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What follows are the
reflections of
the students and adults who traveled to New Orleans.
They are posted in the
order received.
- nobody got hurt,
- nobody got sick,
- we didn't leave anybody down there,
- we all got along great,
- we played 7 concerts in 3 days and each one was better than the day before,
- we ate some great food without knowing what it was,
- we saw an alligator, some snakes in a beautiful swamp,
- we worked on three or four houses in Musicians' Village,
- we played a concert in Musicians' Village with real "legends" of
the jazz world watching, and they really clapped for us,
- we met the future homeowners of the houses we built or painted,
- we saw some of us "sit in" to play with the pros at "Snug
Harbor" (jazz club in NO),
- we met and talked to Tom Piazza, the author of the book that everyone
read (or was supposed to read),
- we painted inside and outside walls and our shirts,
- we took cold showers at Camp Hope and we didn't complain, ever,
- we slept in big rooms with MANY others from around the country,
- we ate Camp Hope food prepared by AmeriCorps people who weren't much older
than many of us,
- we met AmeriCorps people and learned that they are really serious about
helping others more than they are wanting something tangible in return,
- we learned how to hammer a nail, put up siding, cut with a power saw and
more,
- we learned how to tear down things that we messed up and rebuild them
again,
- we made some new friends and felt real love at a New Orleans Baptist
Church service,
- we performed live on TV.... http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=7118570&src=news
- we videotaped a piece for the TV station's
Holiday Special to be aired next December,
- we got to hear a man named "Pickles" try to say the word
"boiled", but it still sounded like he was saying
"bald",
- we got sunburned,
- we saw in Jeff Coffin how we can someday be a superstar, but still be just
another guy,
- we got really, really tired, but still got up and worked or performed some
more,
- we had culture shock on Bourbon Street,
- we raised enough money to actually build an entire house for someone in New
Orleans that we will probably never meet,
- we wrote things with sharpies on a house we built,
- we played with a guy name "Chaz" and heard him play the rub
board as if he had invented it,
- we saw some inner-city New
Orleans kids come to a concert looking tough and depressed, and
saw them leave with smiles carrying their prom dresses and tuxes,
- we were heard on jazz radio station many times when they played our
CDs,
- we followed the rules and kept positive,
- we had nights with as much as 6 hours sleep and as little
as 4,
- we practiced for the demands of this trip by staying awake all night at
our marathon concert,
- we were told we had to write a paper about the trip or get a "B"
for the quarter,
- we ate crawfish in every possible manner it could be cooked,
- we met and had fun with other young people from around the country at Camp
Hope,
- we looked silly walking off the plane and in O'Hare wearing our crawfish
hats,
- we saw how bad off New
Orleans still is more than 2 years after "the storm",
- we sailed on a riverboat and heard some really good Dixieland
players,
- we ate Biegnets at Cafe Du Monde,
- we played on used donated instruments and made them sound good,
- we did some things that we will never be able to do again as long as we
live,
- we learned than anyone of us can do great things if we just take the first
step,
- we learned just how hard we could push ourselves without
breaking, and then pushed some more,
- we learned that "giving" is MUCH more rewarding and fun
than "receiving",
- we were part of American history in doing something to rebuild a great
city in need,
- we learned that being blessed has a completely different meaning
down there than it does up here,
- and we touched more people in more ways than we will ever know.
At some level and in some ways, we will never be
the same again, and that feels really good.
Jim Warrick, (Director)
Sharing a quote I had read long ago
(You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can never count the
number of apples in a seed.), I told the travelers I expected we would be
planting seeds in
New Orleans
. Even if it seemed our efforts
were merely a drop in the bucket, so to speak, they could grow to bear fruit
we could not even begin to imagine. What
I did not expect, however, was that the experience, the people, even
New Orleans
itself, would plant such seeds in us. But
that is what happened. I believe
that deep within each of us who made this journey, there are planted seeds
that have profoundly affected us and that will grow up in ways we can’t
imagine. Some of the seeds may
lie dormant for a while; others are already beginning to sprout.
Many of us feel a deep connection with
New Orleans
, and a strong desire to continue the work.
Many have had the desire to serve ignited within them.
Some have learned profound truths, some have been touched by the
warmth of the people, the “warm fuzzies” of lending a hand to someone in
need. Only time will tell all
the lessons learned and all the fruit that will come from this journey, but
we already realize we have been part of something bigger than ourselves, and
that makes it all worth while.
- Judy Warrick (chaperone)
Unloading donated instruments in New Orleans
(photo by Alan Kalmikoff)
Happiness comes in the act of giving...by
instilling happiness unto
others one can in turn receive happiness...
That was the underlying idea that drove me this whole trip.
Everywhere I went, I gave it my all so that I can put a smile on a
person's face-even if that meant ONLY one person. Changing the life
of one person meant changing the life of a world; a small world but
nonetheless a world full of hope and opportunity. And in the span of
a very short week, I devoted my whole being to changing a
world...perhaps even multiple worlds.
I still cannot grasp the magnitude of the images and experiences I was
embedded in. New
Orleans...there is much to say about that city; it
is beautiful, vibrant, lively, full of hope and passion, flamboyant.
But at the same time it is a clouded city, full of shame and horror,
and somewhat lacking the order and hope of other cities. But what I
saw in New
Orleans was nothing less than magnificent. Sure, it's not
a perfect city but it's New
Orleans. What more can you ask for?
I am trying to collect my thoughts and express it in coherent
sentences but for some reason I cannot do so. I am not a man of few
words-I can assure that-but for New
Orleans took away all of
that...no, she didn't take away anything, she just instilled so much
in me that it is too overwhelming.
But if there is anything I learned, it is the statement that was
prevalent throughout the whole trip. Tom Piazza asked us to spread
the story about New
Orleans...I have hopefully begun to do that.
- Hiro Kawashima (senior
- tenor saxophone)
.JPG)
Painting one of "our" houses in Musicians' Village
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
My thoughts on the trip to New Orleans are riddled
with joy. To watch a group of young people enter a situation that is
completely foreign to them and to come thru it with such dignity, grace,
compassion, understanding and all the while giving so much of themselves is
remarkable. I have been around many situations in my life and I have seen
the best and the worst of people. On every level, I feel I witnessed their
best on this trip.
I loved that the students were completely exhausted during the early morning
taping for the TV show and yet they kept their humor. It was one of those
“living the dream” moments that we all shared because they were tired
and it was COLD in the taping room…a recipe for a bad time, but they came
thru it great and with praise heaped on them from the staff at the
station.
This group of young people rallied together and pushed each other and hugged
each other and supported each other and ultimately inspired each other every
day I saw them. To watch some of them on site at Musicians Village was a
treat and also a bit humorous. I know some of them had never done anything
like that kind of work before but they were there doing it and learning and
sweating, getting sunburned and facing a challenge that was not only
benefiting themselves but many others.
