Makayla's AMA Europe Tour

My name is Makayla Glover. I am a freshman at Lower Dauphin High School and I have been nominated by my teachers to participate in a wonderful opportunity to join other music-minded high school students to use our musical talents to travel to Europe this summer.

American Music Abroad (AMA) has been arranging musical tours for the past forty-five years and has had over 40,000 high school students participate in exciting “educational and cultural experiences”. This summer’s Gold Tour includes performances in and visits to Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

Besides playing my cello in these amazing places I am also looking forward to the Hallein Salt Mines, Mozart’s home and baptism place, and meeting new people. I will even have an opportunity to take a cable car into the Alps to the Rattenberg Glacier. There is even a “reflective trip to a WWII Concentration Camp in Mauthausen”. This is the part of the trip I have the most anxiety about. I think this will be an important and educational stop, but I know it will be an emotional one.

I have attached a copy of the itinerary if you are interested in seeing all we are going to be doing on this trip.

Since fourth grade, I have been playing my cello and doing more than just private lessons and school concerts. I participate in Festival Strings, this being the second year, with a final performance with the Hershey Symphony at the Historic Hershey Theatre in the spring. This year I have taken on the challenge of participating in my high school spring musical Into the Woods in the Pit. This is proving to be difficult, but I am learning so much and starting to enjoy the challenge.

I was also nominated to participate in LVC Honors this year, which is a two-day event at a local college, ending with a performance. With my participation in this event, should I choose LVC I have been offered some scholarship funds toward tuition. I know it is early, but I am currently thinking I would like to attend Messiah University where I have spent the last two summers participating in their Summer Orchestra Camp. Choosing AMA was actually a hard decision for me because I will be missing the Messiah Summer Camp this year. After thinking about all that AMA offered it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up and I will go back to Messiah next summer.

This program, as amazing as it is, comes with a pretty high price tag. My parents, of course, are helping me as much as they can, but I am trying to raise as much money as possible to help them. 100% of any donations I receive will go toward the expenses for this wonderful opportunity.

I want to thank you for considering donating and would ask that you share this with anyone you think would like to contribute as well.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMNO-Eo3job9BwsZUJHTcEU8pBVdjamiZvjTOWS