Your life will be packed with moments that matter – days or seasons when you experience something new that shifts your perspective and opens your eyes to new possibilities.
As a high school musician, you’ve probably had a few of these moments already – a challenge that helped you discover a strength you didn’t know you had, a conversation that changed how you thought about the world or an act of kindness that warmed your heart.
Ambassadors of Music is a two-week adventure filled with these kinds of moments, as you explore parts of the world that you’ve only dreamed of, alongside hundreds of new friends.
In our years of working with student performers just like you, we’ve watched thousands of high school students transform on tour – returning not just as better-traveled young adults, but more confident and worldly too.
You’ll grow as a performer.
You were nominated because someone saw the gold in you, but the thing about gold is that it’s most precious once it’s refined. Learning new music, alongside talented peers and led by new directors, will stretch and expand the gifts you already bring to the tour.
With AOM, you’ll step onto new stages – from hallowed cathedrals to city centers – and share your gift with audiences distinct in culture but united by a love of music. Their response to the music you share will change you, too. And you’ll travel home a more seasoned performer because of it.
You’ll grow as a traveler.
We’re passionate about teaching students to be travelers, not tourists, and that distinction is an important one. Travelers understand the weight of exploring new places, respectfully experiencing new cultures, languages, foods and treasured history. (You’re called “ambassadors” for a reason!)
You’ll come home with eyes opened to a bigger, more exciting world than the one you left – and a desire to see more of it. Plus, you’ll learn tips and tricks for traveling intelligently and safely – skills you’ll use for life.
You’ll grow as a human.
Some of the skills we need as adults are only gained “on the job,” and we often learn them in big moments. With AOM, you’ll spend fifteen days with strangers who become friends and directors who often become mentors, people you’ll learn from and lean on for years to come.
And you’ll have experiences that will sneak into your life when you least expect it – for instance, when you’re reading a book, and you know exactly what the sky looks like behind the Eiffel Tower, because you’ve seen it in person. The impact of your AOM experience will unfold over time, affecting you long after you’ve returned home.
This experience is called “once-in-a-lifetime” for a reason. Don’t miss your opportunity to walk famous streets and share your music on renowned stages. But more than that, seize the chance to expand what you know about the world. Like our past Ambassadors, you’ll be better for it.