Over Memorial Day weekend students in the band, chorus and strings ensembles traveled to Orlando and Disney World to perform at the Disney Park.

The group left after school on Thursday, May 26 and returned Monday, May 30. The bus ride to Florida was 14 and a half hours. During the ride one of the windows shattered on the bus, which called for an emergency stop and some unexpected excitement. Luckily, no one was injured and the trip continued. At 9 a.m. on Friday, May 27, the group arrived at the Magic Kingdom and students spent the day enjoying the park’s rides. The night ended with fireworks over the park’s famous castle.

“The first day in the park was my favorite by far,” senior Amber Copeland said. “We were at the Magic Kingdom and it was truly magical! I even was sprinkled with pixie dust!”

On the second day the music department boarded the buses at their hotel and went to a workshop where they worked with a Disney musician, Davey, on their music and techniques. When the workshop was over, the bus came to pick everyone up and took them to Epcot where they spent the rest of their day.

“The workshop experience was really amazing,” junior Devon Hollins said. “Seeing the music that we played in a Disney film was so interesting to me, and it’s truly an experience you can’t forget.”

Day three of the trip was performance day. The band practiced for about 40 minutes in the extreme Florida heat before performing. During the performance, the group played songs they had been practicing each Wednesday morning for the last three months. The chorus performed later in the day. Songs sung included “Brave,” “Bring him Home,” “Tshepa Thapelo,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “Seed to Sow,” “Rhythms of One World” and “Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones.”

“It was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience and was definitely worth all the hard work,” senior Sydney Putnam said.

After the performances, the group went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios before leaving. They were able to ride several rides, but the show they were scheduled to see “Fantasmic” was canceled due to thunder and lightning. A “Star Wars: themed firework show concluded the group’s trip.

“It was the best weekend of my life, and I’m so glad I got to spend it with my best friends and the people who mean the most to me,” sophomore Elizabeth Wheless said. “I will never forget the weekend, and I already want to go back!”