As a teacher, you’re probably constantly looking for new and innovative ways of inspiring your students. If you’re thinking of taking your class abroad, why not plan a school trip to Paris? A music tour to the City of Lights would be an experience they’d never forget.
Why Plan a Music Tour?
A school trip to Paris offers many tremendous learning opportunities for students. It can:
1.Boost students’ confidence by having them perform to a new audience daily.
2.Allow them to grow as performers by taking on the challenge of adapting to new rehearsal and performance spaces.
3.Broaden their horizons by exploring a new culture and Paris’s heritage.
Musical Experiences in Paris
Boasting a variety of concert halls and other appropriate venues, including open-air spaces and churches, a school trip to Paris is ideal for a music tour. There are many opportunities to perform, as well as an exciting range of music-related attractions.
•Perform in the iconic Square Jean XXIII or Madeleine Church
A charming park that extends from the South side to the chevet of the cathedral, Square Jean XXIII is the ideal outdoor performance space. Your students can focus on the awe-inspiring cathedral opposite, with its impressive spire and numerous gargoyles, while playing beautiful harmonies to the hundreds of tourists who visit the park daily. The cathedral is a great distraction to control those nerves too. Alternatively, Madeleine Church’s majestic exterior and 52 Greek-like columns make it an equally inspiring place to perform.
•Explore the Cité de la Musique
Anyone who loves music will revel in a trip to the famous Cité de la Musique. Combining Paris’s Conservatory, rehearsal halls, concert spaces and an instrument museum, this single space provides every tool required to teach and share music. The architect Christian de Portzamparc wanted to celebrate music by creating an area where public events could be held, and people might be brought together through music.
•Take a Guided Tour of the Palais Garnier
If this astounding opera house doesn’t inspire your students, I don’t know what will. Take a tour through its breath-taking auditorium, with its marbled pillars, velvet curtains and lavish decorations that are lit by a splendid crystal chandelier and its 340 lights. You’ll then make your way to the salon du glacier. An ode to the Belle Epoque, it boasts a beautifully-painted ceiling and several intricate tapestries depicting nature and hunting expeditions. The Galérie de l’Orchestre features an audio-visual exhibition recounting the history of the opera house.
Book Your School Trip to Paris with a Specialised Operator
Organising an educational travel tour can be a long and time-consuming task, so why not seek out the assistance of a specialised educational travel tour operator? They’ll make the job a lot easier. Their professional experts will help you plan your trip and organise your activities according to your needs and specifications. Let them handle your itinerary so you can concentrate on making your school trip to Paris as stimulating as possible for your students.
John Gardiner is the Managing Director of The School Travel Company, a tour operator specialising in educational travel for school and youth groups. Whether you’re planning a school trip to Paris, New York or India’s Golden Triangle, you can trust both the educational and economic value of their itineraries, whether ready-made or specifically designed to suit the needs of your group.
This article is copyright free.