Touring in DC and Baltimore

Many of the a cappella groups at Dartmouth do some sort of touring during winter break. This year, the Dartmouth Dodecaphonics went to Washington DC and Baltimore for a week. Other groups traveled around the east coast, with one even going to London! Every year groups change the locations of their tours, so hopefully I'll soon be able to travel even further across the country or (keeping my fingers crossed) internationally! Dodec tours in the past couple of years have been to New York City, Austin, Chicago, Florida, and other areas of the country.

So after trudging through finals and finally finishing up all my work, I was able to relax (somewhat) as I prepared for tour! Of course, we had rehearsal every day before (and during) tour. We left a day after the actual term had ended (so nobody was around- it was so strange being at a deserted school) and took the Dartmouth Coach to Logan Airport in Boston. From there we flew down to Baltimore (though we started in DC) and eventually transferred back to Baltimore. Thanks to the generosity of two of our members in those areas we were housed by them the entire trip, allowing us the comforts of a real home instead of hotel rooms or a rented place.

Many of our shows took place at elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as local alumni clubs. Performing for younger kids was a blast, as they never really get to experience a cappella, at least at the collegiate level. Every show the kids were really excited about us coming, and responded enthusiastically to our shows!

Additionally, meeting alumni at the Dartmouth Clubs of DC and Baltimore was also a very cool experience. With alums from '50 to '09, it was interesting to speak with them about their experiences about Dartmouth and how the school has evolved over the years since they graduated (especially for those who graduated before the school turned co-ed in 1972). Meeting a Dodec '84 was awesome, as she was one of the founding members of the Dodecaphonics! One of the funnier moments of the evening was when she remarked "Oh, you guys are cool now?" Yes, alumn, yes we are.

(Self call.)