The Happiest Place on Earth. We all know this as Disney World. In this lovely place, the Hoover High School band marched; alongside them, the Hoover orchestra performed as well, but they performed in Universal. Both of these groups explored the parks, the rides and attractions with friends. This was such a great opportunity to have as it was such an interesting and fun adventure. Starting on April 24, after a day of traveling, the orchestra performed early in the morning. Junior Alison Janson had a wonderful experience at this park.

“The first day in the parks, we had the amazing opportunity of the full orchestra performing at Universal Studios,” she said. “We made it to the venue at the front of the park, but we had to immediately go to the stage with no time to warm ourselves up. Despite the setbacks, it was fun to perform in front of park visitors and our friends with music from movies and TV shows.”

Each song was something that had been played before, or resided in a known movie/ show owned by Universal. Since it was the full orchestra, and not just the strings, it meant that there were also instruments that would be found in the band, which gave the orchestra the sound of a beautiful symphony of sound, allowing the audience to feel immersed within the songs. The very next day, the musicians made their way to Magic Kingdom. This is where the band marched. This day was decently hotter than the day before. The morning went by and around 3 p.m., the band split from the orchestra and made their way to Tiana’s Bayu Adventure, where they prepared backstage. Then, they went to march down Main Street. The final day found the group in Epcot. There were no performances that day, so the large group split up into smaller groups who went throughout the park, enjoying the attractions and rides that Epcot had to offer. Director Mr. Ronald Varn has done this for many years, and each time he goes, he experiences the different reactions of first timers and returning individuals.

“I love watching the kids’ faces when we finally make it into the Magic Kingdom and are looking at the castle,” he said.

Even though the trip is fun, there are still many challenges that exist on these trips. Since the flights are still public flights, they don’t wait for anyone, so the group has to get signed in, through security, and to their gate on time.

“The biggest challenges are getting everyone on and off of the planes,” Varn said. “This is a challenge since we flew on two different commercial flights.”

In preparation, as performers, practice is a must; it allows them to get better at a piece, play better and grow and understand more as musicians. However, opportunities like going to Disney and Universal also allows these musicians to understand and learn, including Hoover senior Saya Greening.

“This experience tested my resolve since my body was no longer conditioned for marching band and I found myself struggling to keep a steady horn angle,” she said. “Despite this, I knew I had to continue to perform the best I could, and I think that this experience taught a level of discipline.”

It’s always great to learn experience on trips like these, because not only do they learn more about themselves, but they can also experience more and see more.

“Musically, there is nothing quite like the music in Disney,” Varn said. “Just being a part of that is a true treat. Additionally, some students have never been to Disney before or flown in a jet, so that is truly something special for them.”

Having experiences like this leaves something to look forward to as well. If one has something to look forward to in the future, then it’s more likely that they’ll stick to that path to reach the future that one is waiting for. This is the same for music: If they have their trip to look forward to, they’ll put their effort into the songs, talk to others and have fun in their classes.

“I think that it reflects well on our instrumental music programs both in terms of our skill level and the way that the Hoover High School band and orchestra are viewed by outside perspectives,” Greening said, “We keep a good reputation for ourselves both as good performers and respectful students.”

Having such a reputation encourages more in life, better experiences, better items and so much more; it also shows newer musicians the excitement on the trips. It’s always great to help the younger students and those who are going for the very first
time.

“Performing at these venues was truly an unforgettable experience because it was so different then a typical performance hall,” Janson said.