Taking Creston abroad

Last Friday, Creston High School students Malachi Webber and Lizzie Sprague returned from a music tour lasting more than two weeks in Europe with the Iowa Ambassadors of Music.

Led by Coe College’s Music Department Chair and Director of Bands William Carson, the Iowa Ambassadors of Music takes choir and band students from around the state on a 16-day, five-country tour, including a performance in each country.

Carson explained the Iowa branch of the Ambassadors of Music program first began in 1988 with the help of Dr. Morgan Jones.

“I’d been his assistant for about eight years and took over about 2016,” Carson said. “A couple years ago we incorporated as a non-profit and take advantage of that to make sure the students get the most that they can for the experience of doing concerts and all kinds of learning experiences in Europe.”

The tour starts out in England, making its way to France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Along the way, students are able to learn both about music and other countries’ histories and cultures.

Local participation

Webber, a tenor sax player headed into his sophomore year at CHS, said his favorite part of the trip was the time spent in Switzerland.

“The mountains in the background, the culture there, the people,” Webber said. “The concert was especially great because the entire crowd just got into it. They were clapping along to our songs. The entirety of Switzerland was just amazing.”

Students are chosen for the trip based off of nominations from their music directors and from past performances in high-level ensembles. Webber encountered the Iowa Ambassadors of Music through the second opportunity.

“In eighth grade, I was selected to perform in the All-Iowa eighth grade honor band,” Webber said. “Through that is how the Iowa Ambassadors of Music selected me and another person from our school to perform there.”

Sprague, a bass clarinetist, is already off to another camp and unavailable for comment. However, her social media posts show her excitement at the opportunity.

“This trip has been so fun and I’m really gonna miss all my people from this trip,” Sprague wrote.

Gaining experiences

Carson explained there are a number of things the students gain from the experience, aside from seeing new countries.

“We start off with a three-day music camp, so they’re getting a lot of music education; they’re getting to rehearse and perform with a bunch of select musicians from all over the state,” Carson said. “The experience of group travel, whether domestic or international, is something that is valuable to them for their future, and dealing with adversity.”

The students also make connections this way, both with other young musicians and with the staff members. This sometimes leads to job opportunities in the future.

“One of the coolest things I think that ever happened with my Iowa Ambassadors experience was a young man who was singing in the choir back when I first became involved just did an excellent job,” Carson said.

This young man went on to be a student of Carson’s at Coe College, eventually making his way to being a staff member on the Iowa Ambassador’s tour and at Coe College.

“Now instead of being my student, he’s my colleague,” Carson said. “This does not happen to everyone, but I can think at Coe College of three current faculty or staff that I met on Iowa Ambassadors of Music.”

One issue the group had was their attempts at concerts despite inclement weather.

“England, unfortunately for the band, it was rained out after one song, so that wasn’t a whole concert,” Carson said. “In Paris it was over 90 degrees in bright, bright sunlight. We were dying and we did about three-quarters of a concert there.”

These challenges didn’t stop the students from enjoying their trip.

“I think a good time was had by all,” Carson said. “Yes, there’s a lot of growth and people learn a lot of things, but I think they also had a blast.”

Webber is grateful for the chance to go on this trip, as well at to the people who helped him get there.

“Mr. and Mrs. Linke and Mr. Peters, as well as Lizzie Sprague,” Webber said. “All of them really helped me get through it and helped me where I am now and to the trip at all.”

The next Iowa Ambassadors of Music trip will take place in the summer of 2025.