for the evening and get dinner in small groups. Watch the artists paint in the Place du Tertre and take in the views over Paris from the steps of the Sacré Cœur. B

They've all come to Paris. The Gauls, the Romans, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Dwight Eisenhower, the Czar of Russia, Lenin, the Queen of England, Benjamin Franklin and George Gershwin. Some have even tried to capture the city. And now everyone wants to come to Paris -- millions of tourists each year, motivated by the desire to see the most beautiful city in the world. But Paris is more than a city. It is a place that breathes history and legend, a combination of the modern and the ancient.

Wednesday March 31st Paris Day 7 Paris Sightseeing of Paris includes, Champs-Élysées, the Left Bank artists‘ quarter and Arc de Triomph. Have lunch and free time on the Champs- Elysées. Tonight, have dinner and then take a illuminated Bateaux Mouches Cruise on the Seine. B/D

Thursday April 1st Paris Day 8 Paris Guided tour of the famous Louvre or Orsay Museum this morning. Afternoon free for exploring in groups and souvenir shopping. Final concert of the tour at the historic Le Madeleine Church. Farewell dinner. B/D

Friday April 2nd Depart for home Day 9 Paris | Minneapolis Return to Minneapolis today. B/In-flight

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France Tour Features SHS European Tour Choir

(7 nights / 9 days)

• Round trip airfare from Minneapolis to Paris

• Transportation by deluxe motor coach in France

• Professional tour managers to facilitate the program

• 7-nights hotel accommodations in twin/triple occupancy

• Breakfast daily and 6-evening group dinners• Sightseeing as outlined in the itinerary

• Admissions as required for sightseeing program

• Visit to the Normandy Beaches and War Cemetery

• Visit to Mont St. Michel Abbey

• Tours of Chateau de Chenonceau and Chambord

• Locally guided sightseeing tour of Paris

• Guided visit to the Louvre Museum

• Bateaux Mouches Cruise on the Seine River

• 4-Concerts with local promotion as outlined

• Impromptu singing opportunities

• Possible collaboration with local choirs• Gratuities to guides|drivers|local escorts

• Travel Guard Group Protection Plan Insurance

• Online tour registration

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Note: An alternate payment schedule for Band students traveling to Ireland & France is listed below the “Standard Payment Schedule”.

Standard Payment Schedule 2019 Tues. October 1 $100 Earnest Money (will be returned to students that do not pass the audition) November 1 $233 December 1 $233 2020 January 1 $233 February 1 $233 March 1 $233 April 1 $233 May 1 $233 June 1 $233 July 1 $233 August 1 $233 September 1 $233 October 1 $233 November 1 $233 December 1 $233 2021 January 1 $233 or remaining balance (based on variable air fees and any other cost contingencies)

Alternate Payment Schedule (for Band students traveling to Ireland & France) 2019 Tues. October 1 $100 Earnest Money (will be returned to students that do not pass the audition) 2020 February 1 $291 March 1 $291 April 1 $291 May 1 $291 June 1 $291 July 1 $291 August 1 $291 September 1 $291 October 1 $291 November 1 $291 December 1 $291 2021 January 1 $294 or remaining balance (based on variable air fees and any other cost contingencies)

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Additional Costs

• Passport fees (age 16 or older: $145; under age 16: $115) • Spending money (approx. $ 15-20 per day for lunch and discretionary shopping)

Fundraising An ETC Core Committee is comprised of parent volunteers and is chaired by Communications Director, Alex Gerleman. This committee organizes, delegates and facilitates various student fundraisers to defray the cost of the choir tour.

Eligibility & Auditions

• Eligible ETC singers must be registered for a curricular choir. • Auditions will be held the second and third week of September 2019.

Parent Chaperones When filling chaperone positions for the tour, the tour administration will first approach senior high and district licensed staff, and then parents.

• Chaperones are paid $210 (per chaperone couple) which is paid by the student participants and deducted from the chaperones’ total package cost. Spouses are invited and may team up with their husband/wife to help supervise their chaperone family (maximum of 5 or 6 students) if they desire.

• All chaperones will be expected to perform all supervision and tour responsibilities for $210 compensation. • Must be at least 21 of years of age

• Opportunities for chaperoning will be limited based on the number of students participating.

• As per district policy, adults not employed by ISD #720 may be subject to a background check.

Friends & Family Shadow Tour (F & F Tour) Friends and family members of our touring students have the opportunity to experience the trip itinerary, see all the student concerts, but stay in their own hotels, restaurants and have their own unstructured travel time. The F & F Tour members will be able to get together with their student singer during the student’s unstructured time, and may have a common restaurant meal or two with the student tour group. This is the perfect opportunity to see France with your own family, and still have some contact with your student singer. For those who do not get the opportunity to chaperone, the F & F tour is a way to still experience the trip. Note: Student singers are required to attend all student scheduled activities on the Choir Tour Itinerary. Rehearsal Schedule The European Tour Choir rehearses during the academic school year on Monday Evenings (7:00-8:30pm) and Wednesday Mornings (7:30-8:10AM) starting January 2020.