Where are Beethoven and Brahms buried? Where is Dvorak Hall? Where is Matthias Church? These locations are all part of the Cal Poly Symphony’s performance tour to Central Europe. This tour will take place from June 17-27, 2016. My name is Joseph Shanks; I am a passionate music teacher and musician playing both the piano and viola. I started taking music lessons when I was five years old, and over the years I have grown to love performing and teaching music. My love for teaching inspired me to begin studying music at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California.  I am using my musical experiences to teach music lessons in order to pay for my education.  While attending Cal Poly I have had the privilege of being a member of the Cal Poly Symphony. On our performance tour we will be combining with three different European choirs for three performances in prestigious venues such as Dvorak Hall (one of the oldest concert halls in Europe) and St. Stephen’s Cathedral! Not only will we get to perform beautiful music with European musicians, we will have the opportunity to visit many historical cities including Vienna (the resting place of Beethoven and Brahms), Prague (where Dvorak Hall is located), and Budapest (the location of Matthias Church). As a classical musician almost all of the music that I perform has originated in Europe. This trip will give me a better understanding of music history and development, which will help me more effectively teach my students. This incredible experience will cost me $5000.00. This amount will cover all expenses including hotels, food, and travel. I would be very thankful if you would consider donating to my trip. Your donation woud be immensely appreciated!  Your donation will not only help me, but it will also help all of my students.