RAPID CITY, S.D. — For 68 Stevens High School band students, a 12-day tour through Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic became much more than a chance to perform. It was an opportunity to experience new cultures, grow in confidence and discover firsthand how music can connect people across languages and borders.

The trip marked the band’s first international tour in nine years after a planned 2020 trip to the United Kingdom was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2023 tour remained within the United States. Band Director George Dragoo, who has led the Stevens band program for 21 years, said students overwhelmingly wanted to return to international travel, making this year’s experience especially meaningful. Nearly two-thirds of the students had never traveled outside the United States or taken a long international flight before, and Dragoo said watching them experience Europe through fresh eyes made the journey memorable for everyone involved.

The group traveled through Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich, receiving guided tours while learning about each city’s history. One of the most powerful stops came at a former concentration camp, where students were able to connect classroom lessons with the reality of history. Dragoo said those experiences, along with seeing the similarities and differences between cultures, helped students return home with a broader perspective of the world.

Music itself became the bridge between the students and audiences abroad. Dragoo said instrumental music removes language barriers because musicians everywhere read the same notation and use the same terminology. During one performance, audience members who spoke little English used translation apps on their phones to thank the students afterward, while a visitor from Japan attended specifically because of her love of music and wanted to connect with the performers despite the language difference.

The trip was made possible through years of fundraising by students and support from the Rapid City Public School Foundation, the Johnson Trust and the Stevens Band Boosters. While students pay for much of the travel themselves, unexpected expenses such as renting larger instruments overseas can add significant costs. Dragoo said the Johnson Trust helped cover those expenses, ensuring students had the instruments and equipment they needed to perform without placing additional financial burdens on families.

The Johnson Trust has also helped support other unique educational opportunities for Stevens students. In recent years, the band commissioned an original musical composition by Canadian composer Kenley Kristofferson for a state music conference performance. The students became the first ensemble in the world to perform the new work, and Dragoo said the experience gave them a sense of pride knowing their performance would always be part of the piece’s history.

Stevens’ music program has continued to earn high marks at performances and festivals. Dragoo said the band’s strong ratings this year reflected months of dedication from students, while also helping showcase the quality of music education available in western South Dakota. The marching band has also expanded its travel opportunities, recently competing against schools from Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas and planning another trip this fall to an invitational at the University of Wyoming.

Beyond musical achievements, Dragoo said one of the greatest rewards came from watching students mature throughout the trip. As they navigated unfamiliar cities, communicated with people who spoke different languages and explored independently in small groups, many developed a new sense of confidence. By the end of the tour, students who had been hesitant at first were comfortably finding their way through cities, ordering meals and purchasing souvenirs while learning they were capable of much more than they had expected.

One of the most memorable moments came when the band performed inside a 750-year-old cathedral in Vienna beneath a tile recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The Father’s Day performance was livestreamed back to families in Rapid City, allowing parents to experience the historic concert from home. Dragoo said performing in buildings centuries older than the United States gave students a deeper appreciation for history and the places they were visiting.

For Dragoo, however, the greatest source of pride wasn’t the performances or the destinations. It was the students themselves. He said local guides, tour organizers and venue staff repeatedly complimented the group’s respectfulness, positive attitudes and maturity throughout the trip. Rather than returning home exhausted from managing a large group overseas, Dragoo said he and the other chaperones were already discussing where the band might travel three years from now.

He hopes every student returned with more than photographs and souvenirs. More importantly, he hopes they came home understanding they are part of a much larger world and confident enough to continue exploring it. Dragoo also encouraged younger students to join band, saying music provides not only lifelong friendships and academic benefits, but opportunities they may never have imagined possible.