Seven Westwood band students selected by their directors had the opportunity to go on a 16-day music tour of Europe over the summer. There, they, along with other band students from across the state, played their music for everyone to hear.

“Every other year, an organization called the Texas Ambassadors of Music recruits people by asking band directors to nominate five people from their band,” Lyle Moss ‘20 said. “Then you get sent an invitation in the mail, then you get sent too a bunch of informational meetings about it, and then you can sign up.”

The tour of Europe consisted of visits to six countries, three of which the students played in. The countries included England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Germany.

“We would just set up our instruments in public parks, and if people wanted to come listen to us, they’d just come listen,” Moss said. “The people there are generally very accommodating and very nice. [In] lots of places, people were cheering for you and they understand what you’re all about.”

The application process to make the trip was a long one. Students were selected in early 2016, but once the trip began, students agreed that it was well worth the wait.

“When I started out, I was feeling a bit nervous,” Nathaniel Thomas ‘20 said. “I like to stick to my friends, so I didn’t really reach out that much. But, as it continued, I talked to more people and made more friends. I decided that I really liked talking to new people. It just really felt like I was changing in a social way.”

However, the band members didn’t just interact with each other, or even just with students from across the state. Going to several different countries gave them the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people, all from unique cultures.

“This was my first time outside of the country,” Moss said. “I was excited for most of it, except that I kept getting stuck in situations where I was trying to interact with people who speak a different language. That was very nerve-wracking, but it was also very interesting to be around other people’s cultures.”

Along with meeting with all types of people, the students visited many iconic and breathtaking locations.

“I think my most memorable experience was going up the Eiffel Tower,” Thomas said. “[The first floor has] this big glass floor and you can stand on it and it looks like there’s nothing below you, it’s pretty cool.”

Although the trip may have been about sharing music with all sorts of people, the band students agreed that the trip brought them closer together than they had ever been before.

“I think the whole trip was socially enjoyable,” Thomas said. “People will say that it’s life changing, and that might seem cliche, but it really is.”