On Tuesday, when the students went back to Camp Hope, New Trier’s
Principal Debbie, her daughter Joy and I ventured into the French Quarter
for a sight-seeing trek. They had never been. Debbie and I had a great laugh
at watching Joy experience her 1st crawfish boil….she did great! (sort
of…) We visited Congo Square, the French Market, Café du Monde and we ate
sugar coated beignets in ear shot of a local band that consisted of tuba,
violin and drums…not to mention the guy who was playing the broom!!! Only
in New
Orleans…
Everywhere we went, people spoke privately to me about how amazing this
group of students was. One person even called them all “nerds” but in a
most affectionate way…meaning they were goofy and silly and well mannered
and polite and thoughtful and all the characteristics we hope people in the
world will have.
Other highlights for me….I loved watching the sax section sit on cinder
blocks for stools at their concert in Musicians Village and of having my
friend and NOLA trombonist Rick Trolsen sit in at Tips for 2 shows…and
Washboard Chaz, he’s something else on that “rub board”……to listen
how the band got stronger musically as they got stronger as a group of
people was fascinating and affirming…to witness the cohesion, attention to
detail and stay-out-of-the-wayness of Jim Warrick was remarkable also. He
allows the right amount of “stretch” to the students and treats them as
equals but he also keeps them in line with humor, attention and lots of
love…he is a teacher of the highest caliber.
It was great to be able to build with drummer Tom Chute at the Habitat site
too. It was his house we were building. To help build someone’s house with
the person who will be living there was a moving experience. To meet other
volunteers from around the country was an honor as well.
In my opinion, being a good person is way more important than being a good
musician and these are good people. I am humbled to have been a part of
something so wonderful…I am thankful to have been witness to the kindness
that these students brought with them from Chicago.
I am honored to have worked beside them and I am filled with joy when I
think of all the people these students and adults alike touched because they
cared enough to take a step out of their comfort zone. I thank each and
every one of you for your brightness and altruism. You will always shine
bright in my eyes.
- Jeff Coffin (guest performer)
.JPG)
Performing at Tipitina's in the French Quarter
(photo by Tim Estberg)
The fondest memory I have and will keep
of this trip was of our concert at Musician's Village. Before that concert,
I hadn't seen many, if any, of the residents in the village. However,
nothing got them out of their houses like a live concert. Seeing everyone
come out of their houses to come watch us really made me feel loved. I could
also tell that they enjoyed it as much as we did. One woman standing on her
porch said to her friend: "I thought this was going to be a sit down
kind of thing, but I can't sit down when I hear good music." The memory
of that one woman dancing and clapping to the music, saying what she said,
and just the smile on her face will never leave me.
One of my
fears was that it would be awkward and unwelcome to play New
Orleans style music IN NEW ORLEANS, and that we'd be booed of the
stage. To my surprise, though, that music was received the best by the
audience. During our concert at Ray's Boom-Boom Room, one of the
cooks/bartenders said to me, "Man, you guys sound like you was born in New
Orleans!" Hearing him say that just made me feel so much more
welcome. The people were so kind and outgoing down there, I felt more
welcome there than I sometimes do here. That is also something that I will
take with me for the rest of my life.
- Andrew Clinkman (junior- guitar)
New Orlean's high school student performing with
Jazz Ensemble I at Tipitina's in the French Quarter
(Photo by Tim Estberg)
The most meaningful part of the trip to
me was having the opportunity to sit down and talk to Tom, the future owner
of the house we were working on. He was working with us all day to
frame, sheath, and side his house, including the many times that we screwed
up or had to redo a board or heard Evan say "It should
be fine..." I didn't even realize that he was the owner until
someone told me at around three o'clock. When I found that out, I
started talking to him, and at one point I asked him if it was weird seeing
his house being built from the ground up by a couple of kids (including our
20-ish year old foreman). He answered, "Yeah, I guess it's pretty
weird, but it's still much better than I could do by myself. I'm just
so grateful that you all came down to help."
Like most people, my image of Katrina victims before this trip was the
Superdome filled with thousands of people or the flooded Lower Ninth Ward
with people stranded on the rooftops. At that moment, though, it
changed. Tom was a regular guy, just like us, a professional drummer
in New Orleans before Katrina. That could have been (or could be) the
position of anyone in our band. He was grateful for any little help we
could give, because we happened to be in a position to give and he in need.
I'm sure if our roles were reversed Tom would have done exactly the same.
I'm glad that in meeting Tom, I had an opportunity to share the
"musician love" from Illinois
down to New
Orleans. Hopefully, Tom will soon have to opportunity to pass
it on to someone else.
- Ben Siegfried (senior- bass)
Mike Fatum solos with Jazz Ensemble I at
Tipitina's in the French Quarter
(photo by Tim Estberg)
When the idea for this trip was presented, I was
extremely skeptical. Our band, myself fully included, has not always been
the best students to organize and plan the making of a CD, let alone a
trip to New Orleans (I know Mr. Warrick is aware of this). However, the
result that came from this trip was something I could have never imagined.
I loved the way that the band stepped up in so many areas. We were
professional, helpful, caring, flexible, and of course, the music was
great. This was a HUGE trip for the band.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to "tell
it on the mountain". That was just plain fun.
I have also informed my parents that I am becoming a
Southern Baptist.
One of the coolest moments for me was the show at
Ray's Boom
Boom Room. I don't think I've ever heard the band sound so good,
especially the trumpets--and after SEVEN shows. There was something bigger
going on there, I don't know what it is, but that was so cool.
Also, I was worried because I don't have any close
friends within the band, but that has undoubtedly changed. Everyone got
along so well, and that made the trip so much more enjoyable. Making
friends, talking to people (not just in the band), was for sure the best
part of the trip for me.
This trip has truly changed my outlook on life.
- Cody Fry (senior- pianist/vocalist)
Nickolas Kaplan solos with Jazz Ensemble I
before 600 Habitat for Humanity volunteers
at Camp Hope
(photo by Caitlin Warrick)
To
begin, it would be an understatement to deem our work in New Orleans
simply as part of a "trip." Rather, I believe that our
experiences in NOLA this past week are part of the broader experiences
that we as a "Jazz Ensemble I" have shared in the past several
months. When we first stepped off of the plane at Louis Armstrong
International Airport, the first thing that occurred to me was that this
would be a culmination of the many outstanding elements of this year's
ensemble that I have had been privileged to be a part
of. These elements include our incredible enthusiasm for one another when
we perform; our tremendous humor; our camaraderie both in the section (I
can attest to fellow trumpets for this) and throughout the entire band;
and our ability to come together to fix a problem, whether it's as small
as getting stuff in and out of the bus to figuring out the best way to
paint a house or put up siding.
For
many, especially the seniors, it was the final experience that they would
have with their buddies before high school would end, and for juniors and
sophomores, we were both having fun with our own friends or befriending
others who, because they're in different jazz bands or in
different parts of the room during rehearsal, we never really got to know
them well. I also believe that many of us, before we went, could not
appreciate the extent of work that you, Mr. Warrick, did through emails
and all-nighters and your incredible passion for the trip that you
displayed before each of the jazz bands throughout the year. Yet I also
believe that we could not have conceived of how, regardless of to what
extent, this trip would truly change our lives forever, as musicians, as
people, and as citizens of the broader world.
