Wisconsin All Stars of Music FAQ’s
Please review the Slide Deck and/or Video for basic information
Q: Who is eligible for the All Stars of Music Program?
A: Students who have finished grades 9-12 at the time of the trip in Summer 2023 (Current 8-11 grade students). Nominations are made by students’ music teachers.
Q: How often do students perform and in what types of venues will they take place?
A: Students will perform in London, Paris and Munich. Stays in Switzerland and Austria will be brief and not allow for performance and time to take in the culture and sites. Venues will be determined based on ensemble size and conductor decisions of repertoire
Q: Will Band, Choir and Orchestra students travel together or separately? Will families travel with students?
A: Whenever possible, we will travel together, but there will be times throughout the tour when we will split off in smaller groups to manage our crowd size. This depends on the venue and the number of students and families that are in attendance.
Q: What is the deadline for registration?
A: July 31, 2022 for student registrations. Family members may be added later, but current pricing cannot be guaranteed after this date.
Q: Is there a payment plan?
A: Yes! Guardian asks for a $500 initial deposit. Starting July 1, 2022 and ending March 1, 2023, you will be billed $597 for your student. Automatic transfer of funds is available for your convenience.
Q: What is the teacher to student ratio?
A: We are committed to a 10 to 1 student to teacher ratio on this tour.
Q: Can a student room with their parent or guardian?
A: As educators, we know that there is great potential for social growth for students on this tour. We encourage students to room with other students. If they become overwhelmed by anxiety during the trip and want to spend a night with a family member, that is possible as long as there is good communication with trip leaders.
Q: What kind of accommodations should our students and families expect throughout the trip? Can students request specific roommates? How many students will be in a room?
A: European hotels are smaller and not as fancy as American hotels. What we are used to state-side would cost more than double in Europe. The hotels are nice, clean, and safe. Accommodations will be double or triple occupancy based on hotel availability in each room. Our staff will take requests in advance, but final decision on rooming will be up to staff discretion and may change based on each hotel availability
Q: What Insurance or Trip Protection is available? Is it included in the pricing?
A: Post-Departure Insurance is included in every purchase. The Trip Protection Plan is an additional cost and provides trip refunds in the case of a cancellation. Please refer to the slide deck (Slide #8-9) for more specific information regarding protection plans and insurance.
Q: I’d like to learn more about the Italy extension.
A: The registration materials ask for your interest in the Italy extension. If there is enough interest in this extension, information will be sent out in late summer to all registrants including cost, timeline and itinerary. Students will not perform in Italy. It is an opportunity for students and families to extend their travel experience for an additional 7 days through Rome, Florence and Venice.
Q: Will the friends and family performance at the pre-departure camp be live-streamed?
A: TBD; We will comply with copyright law and need further review to determine if this is admissible.
When will students receive their music? Will we meet before the camp for logistics or music learning?
Students will receive their music prior to camp with an expectation that they learn their notes and rhythms before they attend the camp. There will be no pre-camp rehearsals. Informational emails will be sent regularly with at least one pre-camp meeting one month prior to the first day of camp.
What is the vaccination policy on this trip? Based on the uncertainty of guidelines from multiple countries and venues, what is your recommendation? If a traveler is not vaccinated and it is a requirement at a venue, what will be the protocol?
Guardian does not require vaccination, but is subject to the vaccination policies of the countries, cities, and vendors involved in the trip.
Q: Will travelers need a passport? What do you recommend for payment options while in Europe?
A: Passports will be required. As far as payment options, we recommend a combination of cash and credit/debit. Many credit cards and debit cards waive international fees. Check with your financial institution for confirmation. For those bringing cash, please exchange at your US bank as the airport exchange rates are more costly.
Q: Can you touch upon the key points, in your opinion, that set All-Stars of Music and Guardian Travel Group apart from other tours and tour companies?
A: Guardian has staff in Europe to assist in all areas of our trips and runs every aspect of the trip themselves. We do not work with destination management companies which allows us to control all trip elements and guarantee that all vendors and trip elements are up to our standards.
Q: Is the trip handicap accessible?
A: Yes it is. We can have handicap accessible buses if needed. Please let us know at registration if this is required for your participation. There are some potential trip elements like ascending Mt. Pilatus that could be more challenging, but that is an optional activity.
