Final day in ATL

Now that I've had some semblance of sleep, here is our final day review and my final thoughts.

We arose to load our buses and eat our last hotel breakfast. We drove to an empty street in downtown to line up for the parade. They put all the bands on the same street, and our kids were serenaded by the Robert Morris College band with some southern hip-hop.

The parade was short but we had a bus behind us with the world's loudest air horn. I had to talk to the parade officials about the inappropriateness of the situation. After a fast change, we ate at CNN and moved onto the world of Coke. Our kids got to sample Coke from around the world. My favorite was Italy. We changed back and went into fan fest with all the South Carolina and FSU fans. The FSU band was LOUD and rockin'.

We took our nosebleed seats, hung out for a few minutes and the kids took their positions underneath the stadium. The kids played the National Anthem and patriotic medley. They did a great job.

We returned to our seats to watch some of the game. The kids headed back for halftime and that's the clip from ESPN that we've seen. The band headed back to the buses and changed into their bus clothes. Some kids crashed right away and others decided to stay up all night. No one made it on my bus! By sunrise it was a new year and nearly the end of a great trip. We pulled into BHS to smiling parents.

I have traveled the world as a musician. There is something remarkable about performing music for another person that changes you. Being able to watch my students experiences this past week has been special. I've seen them grow as humans and as musicians. I saw people thank bus drivers and help their colleagues into hotel rooms. I saw kids let all their inhibitions go on the dance floor but most importantly, I saw kids have fun with their friends and ultimately, that's what they'll remember. That moment that will crystalize in their memory and stay with them forever. In an age when high school kids are inundated with school work, jobs, and band rehearsals, it was rewarded for them to have a safe place to be themselves, to be kids.