I
believe that one thing an individual finds when they visit New Orleans is
that nothing is what appears at the first glance. What appears to have
been a natural disaster that should have received significant attention by
the federal government is instead a forgotten event, memorialized only by
the devastating remains of whole neighborhoods that have turned into ghost
towns. When I first witnessed the pillage, I had difficulty expressing
emotion quickly. It was so surreal; surely, the whole city couldn't look
this way, just a community here, community there; surely this is just the
set of some movie; surely this isn't New Orleans, America. As our beloved
"Mr. Pickles" drove us through the city, from the abandoned
lower and upper Ninth Wards to the bustling French Quarter and Uptown, we
could not understand how the community could not have been totally
destroyed by this event. How does an entire city live on?
The
reason, we found, is because of the budding optimism of the city, a
willingness to help the fellow man, a camaraderie very much like our own
in the jazz band. I recall a story that Tom Piazza told us aboard the
Creole Queen when a woman walked into a restaurant saying that after the
storm, she was "well-off." He goes on to explain that even
though her house was ruined and her community destroyed, she was still
able to find within her the gumption to hold on to her thankfulness that
she and her family were at the very least still alive. This can be found
in the music of New Orleans as well, especially in the high school kids
who saw us and performed alongside us; regardless of grizzly the tone or
the brashness of sound, or even if it is the beautiful jazz being made in
the world, there is a conviction and a spirituality that transcends any of
its roughness. Therein lies the true meaning of music. Music is both
community and self-expression, dialogue and monologue, and in New Orleans,
we were fortunate enough to visit one of music's holiest shrines and leave
our own metaphorical candle burning behind.
To
paraphrase a fellow trumpeter, one of the most profound things of this
experience was to meet the many unique, quirky, but ultimately fun-loving
and generous people of the city. They, too, are more than what meets the
eye. A musician carrying nothing but an old-fashioned washboard turns out
to be the most amazing percussionist you've ever heard. A bunch of
seemingly amateur street entertainers perform break-dancing and acrobatics
better than one would find in most music videos. A seemingly average New
Orleans bus rider who has to put up with a bunch of noisy teenagers for
five days turns out to be one of the most knowledgeable individuals you
can find about the damages induced by Katrina and one of the most
passionate people about the city and its past. And then there are just the
folks that you talk to after a performance or at the Musician's Village
work site, all of whom, to some extent, have gone through Katrina and feel
a duty to restore this city back to full health - regardless of
whether they're from uptown or Bourbon Street or the Ninth Ward, or if
they're just some twenty-something off from college who felt it was
important to give up some of their time to help build a house. All of them
have been deeply affected and even grieved by the suffering from Katrina,
but you wouldn't know it because of their amazing perseverance and their
dedication to restoring NOLA.
Working
on the house...was perhaps the most rewarding part of this trip. I will
openly admit that I am one of those people who has never really helped in
doing house repairs or has done a summer job painting a house, and thus I
came to this very inexperienced in this other than having seen
construction projects in the past whenever I have been around Chicago and
the North Shore. Nevertheless, I arrived the first time and the subsequent
days not sure what I would do or the best way to do it, but learning what
I could and going for it with all my effort. Day 1 was painting the
exterior of house, and no matter how purple my jeans or shoes would get
from my dripping paint on them, I helped wherever there were areas to
paint over the first coat, while joking with my friends and spotting them
whenever they were on ladders six feet off the air, and vice versa. Day 2
was when I entered the exterior of the purple house, and the day that, as
many of you will recall, my jeans and tour shirt got severely soiled in
white paint. Nevertheless, I kept busy using rollers and brushes over the
sides in the house in between going over to get more paint for others and
moving from room to room as we made progress.
Day
3 was when I started work on "the house," which I had visited on
the first two days in between work breaks and where some of the most
intense and backbreaking work was done by some of our committed chaperones
and peers. Whether it was getting frustrated over (but finally figuring
out) how to get nails out of the sides of a house, or measuring out where
the distances from one wooden bar to the other to figure out where the
cabinets would go and subsequently measuring out those distances on some
wood so that Drew "Power Tools" (and "Easy")
Hansen could cut it - it was immeasurable fun. I got the satisfaction of
being part of the physical process of building a house and also
seeing where the money we've raised has gone. I also feel a part in
restoring normalcy to New Orleans and, more specifically, to fellow
musicians. I also think that I truly realized the meaning of
"giving" not just through our concerts, but the house-building
and spending time around the locals. I believe that as students of New
Trier, we're so used to "getting" and taking the efforts of our
teachers and parents for granted. In this sense, by entering such an
intense, communal experience of working together to build houses (and
prior through the marathon, which united the whole jazz program),
we really learned that it is impossible to actually appreciate giving
until you go out there and do it yourself.
Other
than the convenience of staying in a site that was part of Habitat for
Humanity, the experience of being at Camp Hope really reinforced the
message that this trip sought to convey. Rather than being at a hotel in
rooms that further contain ourselves amongst our own friends and give us
the conveniences of large beds and showers, Camp Hope truly connected us
more to the idea that our service to others was far more important than
our personal comfort. At the camp, we were able to appreciate the extent
of volunteering that was happening to bring aid to the destruction from
Katrina, and I think this reiterated that our efforts were only a small
part of a larger process, of which many people around the same age as us
were partaking in, not just adults. I think that the challenges of living
there - between cold showers, or warm showers in porta-showers outside,
and the long lines for food, and the limited living space in the rooms -
only toughened us further and allowed us to forge a greater sense of
community in that we were facing the same inconveniences together and were
helping each other get through them. However, I believe that in spite
of the few hard aspects of life at Camp Hope, I believe that we all found
the rewards of living in this camp-like setting, and learning how to put
up with each other only made the trip more fun.
The second most
rewarding aspect of this trip was our growth not just as individual
musicians, but as a jazz ensemble and our interconnectedness across the
sections. I feel that the in spite of the rushed nature of the trip,
ironically the relaxed nature of the concerts brought out immense
inspiration in everyone. I can remember personally taking some of the best
solos during certain concerts than those I had taken earlier during this
year, and I can say the same for other soloists as well. I think we were
all able to let go of the barriers placed on our playing by everyday life
and truly focus just on music. I believe that, apart from the fact that we
had done so much for the city whose people came to hear us play, we were
so well received because, for the first time this year, we weren't just
playing notes and licks but were playing MUSIC. Often, we were able to tap
into the groove of each tune, and it was these times that the playing was
truly magical. I also extend kudos to our brass section's ability to
maintain its chops, and even in the moments it wasn't happening, a couple
of tunes later we would pull it off again. The most memorable instance of
this can be found in the amazing chops from our trumpet section at the
final concert and in the solos of many of our section's members at Snug
Harbor. Also, thank you again for the opportunity to play at so many
famous jazz clubs during this trip. These are not just experiences to put
down on a college resume, but insights into the professional world that
gave us a greater sense of musical and personal maturity even for those
who may not pursue professional music careers.