Please review the Slide Deck and/or Video for basic information
Q: Who is eligible for the All Stars of Music Program?
A: Students who have finished grades 9-12 at the time of the trip in Summer 2023 (Current 8-11 grade students). Nominations are made by students’ music teachers.
Q: How often do students perform and in what types of venues will they take place?
A: Students will perform in London, Paris and Munich. Stays in Switzerland and Austria will be brief and not allow for performance and time to take in the culture and sites. Venues will be determined based on ensemble size and conductor decisions of repertoire
Q: Will Band, Choir and Orchestra students travel together or separately? Will families travel with students?
A: Whenever possible, we will travel together, but there will be times throughout the tour when we will split off in smaller groups to manage our crowd size. This depends on the venue and the number of students and families that are in attendance.
Q: What is the deadline for registration?
A: July 31, 2022 for student registrations. Family members may be added later, but current pricing cannot be guaranteed after this date.
Q: Is there a payment plan?
A: Yes! Guardian asks for a $500 initial deposit. Starting July 1, 2022 and ending March 1, 2023, you will be billed $597 for your student. Automatic transfer of funds is available for your convenience.
Q: What is the teacher to student ratio?
A: We are committed to a 10 to 1 student to teacher ratio on this tour.
Q: Can a student room with their parent or guardian?
A: As educators, we know that there is great potential for social growth for students on this tour. We encourage students to room with other students. If they become overwhelmed by anxiety during the trip and want to spend a night with a family member, that is possible as long as there is good communication with trip leaders.
Q: What kind of accommodations should our students and families expect throughout the trip? Can students request specific roommates? How many students will be in a room?
A: European hotels are smaller and not as fancy as American hotels. What we are used to state-side would cost more than double in Europe. The hotels are nice, clean, and safe. Accommodations will be double or triple occupancy based on hotel availability in each room. Our staff will take requests in advance, but final decision on rooming will be up to staff discretion and may change based on each hotel availability
Q: What Insurance or Trip Protection is available? Is it included in the pricing?
A: Post-Departure Insurance is included in every purchase. The Trip Protection Plan is an additional cost and provides trip refunds in the case of a cancellation. Please refer to the slide deck (Slide #8-9) for more specific information regarding protection plans and insurance.
Q: I’d like to learn more about the Italy extension.
A: The registration materials ask for your interest in the Italy extension. If there is enough interest in this extension, information will be sent out in late summer to all registrants including cost, timeline and itinerary. Students will not perform in Italy. It is an opportunity for students and families to extend their travel experience for an additional 7 days through Rome, Florence and Venice.
Q: Will the friends and family performance at the pre-departure camp be live-streamed?
A: TBD; We will comply with copyright law and need further review to determine if this is admissible.
When will students receive their music? Will we meet before the camp for logistics or music learning?
Students will receive their music prior to camp with an expectation that they learn their notes and rhythms before they attend the camp. There will be no pre-camp rehearsals. Informational emails will be sent regularly with at least one pre-camp meeting one month prior to the first day of camp.
What is the vaccination policy on this trip? Based on the uncertainty of guidelines from multiple countries and venues, what is your recommendation? If a traveler is not vaccinated and it is a requirement at a venue, what will be the protocol?
Guardian does not require vaccination, but is subject to the vaccination policies of the countries, cities, and vendors involved in the trip.
Q: Will travelers need a passport? What do you recommend for payment options while in Europe?
A: Passports will be required. As far as payment options, we recommend a combination of cash and credit/debit. Many credit cards and debit cards waive international fees. Check with your financial institution for confirmation. For those bringing cash, please exchange at your US bank as the airport exchange rates are more costly.
Q: Can you touch upon the key points, in your opinion, that set All-Stars of Music and Guardian Travel Group apart from other tours and tour companies?
A: Guardian has staff in Europe to assist in all areas of our trips and runs every aspect of the trip themselves. We do not work with destination management companies which allows us to control all trip elements and guarantee that all vendors and trip elements are up to our standards.
Q: Is the trip handicap accessible?
A: Yes it is. We can have handicap accessible buses if needed. Please let us know at registration if this is required for your participation. There are some potential trip elements like ascending Mt. Pilatus that could be more challenging, but that is an optional activity.
