Douglas County High School senior Lily Hindmon spent part of her summer performing across Europe as part of American Music Abroad's Stars and Stripes tour.

Hindmon, a member of the Douglas County Tiger Bands, joined 53 students from Tennessee, Georgia and Florida for the two week tour. The group began practicing together at Tennessee Tech before traveling to Germany, Slovakia, Austria and Czechia. Douglas County chorus director Karl Kuhlken, one of the choral directors for the Stars and Stripes program, first told Hindmon about the opportunity.

Once overseas, the students performed five or six songs at each stop and played four or five venues total. Hindmon, who plays vibraphone in the DCHS band, switched to percussion for the tour.

Austria stood out as her favorite country on the trip.

"This was one of the best experiences I have ever had," Hindmon said. "I have been lucky to be able to perform abroad. It has been pretty cool, and I made a whole new friend group on the trip. It was the trip of a lifetime."

Hindmon encouraged other students to consider the program.

"If anyone is interested in this trip, I would highly recommend it a lot, because it is a great learning experience, and it's a great experience, and it's all around amazing," she said.

American Music Abroad hosts the tours each summer for band, chorus and orchestra students. For more information, visit americanmusicabroad.com.