In
conclusion...in spite of the devastation of Katrina, New Orleans still has
the magnificent old-world beauty of the French Quarter. Walking through
the shops and parks, as well as through Bourbon Street, was not to be
missed and added to our understanding of this town as a multifaceted one,
with many layers not always seen at first glance. What was most fun,
though, was to share this experience as friends and fellow musicians.
Certainly, we all became more independent, we all improved our own chops,
we became a little stronger, a little more experienced in painting and
power-tooling and putting up panels. But we did this not as individuals,
but as a group. We started forty-four people strong, and left forty-four
people stronger. We went out of our comfort zone and met people and saw
communities we'll never forget. We saw how our nation truly forgot NOLA
and how even after two years, parts of the city are still destroyed, but
we saw that even building one house was enough to bolster the spirit of
the city. We ate better versions of familiar food and even tried new foods
like Baked Louisiana and fried alligator and shark on a stick and
crawfish.
But
then there are things about this experience that we don't know yet and may
not even ever know, but still we are proud of our efforts because we
blessed the lives of others. We put forth all of our effort and even more
than we thought possible, and all because you, Mr. Warrick, pushed us to
see things and understand problems and their solutions that we would not
have seen without your efforts. The best that we can wish for the future
to expand awareness and hope that in time, we will reach an even greater
understanding of what this trip meant and will continue to mean to NOLA.
When we first received the trip proposal for the New Orleans project
several months ago, no one could have conceived of how they would be
changed. Yet even if we think we know now, we are still in the process of
finding out in the months after this trip. What we do know is that, corny
as it sounds, we can all say "Hey NOLA, we will never forget
you!"
-
Nickolas Kaplan (junior- trumpet)
Painting in Musicians' Village
(photo by Caitlin Warrick)
In no way did I ‘sacrifice’
my spring break to take the trip down to New Orleans with Jazz 1. In fact,
from the minute I arrived at school on Saturday March 22, I felt a sense of
community that would make the trip very fun. It was fun, and for me and most
likely the other trip members, the fun did not only come from spending time
with one another in the French Quarter.
For me, the trip had a few
aspects that made it the best spring break I have ever had. The first one
was the concerts that we played. After a rough start to our trip with a
mediocre performance at Tipitina’s on Monday morning, the group began to
produce the sound that made it the nation’s best high school jazz
ensemble. Not only did we sound great for the remaining concerts, but also
we attracted locals to play with us. This was an incredible experience.
Those people lost almost everything to Hurricane Katrina, but when they came
up to play a chorus or two with us, I felt as if music may have never left
New Orleans. They played with so much spirit and gratefulness that it
increased the energy of the band members and made playing our charts seven
times different and more enjoyable each time.
The second aspect was the Habitat
for Humanity work we did. As each nail was put in, as each frame was
constructed, and as each wall was sheathed I felt that what we were doing
was extremely important. Hearing of the donation that Brad Pitt was making
to the reconstruction effort, I looked past the money. I wondered if Pitt
himself was going to work on any of the houses he was donating to. No matter
how much money he donated, he would not have the same experience
constructing the houses manually. Holding up boards of particleboard while
my friends nailed them in to the frame of the house, I felt a sense of
teamwork and pride in my effort. I felt that pouring my sweat into the house
and even getting the sunburn was part of an unforgettable experience. If
everyone in the world, or even just in the United States donated just a day
(or three) to rebuilding the damage done from Katrina, I’d bet that
New Orleans would be running full-steam in less than a month.
Even though we toured through the
9th Ward and saw the devastation, I saw a side of New Orleans
that strongly resembled its pre-Katrina state: the French Quarter. From the
moment we started the River walk and lined up for beignets at Café du
Monde, I could see the New Orleans residents’ outlooks for the future. It
was one that looked past Katrina; it looked past sorrow and grief and
focused on cheering people up. As
my friends and I toured the streets, we saw many aspects of the French
Quarter culture: shops, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and parades that
could entertain anybody. I saw laughing faces and people enjoying
themselves. I even saw families with small children who found things to do
in the French Quarter. I new that the area was not as devastated as the 9th
Ward, but I also knew that the French Quarter was a refuge from the
disaster.
I have never felt as warm inside
as I did in New Orleans, and it was not just the nice weather that made me
feel this way. I had always been involved in charity acts before: feeding
the poor, helping those with disabilities, and giving a growing sum of money
to different organizations. Never have I felt as good about myself as I did
after the Habitat work and concerts that I participated in on the trip.
Seeing the locals light up as we played each note made the trip amazing for
me. Knowing that soon Tom Chute will have a permanent place to live makes me
feel really good about the efforts we made to make dreams reality.
- Aaron Palmer (junior- bass)
Performing for 250 NOLA high school and junior high students
at Tipitiana's in the French Quarter
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
I
have to admit that before I arrived in NOLA, I couldn’t really see how
things in the city still went wrong 2 ½ years after Katrina. Partially, I
was right. The French Quarter continued to flourish with culture and
personality as I walked its streets. What I didn’t understand is that most
everything but the French Quarter seems completely untouched since the
storm. I thought to myself before our departure, ‘It can’t be that bad.
Sure, I’ve seen pictures of destroyed homes, like in Warrick’s video we
saw before we left,
but all of them can’t be like that, can they?’ My ignorance of the issue
led me to a huge surprise when we landed.
It
was Saturday night (The night of our arrival), and the jazz kids had just
finished eating at the Golden Corral. We had just boarded Cleo, our bus,
and drove off to
Camp
Hope
. The sky was black, and it was only about 7 o’ clock. As Mr. Pickles (Our
Driver/ Tour Guide) drove off, he began explaining some of the damage
inflicted on the Lower-Ninth Ward by Katrina. I felt a little disappointed
because I couldn’t see any of the things he spoke of outside of the
window, and I felt my duty to speak of the devastation back at home. ‘Oh
well,’ I thought. ‘I’ll get to see plenty of it tomorrow when the
lighting isn’t a problem.’ The bus exited the expressway, and into St.
Bernard’s Parish, an area which was flooded with 22 feet of water at one
point. The voice of Mr. Pickles interrupted the smooth jazz playing over the
intercom. “Look outside now,” he said. “You see all of the street
lights? These lights are the only source of light occupying the Lower Ninth
Ward. You do see that some houses have lights on, but the ratio of occupants
to deserted houses is about 1:10.” I looked outside. It was only
7 PM
and rows and rows of houses had no lights on. The bus kept moving, and all I
saw out of the window were more and more deserted houses. I felt like we
were driving through a ghost town. There wasn’t an end in sight. The fact
that the Lower Ninth Ward looked untouched 2 ½ years after Katrina angered
me. My anger subsided after I saw row upon row of more deserted houses. At
that point, I just felt sick to my stomach and tears built up in my eyes.
