I'd like to say that the tour as a whole was a wonderful experience and I am grateful I was able to be part of the orchestra. Ann Rodier, violin

I really enjoyed having the experience of being part of the tour. It was great to feel the appreciation of classical music as it is such a big part of my life. Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible! I will remember it forever. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

I would love to live in Prague sometime in my life, they still have so much of the historical buildings and culture, something that you just can't get in the United States. It's a really open city and just has an amazing atmosphere to live in. Berlin and Leipzig were both amazing as well, but they're more urbanized so I would prefer to move to Prague. Tess Woodbury, oboe

Well I don't know about everybody else but I would love to live in Berlin because there is so much history there and we didn't really have that much time to look at it all!!!!!!! Robby Morales, viola

I would love to live in a city such as Prague or Berlin because of the musical opportunities and the history of the cities I would be able to experience every day. Jill Reisner, trombone

Prague would rank highest on that list but to be honest none of them. Prague, as picturesque as it was is too tourist oriented, and the same goes for many of the other cities. Berlin, to be honest, was somewhat of a letdown because I expected a metropolitan akin to the likes of New York or Shanghai and it was much smaller, much calmer - too much so. Suzie Li, violin

There were lots of great things about all of these places. Berlin had much of historical interest as did the other places we went, but also had lots of space and good public transportation system. It was clean and the people were respectful. Even though there were lots of people there, it didn't feel too crowded. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

If I could move all my friends and family to one of the cities, I would definitely move there. I couldn't live there without them though. Ann Rodier, violin

In every city we visited I felt as if I could take a midnight stroll and be perfectly fine. Very clean and very safe. Jill Reisner, trombone

Not really, but I felt always rather defensive about being clumped together as just a "bunch of Americans" and all the stereotypes that go along with that. Suzie Li, violin

In the big cities we had to be especially careful of theft...It would probably be the same in big cities in the USA as well. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

My only fear was to be late for call time in the morning! :) Ann Rodier, violin

I went to Prague a week earlier than the tour, and we went to the Synagogue the first day. When you walk into one of them you see that all the walls are covered with the names of holocaust victims, and upstairs they had artwork of Jewish children in the area right before they had been sent to camps. Just seeing the mass number of names and the ages that these children were killed at always hits hard, not really a surprise anymore because I've studied the holocaust multiple times in school and I've been to many exhibits for it. But then I walked out into the cemetery and there were so many stones there to represent the victims, just from the area, that they couldn't fit them all in so the stones were crowded in. The walls of the cemetery were carved with the names and eulogies of victims, and headstones were laying flat on the ground. It was really chaotic and for the first time I could actually see these things rather than just pictures in a text book. It was strange to think about it in that setting, where it happened. Tess Woodbury, oboe

I heard a few of the coaches teaching sections to not play so European. This surprised me because many of the American coaches stress on playing in the traditional European style. Jill Reisner, trombone

The amount of English. I was utterly shocked at how well they spoke and their overall mastery of a foreign language. Suzie Li, violin

I am so used to a mixed cultural-ethnic group of people. The majority of people had similar ethnic backgrounds. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

There is always the responsibility of representing your nationality when traveling. I think the members of our tour were presentable and defied all negative assumptions about American tourists. Jill Reisner, trombone

Definitely. There is always that connotation that people have when they hear "Americans" and unfortunately, more often than not, it's not a good one. And as a Chinese-American, I felt almost as if I wasn't just representing one country but rather two, so I really tried to watch how I acted and to be respectful. Suzie Li, violin

American's need to understand better that they are part of a world wide community. There is such a rich history in Europe. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

In Prague most people spoke English, but when you encounter people who don't speak English you have to master pointing at menus and simple phrases to get by. Tess Woodbury, oboe

Most of the time, our mannerisms marked us as American, and people spoke English to us in varying degrees of fluency. However, in some cases, speech was not necessary at all, especially when we could bond in a different manner. The integrity of the tour truly manifested towards the end, when we had the joint concert with the Potsdam Youth Orchestra. Being a much larger group did nothing to deter us from moving quickly in the Dvorak, and evidently, the unity of us all, despite the spoken language barrier, was brilliant. Music served enough as a common language. It was one German, one American per stand, but we understood each other on the same pieces better than broken phrases ever could express. Edith Karuna, violin

During the plane ride to Frankfurt, my friend speaks fluent German and so he taught me a lot of words and I was able to speak to someone and have an actual conversation in German!!!!!!!!! (Even thought that person spoke English) Other than that I spoke to everyone in English! Robby Morales, viola

