Marching along Main Street, the sound of cheers can be heard from the crowd and performers alike. 

The WHHS Marching Blue and Gold and Chamber Orchestra had the opportunity of a lifetime over spring break at Disney World in Florida where they were able to showcase their talent on the annual Walt Disney Marching Band and Orchestra Trip. 

Both programs had the opportunity to perform in the Disney’s Imagination Campus Performance, an honored tradition that allows students to showcase their performances at the highest level, with an audience of thousands watching. 

Performers are given the distinct privilege of being treated as honorary Disney Cast Members for the day on which they perform. The band marched in a parade while the orchestra performed on the Disney’s AdventHealth Waterside Stage.

“The parade was in the Magic Kingdom. We started by the Pirates of the Caribbean rides, and we walked all the way around the castle and directly down Main Street,” Naomi Mazander, ‘24, said. “It was so much fun because we got fresh cold water and everything.”

Mazander, a member of both the Colorguard and Chamber Orchestra, was given the opportunity to perform in both shows.

“There was this volcano [Rainforest Cafe] behind us. Our guide [told us], ‘you guys are so lucky because as soon as you start the volcanoes are going to go off,’” Mazander said. “As we started playing, you could see the fire shooting from behind us and the light crew who was in charge of the lights started changing the lights with music and everything. It was such a fun experience.”

In the early planning stages, Mazander was the one to propose and initially work out the details.

“I wasn’t really a part of the planning process, it was really a student named Naomi Mazander,” orchestra teacher John Caliguri said. “She’s the one who [proposed] the idea and she started by talking to the travel agent, and getting us connected. Then, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Canter and Mr. Peoples were all more involved in the process of setting up the dates, the time, [and] the agenda of the trip.”

Mazander first heard of the trip while in sixth grade. Her teacher informed her that if she continued to play in high school, she would have the opportunity to go to Disney. Since then, she has wanted the possibility to happen, especially considering that orchestra hasn’t planned any trips in about a decade. 

“I feel amazing because when you’re in orchestra, band or choir, I feel like we’re so divided. Everybody’s doing their own thing, but this trip really allowed me to hang out with my band friends that I don’t really get to see because we don’t have any classes together,” Mazander said. “It was so much fun to hang out with people not in school and to be doing something I love.”

Before being accepted to this program, both orchestra and band were required to submit a video and audio to determine their eligibility to perform. Students were also required to wear full uniforms when performing. 

The orchestra performed five pieces, with some cuts due to a time limit of 25 minutes. The pieces were, “Artists March” by Felix Mendelssohn, “Palladio” by Karl Jenkins, “Egyptian Legacy” and “Elementa” by Soon Hee Newbold and lastly “Night on Bald Mountains” by Leopold Stokowski, which was a piece that played in the original Disney movie “Fantasia,”. However, the orchestra did face some challenges because only 43 of the 71 students were able to go on the trip.

“Night on Bald Mountain” we chose because of Disney, that was our only real connection. The other ones we thought were playable without having all 71 kids in Chamber Orchestra [going],” Caliguri said. “We picked music that would work with the numbers that we did have. If we were short in the viola section, or short in the bass section or cello section, we picked pieces that weren’t very obvious and worked well with the numbers that we were given.”

To go on this trip, students were required to pay a fee of around $1500, which included various benefits such as entry to the many parks, meal vouchers and more. The Marching Band and Chamber Orchestra traveled on three buses for the 18-hour drive and rented a Uhaul to carry all of their equipment which was driven by a parent.

“We [left] at two in the afternoon on Saturday, and we pulled into the Hard Rock Cafe for breakfast at about eight o’clock or so. We did make stops along the way so [that] kids could use the restroom and we had to change bus drivers in Georgia, so we went to Buc-ee’s,” Caliguri said. “A lot of kids thought that was [their] favorite part of the trip and then on the way back we went to that same Buc-ee’s. The bus ride was very long, but the kids did well. They tried to sleep. We watched three different movies on the way down.”

In addition to the very long bus ride, students had to rigorously prepare for their performances.

“In orchestra, we practiced during class, we picked up the pieces we wanted and those are actually the pieces we’re using in our upcoming concert,” Mazander said. “We would practice them all together, and as Disney kept approaching closer and closer, we removed the students who were not going to Disney. We practiced vigorously, making sure that everything was perfect for Disney.”

Troubles including spacing were a concern when preparing for the performance. 

“In color guard [it] was after school with marching band. [It was] so hard because we didn’t have the field, so we were marching in the tennis courts or we were in the band room with all of the kids going to Disney, with spinning flags and stuff,” Mazander said. “It was hard but we somehow did it.”

For students like Naemi Schwing, ‘26, a member of the band program,  this trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Schwing is a foreign exchange student from Germany who has spent the last year experiencing American student life.

“Florida is really different from Ohio. I made so many [friendships] lately, [and I’ve enjoyed] American experiences like food and everything. For me it was so much fun because I’ve never been to Disney before, even though we have Disney in Paris,” Schwing said. “It was a highlight, because it was a parade of friends who marched. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience because if I weren’t here in the US, I would never have had such an opportunity.”

This experience, for many of the students who went, was a remarkable trip that not only benefited them with additional musical skills but also as an individual. 

“It definitely did benefit me as an experience and I made lots more friends,” Schwing said. “This is one of those memories that you will always have in your heart and you [will] tell your children and grandchildren about. I would say that’s the benefit, floods and floods of memories.”