Driving through this same scene in daylight wouldn’t give me as much of an
idea of how many people still live in NOLA, because you can’t really tell
who’s home and who’s not. At this point, I knew. I knew how many people
left and never came back. The numbers of devastated homes seemed infinite.
For me, this bus ride gave me more of a sense of what happened after Katrina
than thousands of destroyed houses in daylight ever could.
The
future didn’t seem bright after my first look at NOLA that night. I
thought about it frequently, and the image of desertion appeared in my
dreams. I realized, however, that recognizing the problem is the first step
to solving it. The band wasn’t in NOLA to just look at the trashed homes
and stare from afar thinking, “That’s too bad.” We were here to help,
which brings me to my next life-changing story.
As
a student co-head of the prom dress project, my most exciting moment was
finding out that we were to hand out prom dresses and tuxes during our
concerts at Tipitina’s as an incentive for kids to come. It was the day of
the concert. Mr. Warrick informed us that an assortment of kids our age from
10 different schools would be attending our performance. Our band had
finished warming up and it was our time to congregate with the guests.
During this little break, Natalie and I decided to see the room in which the
prom dresses were distributed. We walked up the stairs and saw tables piled
with the 500 dresses we took down, but that’s not all. Natalie and I gazed
upon about a dozen girls, giggling like crazy while picking out dresses,
modeling for their friends, and remarking on how their friends looked in
their new getups. Since a completely new group of girls arrived after this
first set, Natalie and I felt it was our duty to inform the others. We
approached a group of girls sitting in the audience. Awkwardly, we spoke:
“You know, there are some free prom dresses upstairs. Would any of you be
interested in trying some on?” There was a pause.
“Are
you f*****g around with me?” one girl asked.
“Not
at all,” we replied. Her eyes widened. Her friends had the same reaction.
“Let’s
go, then!” she exclaimed. The girl and her friends shimmied their way into
the aisle and followed our lead into the prom dress room, trying not to run.
For
this one moment, there seemed to be hope for
New Orleans
. As I gazed at the smiling teenagers, I couldn’t help but smile as well.
I felt that my time spent working on the project had been completely
worthwhile
Overall,
I had an amazing experience. Even if I hesitated to do the manual labor at
first, I ended up having the best time with building the house. We were all
hot, sweaty, tired, and sunburned, and I’ve probably never had more fun. I
felt that this project was time well spent, and definitely one of the most
rewarding experiences in my life. I’ll probably never look at a
“relaxing family vacation” to some tropical island in the same way
again. Instead of lounging around in some resort, I feel that I can be more
productive and help others doing something similar to the NOLA project with
my free time. This experience definitely makes me want to work at Americorps
during my summers/ spring breaks/ any free vacation time I have. Mr. Warrick
said that it was better to be a giver than a taker, and I wholeheartedly
agree now that I gave up some of my time, to help others in need.
I
would like to add as my final remark that I spent my break with a hilarious,
fantastic, and caring group of kids (and adults). I wouldn’t have felt the
same about this trip with any other group of people. You all have altered my
life, whether you think so or not, and have made this NOLA experience phenomenal. Thanks.
-
Carrie Furniss (sophomore- trombone)
New
Orleans high school saxophone player solos with
Jazz Ensemble I at Tipitina's in the French Quarter
(photo by Caitlin Warrick)
The
most important thing I experienced during the trip was to see a first hand
account of human resiliency in action. The
sheer devastation we witnessed in the city was unbelievable.
From the eerily lightless ninth ward to the empty strip malls to the
spray painted X’s on house fronts, it seems like the hurricane hit two
months ago, not two and a half years ago.
I heard several indivual accounts of the storm’s devastation on
personal lives, from Pearl in St. Bernard to Charlie in Slidell.
Their stories were haunting. It
seems near impossible that they are even functional today.
However,
I also witnessed why these individuals are functioning.
I never realized before this before, but I witnessed on this trip
healing through interpersonal relationships.
For example, the woes of recovery from Katrina seemed forgotten by
the joyful members of the Sixth Baptist church.
The same can be said about the festivities at the crawfish fest. When
people get together, they can use each other’s presence to transcend the
scars of the past. I witnessed
this communal healing in New Orleans, the place that it is still needed
most.
By
actually going down there and putting in not only money, but face time, with
the people of New Orleans, by going to Easter Church, by eating at the
Crawfish Fest, by building a house, we took part in this communal healing
and hopefully made impacts on lives that go deeper than any material
donation.
- Anonymous
(student traveler)
Nighttime
concert at Tipitina's in the French Quarter
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
I
definitely think this trip was a very positive experience for everyone that
went on it. Although we made
several sacrifices during the whole thing, I think the fact that we didn’t
really mind them was what showed how much being there really meant.
For me, there were two distinct really cool moments.
One was walking from musician’s village to a little grocery to get
food and seeing kids outside on their lawns thank us as we walked there, and
then sitting on the curb eating and cars would stop, roll down their
windows, and tell us how much they appreciated us being there.
The other really cool moment was the musicians village concert we
played and seeing all of these old schools guys come and sit in with us and
listening to how smooth their playing still is (and getting up-staged big
time by Washboard Chaz). My only
wish is that people appreciated our presence as much as we anticipated them
to. We met an incredible amount
of interesting people (such as foreman Evan, who is getting his M.D. then
moving to
Africa
to open up a clinic) that have put huge chunks of their lives into doing
this, and it is incredibly inspiring for all.
It was also great to get to know our younger chaperones as well and I
think we all owe them a great thanks for being there and helping out so much
(Mr. Estberg, Doc, and Nic Meyer). Though
the purpose of this trip essentially had nothing to do with core
teambuilding, I think the fact that we were all there working together
really did bring the ensemble much closer together to get to know our peers,
and many of us would not have been given this opportunity had it not been
for the absolutely insane amount of work that has been done by Mr. Warrick,
and we all owe him more thanks than can be expressed.
Of course, there are still parts of
New Orleans
that are in horrible shape, and much needs to be done for these areas, but
progress was noticeable, and that is a very big thing.
Though we did not even get three full days to work on the house, it
was good to get our feet wet in what this whole project really is, and it
was especially great to be working on it with Tom, who will be living there
once it is built. All around,
great experience, great people, great food, great music, and great times.
-
Jeff Garoon (senior- aux. percussion)
Putting up the
front wall in "Tom's" new house in Musicians' Village.
