OC jazz band performs on Royal Caribbean cruise

During spring break, the Oklahoma Christian University jazz band cruised with Royal Caribbean for a week of performance and fun.

Every other year the jazz band travels with other music department groups to Chicago, Florida or New York. Thus, the music department staff provides equivalent trip opportunities for students on the alternate years.

Professor of Music Heath Jones sponsored and organized the cruise, marking his fourth year of taking students on jazz band exclusive trips.

“I learned early on that since our school has such a great study abroad program, most of my students have already been to Europe, Japan or China,” Jones said. “However, one thing that a lot of them haven’t done is to go on a cruise. It’s something that is unique to the jazz band.”

Working with performing arts consultants, Jones set up the opportunity for the 16 students to perform while on the Royal Caribbean ship Navigator of the Seas, which held 4,000 passengers.

The band prepared for the trip by learning new music and fundraising.

Jones chose a wide variety of music for the band to perform. He selected songs that were No. 1 hits from 1920 through 1999. From Glenn Miller’s hit “In the Mood” to Ricky Martin’s chart-topping “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” the band learned songs that would cater to a diverse audience.

On the road trip to the ship’s port of call in Galveston, Texas, the band made two stops to showcase their music and serve others. They kicked off the trip with a concert for the Tealridge Retirement Community and then stopped in Houston, Texas, where they performed at a local retirement home.

Kandyce Everett, senior jazz band member, said she loved their experience performing for the elderly.

“The best thing was playing music from their time,” Everett said. “Seeing some of the older people start dancing and signing along was a really neat experience. Some of the men would even go ask the women to dance.”

Jones said he believes in the benefit the cruise offers the students not only as a band, but also as musicians.

“It’s a great experience for the students to play on the boat because the venues are really nice and students are able to witness other professional musicians,” Jones said. “This year, our students were able to play with the band on the boat.”

Each night, the students reunited for dinner and were able to spend time with one another to share their experiences from the day.

Freshman Sumner Brock said she enjoyed getting to know the band on a better level.

“The trip unified us and we became a lot closer as a group,” Brock said. “We played better as a result because we know each other and how our personalities meld with how we play. When we think as one it helps us to play better as a band.”

Some students traveled to a waterfall in Jamaica, swam with stingrays in Grand Cayman and participated in rock climbing, ice-skating and other on-board activities.

The band performed two separate nights on the cruise. Their second performance proved rewarding as they received positive feedback from the audience.

Oklahoma Allied Arts President and CEO Deborah Senner was in the audience and wrote a letter to President John deSteiguer praising the band’s performance and professionalism.

Junior Lindsay Allenbach, a saxophone player, said she appreciated the opportunity the band had to perform in such an uncommon atmosphere.

“I love being in jazz band because all of the people are so much fun to be with,” Allenbach said. “Also being able to perform with them in a new experience on a cruise line was my favorite part. I’ll never get to do that again, truthfully.”