The Packer Weekly: Van Vleet travels to Europe for music

Sophomore Mercedes Van Vleet is traveling to eight countries in Europe in July with the Northern Ambassadors of Music.

The music group goes on this trip every other year with bands across North Dakota and Montana. There are 350 people on the tour with an age range between high school and college students.

"We are going to be doing a lot of playing band music in the town squares," Van Vleet said. "We are also going to be doing a lot of the exploring and learning about their culture."

Students can be nominated to go on the trip or students can audition to go. Van Vleet was nominated by James Landman, her Sheyenne High School band teacher.

"I ​chose to nominate Mercedes because of her awesome work ethic and desire to always continue improving," Landman said. "She was a great student to have in class and always ready to work hard."

Van Vleet has played the alto saxophone since the fifth grade. Although she does not plan to pursue music as a job, she plans to minor in music when she goes to college.

"I absolutely love it," Van Vleet said. "It's just music teaching jobs are hard to find, so I'm going to minor in music and choose something else for my major, but I'm not sure yet what I want to do for full time."

While the group is in Europe, the students will be going to various small squares and centers within each country.

"The people over there love American music," Van Vleet said. "I personally have not listened to European music, but the group plans to before we go on the trip to get familiar with it and so we know how different the music styles are."

The total cost of the trip is $5,700, with an additional $1,000 for food, tips for tour guides and gifts for friends and family. Van Vleet and her family participated in fundraising activities to help pay for the trip.

"We sold bags for the company Thirty­One and I made and sold candles," Van Vleet said. "The people going on the trip had to find a way to get more money so a lot of people did different things."

Van Vleet's stepfather, Troy Radloff, believes music brings people together regardless of who is playing it or where the music originated.

"I played percussion from sixth to 12th grade," Radloff said. " I'm still very much involved with music. I own and operate a DJ company and officially hired Mercedes this year to my business."

Radloff said he hopes Van Vleet learns about other cultures and how important music is around the world. To help gain some money back into the trip, he made a website linked to "Go fund me" account for Van Vleet.

"We have had family and friends ask how to make a contribution and being that not everyone we know lives close by," Radloff said, "I thought the website would be a helpful option."

"I'm just really happy because it is something my family worked really hard for," Van Vleet said. "I'm just thankful that all of our hard work paid off."

Source: The Packer Weekly: Van Vleet travels to Europe for music