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
I was as many of you know the co-videographer/sound
engineer/ and roadie. This trip impacted me in many ways. I have for a long
time been going to jazz concerts at New Trier as well as concerts in other
places. But until I had one to
New Orleans
and heard peoples reactions to Jazz 1, I had never realized how lucky we
are. We have great music teachers, great facilities that are practically
always open for use, as well as instruments and various other things that
are right there available for us to use. Because of all of this, we have a
lot of help and room to be great and go far. We also have a great history of
greatness in music, that always drives us to succeed. So I went to
New Orleans
and saw the reactions to the people there and realized that Jazz 1 is really
special and extremely talented, WWL-TV channel four news claimed that they
were one of the best high school jazz ensembles in the country. When I heard
this it really hit me that they were really talented and I was very lucky to
be a part of all of it. In addition to the news channel the people there had
always came up to the students, Mr. Warrick and even me and my partner and
equal in all of this Mark Hafter just to tell us how good they all are, and
some people even said how we changed their lives just by hearing them play
and seeing all of the work that has been done to help everybody in New
Orleans.
New Orleans
has taught me to be very thankful of what I am a part of and lucky to have
gotten to go with them.
- Matt Gross (junior- tour support)
Performing in Musicians' Village with resident, CHAZ, who
played washboard.
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
This trip was special for me for a lot
of reasons. There are the obvious things of great value, such as the
incredible music that we were able to perform so many times. The concerts
that we played on this trip were some of the best concerts that I have ever
played. Our
Camp
Hope
concert is easily my most memorable concert ever. I am trying to work out
why they were so important, and the only reason that I can think of is the
reason behind all of the music. Our purposeful mission gave our music
meaning and depth. We were driven. We were invested. We were ready to give
far more than usual. The results of our mission were easily audible. There
was also the amazing food that
New Orleans
had to offer. Beignets and Po-boys filled the trip and were icing on the
delectable cake that was our trip. It is amazing that a city can have so
much culture and character that it is known worldwide for its food as well
as its music. There was also a great surge of humanity that was felt
throughout the trip. The feeling of achievement that I felt on the third day
of building our house was incredible. But the most valuable parts of the
trip for me were the moments where the band really came together as one and
overcame the obstacles. A moment in particular comes to mind. We were on the
bus, driving back from the concert we saw after performing at Ray’s Boom
Boom Room. It was late, and we were scheduled to wake up at 6:15 to head
over to the habitat house to work. Mr. Warrick is talking on the PA, talking
about how we were later than expected. He says that he was going to go to
the worksite at the regular time tomorrow to explain our tardiness, while we
were to come an hour later to grab some extra sleep. He starts moving on to
other logistics when someone interjects. “Why don’t we just go at the
regular time?” The bus unanimously agreed in moments, and that was that.
The sense of unity and spirit that we achieved by the end of this trip will
never leave me.
- Anonymous (student traveler)
Performing with saxophonist, Jeff Coffin, in Musicians' Village
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
First, I'd like to thank you for this incredible
opportunity to come down and make a difference in new Orleans. Now that I
have done it once and have seen how much fun and how much experience is
gained from such a trip, I am most definitely looking forward to go on a
similar habitat trip when I am in college.
There are many meaningful, memorable, and even
educational experiences that I've had while in new Orleans. Some of
these experiences were huge like the camp hope concert, while others were
very simple like sitting with friends in Cafe Du Monde, eating binetes
(spell correct), drinking coffee, and having a good time.
One memory that particularly touched me was
when I was walking back from dinner in the French Quarter to Tipitinas,
where we would be playing that night, and an elderly couple stopped me and
asked who we were and what we were doing and I told them about the concert
that night. Later that night, I saw them during the concert in
the audience smiling and enjoying the concert. Even though like this
doesn't sound like much, it made me fell good that I was able to
reach out and make a difference in someone's life, however small it
may be.
One of the most surprisingly enjoyable moments of
the trip occurred the last night on Bourbon street where there was a big
brass band playing on the street. It was very interesting to see all of
the interesting people that were dancing, having the time of their lives
on a Thursday night. Before long, I couldn't help but find myself
dancing with them. It made me feel more alive and more connected
with the spirit of new Orleans. It was really a neat feeling.
Also, I never knew how fun it could be building a
house. It always seemed like it would be extremely boring. However,
from the second i picked up that hammer to the second I put the hammer
back down, I was able to have a sense of accomplishment that I would never
be able to attain otherwise.
-Jacob Cahnman (junior- vibraphone)
Performing with Jeff Coffin for the residents in Musicians' Village
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
I want
to begin by saying that I feel the trip was a huge success.
We did a ton of cool stuff, helped a lot of people, and nobody who
went on the trip got hurt or in any sort of trouble.
The worst we had was maybe a couple of people getting fluey.
So, I consider the overall trip a rousing success.
My personal experiences with it were very positive, with only a
couple negatives, and they dealt mainly with the conditions at Camp Hope,
but that is of course to be expected in a place that is really only there
to give volunteers somewhere to live while they help humanity, so I am not
complaining.
My
personal favorite moment on the trip was so easy for me to identify, its
almost scary. Being a non-Jazz
1 member who was allowed to play was easily the best part of the trip for
me. This is for several
reasons, first and foremost that we got to play incredible music in a ton
of different venues. Second,
we got to play a ton with Jeff Coffin.
However, the experience of playing with Jazz 1 had a more personal
note for me, as I am a senior who did not make Jazz 1 last year.
Many of my friends are in Jazz 1, and it was so much fun to play
with them. It was also an
experience I wanted desperately, ever since 8th grade when I
heard the NT jazz concert for the first time.
Unfortunately, my parents and I disagreed about the value of Jazz
over academics, and as such I was not allowed to join the jazz program
until I was a junior, yet somehow made it onto Lab Jazz despite no jazz
experience at all. I failed in
the audition the following spring, however, and was placed once again in
Lab Jazz, which disappointed me tremendously, because I knew that it was
not a lack of talent or effort, but a simple lack of jazz experience.
I knew that if I had been in the jazz program since Freshman year,
I too would more than likely be in Jazz 1.
However, that feeling of sadness and regret has been all but
eliminated by my experience playing with Jazz 1, as I finally got the
experience I had wanted. As an
added bonus, I feel I played well, so I felt like I belonged, not just a
charity case allowed to play by Mr. Warrick.
I
explain that to explain why my most perfect moment happened at Tipitinas,
during the night concert. Earlier
that day, Danny had realized he played on all the songs, so he decided to
give one away, and he gave me “Tall and Lanky.”
I had heard this song in the Jazz Fest concert, but hadn’t
remembered anything about it except that I really liked it.
However, I didn’t even remember how it went until we started
playing it…. In concert… at Tipitinas.
I was sight-reading the lead part for the piece in a
Jazz club in New Orleans, playing with Jeff Coffin, so I was incredibly
nervous and the endorphins were rushing through me.
Then, that amazing 2nd-Line groove that I absolutely
love for some reason I don’t understand started pounding out really
loud, I recognized the melody, and as the song started picking up energy
the feeling was incredible, I relaxed, and everything seemed perfect.
It was all I could do to not laugh while I was playing, and the
song just blew by in a rush for me, and to top it off I felt like I
absolutely nailed it, especially the high note after Jeff’s incredibly
long cadenza. That is a memory
that will stick with me for a looooooong time.
