By Petra Chesner
Schiatter
Staff Editor
The buses left New York at 10:45 p.m. and by 12:15 am.; they arrived back at Pennsbury High School escorted by police and the fire department.
“When the kids saw the police and fire trucks were for them, it was a great way to end a perfect trip,” said Dave Bowman, co-prmcipal of Pennsbury High School, who went along on the trip to Hong Kong.
Members of the Pennsbury High School Marching Band experienced a chance of a lifetime during their Hong Kong visit from March 21 to April 1.
Pennsbury performed during the half-time entertainment at the Hong Kong Sevens International Rugby Tournament, which is known as “Asia’s Super Bowl.” The student musicians performed before 40,000 people at Hong Kong Stadium. The tournament was broadcast to more than 50 million viewers.
The students also performed at Hong Kong High School, Hong Kong Disneyland and the Chinese Cultural Center, where the marching band participated in a concert setting at Hong Kong Harbor.
The Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band (PCJB), which also made the Hong Kong trip, performed before a huge crowd on the Avenue of the Stars in which the backdrop was the scenic harbor. The PCJB also gave a concert at Ocean Park, which is similar to Sea World in Florida.
Frank Mazzeo, who has been with Pennsbuiy school district for 22 years, is director of the marching band. “I would love to go back just to enjoy Hong Kong without the responsibility of 160 people,” he joked.
Mazzeo assembled five marching band members to talk with the Yardley News about Hong Kong. They shared their impressions and their feelings about the tip.

Tyler Mangiaracina (percussion), 15, is a 10th-grader. “It seemed like everything was different. It .was really, really different to see their culture and the differences between theirs and ours in a good way...”
About performing before such a big audience, Tyler said, “There’s nothing you can do to prepare yourself for that many people.”
Zachary Greenfield (trumpet), 15, is in 10th grade. “We saw the city of Hong Kong itself and we also went to a fishing village, which was very interesting. It was like you would see in National Geographic. It was incredible.”
Michelle Laraia (flute), 17, is an 11th-grader. “This was my first time traveling and the whole trip was just an awesome experience.” She said Hong Kong “reminded her of a city like New York City. They don’t really stand out much different than us.”
About the Kong Kong stadium, she said, “I was not expecting how big it was.” Chad Willard (percussion), 16, is in 10th grade. “I learned a lot about the people and the culture — the way they eat with chopsticks. They eat a lot of seafood and the Chinese food is not like the Chinese food we have here, which is really surprising to me.”
About meeting students at Hong Kong High School, Willard said, “They’re a lot like us. They have a fun time playing their instruments. They are very hard working.”
John Bugay (baritone horn), 17, is in 12th grade. “It was amazing. At first, I was in shock about how many people would be. watching us. Then I used that nervousness and anxiousness to my advantage. I thought I performed a really good show.”

Mazzeo said, “We drove the busses around the stadium. There was silence in my bus. The kids were amazed by how many people were there.. .When we came out of the tunnel onto the field that was weird. [The tunnel] brings you right on the field.”
At Hong Kong High School, the two marching bands knew the same Sousa songs and arrangements, which amazed Mazzeo. “We combined the bands and played them together.” The students had lunch together. “We tried to teach them American football,” Mazzeo said. It was Pennsbury vs. Hong Kong. “We tried football, and then we tried rugby. It was like the craziest game I have ever played.”
Mazzeo said his group took about 50 Pennsbury Tshirts for the Hong Kong students. “We did a concert at the Chinese Cultural Center and all the kids showed up in those shirts to come and see us.”
Friendships were made with the Hong Kong students. “When we were leaving, they were waving and throwing kisses.” The students exchanged e-mail addresses.
Mazzeo said what the students got out of the trip was “just realizing what it’s like on the other side of the world.”
Just playing music with the Hong Kong students was an experience in itself. “Music is an international language. It breaks down the barriers of communication, It gave students on the other side of the world a chance to relate and bond,” Mazzeo said.
Meanwhile, co-principal Bowman said, “It was a pleasure traveling to Hong Kong with our students and staff. It was personally meaningful to me to get to know the students and the adults who traveled on the trip, to watch the students perform and significantly exceed our expectations. They were truly ambassadors of Pennsbury, Pennsylvania and the U.S.
“It’s chilling. We’re so proud of them and we appreciate the hard work by our band directors and are so thankful for the opportunity that was supported by the Pennsbury school district and the entire community,” Bowman said.
The Pennsbury Band Boosters will host their 2nd Annual Golf ‘n’ Jazz Outing at the Makefield Highlands Golf Course in Lower Makefield Township on Thursday, May 15.
The 41st Annual Jazz at Pennsbury will take place at the Pennsbury High School East auditorium that evening at 6 p.m. Golfers and non-golfers are all invited to attend.
For more information or to register for the event, contact David Willard at
215-802-4132 or
willard@medcommedia.com.