Today was a very busy day, but also extremely eye opening!  We had a long rehearsal with the university students from Ryukoku.  It was great to interact with students our own age on the trip because it helped put into perspective how different, yet in many ways similar, our lives are.  Communicating with each other was difficult at times, however, Google Translate is a very useful tool.  One thing that continues to amaze me is that although it may be difficult to communicate through words, we are always able to communicate with each other through music. All of the students were extremely talented players, and being able to play side by side with them was a surreal experience.  Although we come from very different backgrounds, we were able to make strong connections through the music we played together.

One of the most significant events that occurred throughout the day was playing “Nearer My God” with the Ryukoku students.  In previous concerts we had sang “The Lord Bless You And Keep You” with the students, but we had never played our other traditional ending with them.  It was great to be able to invite them to play with us and it warmed my heart to be able to share that experience.  I think they knew just how important that song was to us and put their heart and soul into playing it.  We also rehearsed “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” in sectionals.  It was a great opportunity to get to know a few more of the Ryukoku students outside of the euphonium section and connect with them on a different level.  I think it was great that they were willing to learn the song and sing with us at our final concert.