Overall, the trip was a fantastic
experience for me, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to help someone
who needed it. And as a side
note, I really wish someone would have caught a video of that rub-board
player, as he was amazing.
- Kevin Honaker (senior- trumpet)
When
I went to New Orleans, everyone in Jazz 1 around me had something cool
happen to him or her. They all have really cool stories. For example, Hiro
was interviewed on the news. Natalie had that one woman call her over
after the Camp Hope concert. I mean I have a lot of little things here and
there, but the one thing that I realize was that I was in New Orleans. I
got to play on a ferry, thanks Cody. I got to meet so many amazing people.
I went to church for the first time on Easter Sunday (Resurrection Day).
After
we finished our set on the news, I was talking to Jeff Coffin about how I
thought every musician needed to have some sort of an ego. If they
didn’t everyone would walk all over them. He told me that that wasn’t
always the case. He said that a person needed to have confidence. As we
were walking outside, a man walks up to us. He said, “Hey! Aren’t you
guys that jazz band?” We got to talking and it turns out that he was an
“Ex”-trumpet player. He asked me who some of my favorite pianists
were. I told him that I was going through a Gene Harris phase right now.
He immediately lit up and said, “The Three Sounds, Tammy’s Breeze.”
While it took him three of four times before I finally understood him, he
was just saying that if a person likes Gene Harris, they needed to check
this song out. As I was getting on the bus, he turned to me and said,
“Man. A young guy like you listen to Gene Harris? You’re on the right
path, son.”
Another
little thing that happened was that when I played on the ferry, I didn’t
know that Tom Piazza was listening. After our interview with him, he went
up to me and was commenting on my playing. The thing that I keep thinking
about is how he, a fellow pianist, did not talk about what I was playing.
He commented on my time. He said, “I was listening to your time. You
have perfect time!” I had never heard a comment like that before.
Another
funny thing that happened, which I didn’t think it was so funny at the
time, was that during our Camp Hope concert, in the middle of Reverence,
the keyboard stand broke. The keyboard actually fell on my lap!
Despite
being sick the whole trip, and despite breaking my camera the second day
we were there, I compare this trip with my Blue Lake International Jazz
Ensemble trip this past summer, and this trip was by far the best trip
I’ve ever been on!
- Jake Shapiro (junior- piano)
Presenting a check for $75,000 to pay for a house for
NOLA Habitat for Humanity
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
The
trip to New Orleans
was one that I will never forget for my entire life.
So many memories, so much fun, it was a really great experience.
But the thing that struck me about the people and the way of life
in New Orleans
was the sincerity. People were
so real, they just were who they
were and were not afraid to show that.
Looking
back, truly the best example of this side of the people of
New Orleans
was the Easter Sunday church service at Sixth
Baptist
Church. I am a Roman Catholic
Christian, so the beautiful service that I was lucky enough to attend was
completely different from what I was accustomed to in terms of worship.
And the thing that I noticed about the worship was that it just
felt free and unconfined. In
the Sunday mass that I am used to, the priest wears robes, reads from the
Bible, and the climax is when everyone processes up to receive the
Eucharist. But at the Sixth
Baptist Church, if one felt like singing, they sang, if they felt like standing, they
stood. And the music was just
incredible.
For me
the trip to New Orleans was because of music, and music played a major
role in what we did and why we did it, but I feel like in the end, it
wasn’t just about playing music. It
was about the connections we made with the people through our music.
Watching the smile on Chaz’s face as he amazed us with his
washboard playing, and seeing the beaming grins on the faces of the other
musicians that played with us was an unforgettable sight.
I feel like we met and touched a lot of people, and our music was
the instrument we used to help them.
- Teddy Berman (sophomore- piano)
Performing at Ray's Boom Boom Room
in the French Quarter to raise $1,200
for the Community Center of St. Bernard Parish.
(Photo by CaitlinWarrick)
Our trip to New Orleans was by
far the most worthwhile trip I have ever taken. The opportunity to visit
the birthplace of jazz, help rebuild it, and get to do what we love —
play and hear a TON of music all in less than a week — was
unforgettable.
You can see all the news clips
and read all the books and articles you want, but I found that you can’t
get a true feel for what post-Katrina New Orleans is really like until you
actually go there. I remember driving through NO for the first time, en
route to Camp Hope. It was about 8:00 PM, so people should’ve been out
and about. I sat with Carrie, both of us having the same eerie feeling,
wondering why it was so dark. There were hardly any lights coming from
houses or stores. Mr. Pickles said that many parts of the city were
deserted — not yet rebuilt, cleaned up, or inhabited. It was pretty
shocking that it had been two years since Katrina, and the city still
looked like this. It took every ounce of self-control I could muster in
order to hold my tears back.
What I know will stay with me
forever is that warm feeling you get after you reach out and give without
expecting anything in return. In New Orleans, that feeling was constant.
The fact that the people there were so openly grateful was incredible. At
Tipitina’s, right before our concert for the local schools started, I
felt like us ladies on the trip got a special treat. The girl students, at
first looking reluctant to be taking time away from their spring break to
watch some jazz band play, completely transformed when they saw the array
of gorgeous dresses sprawled across the tables. They were laughing and
joking as they rummaged through all the different sizes and colors.
Knowing we made prom possible for so many people made me incredibly happy.
I sincerely thought to myself, “It’s only the second day, and my trip
has been made.”
I also loved going to church.
Being Jewish, I had never been to an Easter service before. I had no idea
what to expect before hand. I remember hoping it wouldn’t be boring. In
fact, the service was anything but boring. I loved it. There was so much
soul everywhere, in the way the choir sang, the way the preacher preached,
in the way the congregation reacted to the minister with their
“mmm-hmms” and “Amens.” What really made me laugh was when this
woman sitting in the pew in front of me whipped out a tambourine from her
purse, and started rattling it to the beat of the band.
- Natalie Lande (senior- alto
sax)
Students write on the house they helped build in Musicians' Village.
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
First of all, I thought the
tour as a whole was a very positive experience. From right when we got
off the plane when Mr. Pickles introduced himself and the bus, I knew
the trip was going to be different from anything else in my life. My
most fond memory is going to the crawfish festival. Initially, I wasn't
too excited about going and I saw the festival just as something i had
to do before going to the French Quarter. But after I got a big box of
boiled crawfish and Pickles showed me how to eat them, I really started
to enjoy myself. Also, everyone else was upbeat because it was the last
night.
This trip is something
special to me also because I haven't visited that many American cities
other than Chicago
and a few other places. I've never been to the South before (I went to Florida
when i was too little to remember anything) and i could feel how it's a
whole different culture there. It was much more than just that they
talked differently, but it seems the way they approach life is different
also. I started to get a feel for the culture when our swamp boat
captain (can't remember his name) showed us his parents house where he
grew up. During the tour also, he told us a story of how he had an
alligator called Sam that lived in the Bayou by his backyard. He said
the alligator would come in his backyard everyday and became his
family's pet because it was at the house so much. The gator because an
inconvenience though because of little children and so on, so he and his
brother took the gator 30 miles down the river so it wouldn't come
back. But the next day Sam was in his backyard again. His story made me
understand that the swamp means a way of life and it's way more than a
beautiful place. Overall, going down to NOLA made me see the US with
much bigger lense. Also, seeing the owner of the house come to the
worksite was a touching moment.
