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About Spring Tour 2010 Blog
Recommend a Song
About Spring Tour 2010 Blog
Recommend a Song
| Spring Tour 2010 Blog- ¡Bienvenidos a Miami! |
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Blog #1
Hey Everyone! The Ramblers are now comfortably situated in the tropical climate of Miami, FL. (Hometown of our own Chris Aguilar) The trip down here went very smoothly, including waking up at 4AM, receiving multiple questions about our alleged baseball team, and a song request from Francine, our flight attendant. We arrived at our house, and promptly departed for The Betsy Hotel for a performance with PresidentSeligman and University of Rochester Alumni who are currently situated in and around Miami. The alumni enjoyed our show very Friday morning, we woke up and drove to Gloria Dei Lutheran Academy and did a 1 hour performance/workshop for 150 kids grades K-8. These kids were a great audience and really enjoyed the sing-a-long songs like Party In the USA. They couldn’t wait to ask “Miley” Stone-Myers for his autograph after the show. The kids asked a lot of great questions about singing and performing, and they were even willing to get up and dance with us throughout the performance. We then traveled to the University of Miami where we sang to a crowd very unfamiliar with the a cappella scene. We performed outdoors in a space between two of their residence buildings, and drew a significant crowd of people. They were very receptive of us, and really enjoyed our enthusiasm. Afterwards, we did a workshop with 20 students who were interested in trying to start a Co-ed a cappella at UMiami. We shared the history of the Ramblers with them, and tried to give them tips on how to effectively start a group on a campus with minimal exposure to a cappella. It’s now Saturday morning, and we’re enjoying a day of R+R before our schedule gets busier and busier as the tour continues. See you later this week! -Kevin, Matt, Bryan, Mike
Blog #2 On Sunday, we all left early for a four hour drive up to Orlando. We made this trek not for theme parks or Mickey Mouse, but for an amazing organization known as Give Kids the World. GKTW is a nonprofit organization that houses children and their families with life threatening conditions. In other words, this is where Make-A-Wish families stay when they travel to Orlando. At the Give Kids the World village, children are able to find reprieve from their troubles, and simply enjoy time with their families.Our goal at GKTW was simple: Make as many children and their family members smile as possible. As performers, we hoped to add joy to the experiences of everyone who was staying at the village for the week. We sang a bunch of songs around the Gingerbread House (dining center) as families ate delicious kid-friendly dinners. We sang happy birthday to a boy names Isaac, and lit up the faces of everyone around. We couldn’t help but smile and have a great time as well when we saw the results of our efforts. It was hard to say goodbye to the children, their families, and the Give Kids the World village, but eventually it was time to bid the amazing organization farewell and continue on with our journey. We spent the night at Bryan’s house in Orlando (THANK YOU BRYAN’s FAMILY!!!!), and were served some of the best baked goods we’ve ever tasted. Some of us went bowling, some of us went to a movie, and others just settled in for the night and fell asleep to the Oscar Awards. The following morning, we woke up early and headed back to Miami for another exciting day. Anyone who would like to check out or support Give Kids the World, please visit their website at http://www.gktw.org/ -Kevin, Matt, Bryan, Mike
Blog #3 Hello again, everybody! Monday morning started off bright and early as we left the “cold” morning air behind in Avalon Park, Orlando. On the way out of the door of Bryan’s mother’s house with our stomachs full and bags packed, we saw an armadillo running around the yard… Not something you see every day in New York, that’s for sure! After a four-hour drive back to Miami, we had a two-day break of rest and relaxation in the sun, preparing us for the busier half of the week yet to come. All geared up in our sunscreen, sunglasses and bathing suits, we hit up the popular spring break destination, South Beach! For those of you who have never been to Miami, it’s exactly like in the movies; people everywhere, lots of sun, clear water, and plenty of eye candy for everybody. In the evening, we were invited to dinner with Associate Dean and Director of Study Abroad Jackie Levine at Versailles on Calle Ocho. Here we were able to try out “Ropa Vieja” and other famous Cuban dishes. While we were finishing up dinner, the waiters and waitresses came out and delivered cupcakes to the table behind ours and sang “Happy Birthday.” On a whim, we decided to serenade the table ourselves with our rendition of the popular birthday song, and it turns out that our audience was the cast of Miss Saigon. We followed up with “Camisa,” and “Kiss ‘em Goodbye”, and took the whole restaurant by surprise. Tuesday brought us another free day to do whatever we wished, (within reason of course!) Some chose to go visit the Florida Keys for the afternoon, others revisited South Beach and the shops all along Lincoln Road, and others still visited loved ones in Naples, Florida. On the way, they traveled through the Everglades and saw more ‘gators and ibis’ than anyone would ever want to. We wrapped up the day by dressing up in our finest and heading back over to Novecento on Lincoln Road in Miami, where a Grammy Event was being hosted. We were honored to receive an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Cantu to attend this event where many producers, aspiring artists, and recording companies were present. At first we felt a bit out of our league striking up conversations with some big fish in the music industry, but we warmed up and were able to meet some wonderful people and made some great contacts. We wrapped up the event by singing “La Camisa Negra”, a Miami favorite, and headed back home to rest up before an early morning and full day of performances. Keep an eye out for more to come! -Kevin, Matt, Bryan, Mike
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much, especially our rendition of The Genesee. Many of the alumni at this event were students before the time of the Ramblers, and were excited to hear new a cappella voices from campus. This was also a great opportunity to talk to the alumni and see what they studied while at Rochester, and what the have done with their degrees so far. After hearing us perform downstairs, we were asked to sing to their main dining room. To complete the day, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Chris’s parents. The Ramblers are extremely gracious for the hospitality that Mr. and Mrs. Cantu have provided us on our Spring tour.
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