Dallas. Home to the Cowboys, brisket and from Feb. 20 to 23, Spartan performing arts students. Nearly 70 members of the band and orchestra programs traveled to an array of attractions during the annual band trip.

The group visited the House of Blues, the Grapevine Mills Mall and even the University of North Texas to watch their jazz band rehearse. For Kourtlynn Faulkner (9), her favorite attraction was Medieval Times where she got to cheer on a knight in battle.

“You eat there without any silverware,” Faulkner said. “It was kind of weird at first, but it was like after a while, you were cheering on your knight. It was really fun.”

While Joe Douglas (9) enjoyed spending time at the mall with friends, another favorite stop for him was to see the Dallas Winds, one of the country’s top Wind Ensembles, in concert.

“It was amazing; there were four guest percussionists, and they played so many different parts and they kept switching and they were very active,” Douglas said. “And the music, you [could] hear like every part if you try to focus in on it …  it was just great.” 

After not having a trip since 2019, this was an opportunity for the band to be able to travel and explore other parts of the country again.

“I feel like it was a great experience for our first year back doing band trips,” Faulkner said.