-Benjie de Albuquerque
(junior- guitar)
Everyone writes on the house they helped build
for Tom in Musicians' Village.
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
Although
I remembered countless things from our trip to New Orleans, a few very
momentous things stood out. Each time we played, I felt as though our
performances got better and better, and even though our performance at
Ray's was incredibly, for me personally it was not our best. This is
because one of the most incredible musical experiences that I have ever
had was playing in Musician's Village. Seeing people literally materialize
from nowhere and just join in the music was inspiring. I especially liked
playing along with "Washboard Chaz" - during "Musician's
Village Street Parade" - I couldn't help but grow a huge smile on my
face. I was relaxed, and due to Chaz and the feeling of the moment, I
played that song the best I ever had. That moment displayed what to me is
one of the most essential aspects of music - community. That being said, I
believed all of our concerts were absolutely incredible, and we it was
clear we were having a lot of fun - you could feel it and see it. I also
really liked staying in Camp Hope, seeing those operations, and especially
an insight into the working of Habitat
for Humanity. I valued this because I am personally considering entering into AmeriCorps in a couple of years, and if this trip did
anything, it reinforced the possibility of signing up. The AmeriCorps
people were really, really awesome.
Another experience that I will never
forget happened Thursday night. Me, Karl, and some other kids had walked
down all of Bourbon Street and were a little disappointed - all we had
seen was strip clubs, bars, and many drunk tourists. I believe all felt
that this was not the heart of the French Quarter and especially not New
Orleans. Then, we came upon a street band with a snare drum, bass,
drum, and some horns. The kids were probably not much older than us, and
the song they were playing was absolutely infectious. Both tourists and
locals were dancing in the streets, laughing almost maniacally, and
sharing that laughter with the surrounding crowd. It was so spontaneous,
so special, and so exemplary of what to me New
Orleans is about. All of these experiences were essentially about
community and brotherly love. Our trip was about this, and I feel that we
were able to both take solidarity with people in New
Orleans, while also learning a whole lot about what it really means
to live in a community.
- Anonymous (student traveler)
Performing in a concert in Ray's Boom Boom Room that raised
$1,200
for the Community Center of St. Bernard Parish.
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
I seemed to understand New
Orleans a lot better before I went. Before I went, I
thought it would make an enjoyable one-time visit.
I can't stop thinking
about going back.
No, it's not because New
Orleans feels like a natural home for me. Instead,
there is something so entirely alien about the city that
makes it so seductive. Maybe it's because it's the only city
in the world that really wants you to be there, not putting on a
show of wanting you to be there to benefit the tourist economy, but
wants you to be there simply because wanting you to be there is a
part of its identity. In a bizarre twist of fate, I believe
this welcoming aspect of New
Orleans' character has only been strengthened by the
hurricane.
This sense of welcome is
so permeating it transcends the bounds of the law. I saw
strippers encouraging minors to down shots of alcohol and a guy
getting his groove on to a street band with a joint hanging
from his fingers, all with police cars a block or less away.
But no one got hurt. No one was afraid of getting hurt.
The spirit of the celebration was just that, celebration,
irreverent but not tinged with malevolence.
In fact, I found
gratefulness exactly in the places where I most expected
malevolence. When we played the concert at Tipitina's, I
anticipated hearing at least a few complaints from the high school audience
about how a bunch of snot-nosed little white boys had the nerve to
show up with some dresses and attempt to play their music,
all the while expecting gratitude. But low and behold, the
strongest vibe I felt was satisfaction from the audience, that
something was being done for them, not out of petty patronization,
but because people cared and wanted to get something done.
Personally, I feel we accomplished more just playing the music and
talking to people than with all the work we did on the houses.
But what I gained most
was a deeper sense of what gratitude is. I expected
bitterness, even indignation, to be evident amongst the people
living in the neighborhood outside Musicians' Village at the sight
of our band going to get po' boys. A bunch of naive, well-off
little white kids marching through a rough part of town did not seem
to be entirely the best idea. But as we all sat on the curb
munching on our sandwiches, cars passed by, and the drivers hollered
to us. They didn't holler expletives. They hollered,
"Thank you for being here." I felt like calling
back, "No, thank you for letting me be here." I was
honored to have people who knew a thing or two about the trial of
life heaping so much praise upon us.
Indeed, that is what I
treasured most; the reciprocal value of gratitude. Any
patronizing jerk can make himself feel important by giving to other
people without feeling that they actually had something to give him
in return. In New
Orleans, we didn't give, we exchanged, band reminding city of
its own glory that has not yet passed, and city reminding band of
higher glories to be sought. And ultimately, it is this sort
of reciprocal giving and gratitude that yields the best
results. It is humanity meeting humanity at the highest
level: as equals. I went to New
Orleans expecting to find a patient. Instead, I found a
friend.
- Elliott Ostrowski
(junior- trumpet)
Performing in Ray's Boom Boom Room in the French Quarter.
(Photo by Caitlin Warrick)
This was
my second time on a Hurricane Katrina relief trip, so my first reaction
was to the differences over two years. The first and most important
difference was the number of people in New Orleans. Everywhere I looked, there were many, many more people than the last
time I visited the city. Certainly in places like the French Quarter
tourism was up, but also during the bus tour of affected areas, I was
surprised as to the number of people I saw walking around, returned to
their homes.
Another
difference I saw was in the way volunteers were greeted. When I came down
two years ago, there was a certain amount of desperation and anxiety, and
when volunteers came the reaction was much more so in that vein. Now,
while the crisis is still looming but time has started to slowly heal the
problems, volunteers are given a sort of cool acknowledgment, usually a
“Thank you”, and then an understanding that life is still going on
here, and volunteers are simply another part of it. I must say I vastly
prefer the second way to the first one.
When
I left New Orleans, the only thing I could reflect on was a wish to have done more relief
work while I was there. Playing concerts and doing other things was nice,
and I always enjoy playing music and seeing new places, but this situation
really made me feel as if I had come down there but not fully done my
duty. Situations like Hurricane Katrina probably make anyone who goes down
there feel like that when they leave. Nevertheless, I felt the most useful
and the happiest doing the Habitat work, rather than other things down
there, and I don’t think I was alone in that.
There’s also this. You don’t have to print this, but I wanted to share
it with you.
Maimonides, a 12th century Jewish scholar, invented the following ladder
of giving. Each rung up represents a higher degree of virtue:
1. The lowest: Giving
begrudgingly and making the recipient feel disgraced or embarrassed.
2. Giving cheerfully but giving
too little.
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