Practically everyone in the European community speaks English and those who do not understand universal "Body Language". Jill Reisner, trombone

It was interesting because Europe has been so "Americanized" in so many ways that even when I had to go out and buy something, there were enough American brands for me to recognize what I was buying. In both countries though, a huge population spoke English, especially in Germany. Also, traveling in such a big group makes language barriers even less significant since you always have someone to talk to. Suzie Li, violin

Everyone spoke English. The young people there were all learning English at school (as well as other languages!) Kirsten Skabelund, violin

Most people were able to speak a little bit of English. When we played with the Potsdam Youth Orchestra, there was no need for words; I felt like the music we were playing together did the job. Ann Rodier, violin

I love traveling with friends, it's still a great experience with your family, but when you go out of the country with friends without your parents tagging along, and you get to perform it makes you feel a little more independent, and as long as you feel safe, it's a good feeling. Tess Woodbury, oboe

The opportunity to venture on this tour due to my musical abilities has made me appreciate my many musical opportunities. It makes me sad to see music in schools failing because I have had such amazing opportunities, such as the Spain and Portugal trip with Santa Rosa High, that many younger generations will never be able to experience. Jill Reisner, trombone

The feeling of accomplishment is of course there. It felt like all those years of work really did amount to something, and it was even nicer to be able to work with people internationally through that music. Suzie Li, violin

It was sweet-awesome! Kirsten Skabelund, violin

I wish I grew up in Europe, and I would be very disappointed if I didn't get to return to Prague to play more music. Any changes I'll make will probably be to get another chance to travel through music, and to keep it in my life. Tess Woodbury, Oboe

The tour, particularly the joint performance with the Potsdam Youth Orchestra, has encouraged me to practice more. Jill Reisner, trombone

It didn't change too much regarding music but as a member of the orchestra I really felt that our counterparts in Potsdam did much better in working together as part of a whole and it is something that I hope to work towards in the future through communication and being more compliant. Suzie Li, violin

After playing with the Potsdam Youth Orchestra, I realize that with an increased level of intensity we could rise to a higher level in our musical performance. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

This tour has caused me to think more carefully about every part of the orchestra and listen to all the details. Getting to know each member of the orchestra has helped me to do this. Most of the time I just listen to my part and count rests when I'm not playing, but it makes music all the more enjoyable if you can hear all the parts. Ann Rodier, violin

I don't know if it's taken more seriously because you can't compare individuals' ideas of it but the atmosphere in Europe makes it easier t spark interest in classical styles. Just walking down a street in Leipzig you'll pass countless statues of classical composers. I feel like growing up in Europe allows you to be more familiar and to grow up with the history of classical music, where in the U.S. you have to make more of an effort to know anything about it and your parents almost have to make the decision for you at an early age to teach you an instrument so that when you do have more interest you can play at a competitive level. Here most of the people that come to our concerts have some connection with the youth orchestra or the symphony whether relatives or friends but when we played in Europe that wasn't an option but we still had good sized crowds for all three performances. - Tess Woodbury, Oboe

Europe definitely takes classical music more seriously. Music education in California is dwindling while in Europe it is blossoming. It is a huge disappointment for those who are pursuing careers in any musical venue, especially instrumentalists who play instruments usually introduced at an elementary level. Jill Reisner, trombone

Hard to say. I think there is more appreciation and awareness of the music, since much of the audience in Prague could hum to our pieces, in Europe. Suzie Li, violin

People on the whole seemed to be more educated and informed about classical music. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

Classical music seems to be taken more seriously by Europeans as a whole.

In my opinion, those few who want to pursue music as a career in America must take it more seriously in order to keep it alive. Ann Rodier, violin

Yes. Most of the people I played with all had private instructors and had been playing their instrument for well over 8-10 years. Jill Reisner, trombone

In some ways because my stand partner for the joint performance was 25 and he only started when he was 18. Also, during their performance, the soloist seemed to have quite a few intonation problems. So overall, it seems that we, here in the US, actually get the more intense training. However, in the aspect of playing together and working together as an orchestra, they trump us. Suzie Li, violin

The conductor of the Potsdam Youth Orchestra seemed to have higher expectations of his orchestra. The players really seemed to rise to these demands. Kirsten Skabelund, violin

Playing music is still a major part of life in Europe and is introduced more into everyday life. Here in America, you have to work a little harder to listen and play classical music. Ann Rodier, violin