High notes and high rides

High school band travels to Disney World

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PHOTO PATTY PNIEWSKI

Performing the songs that they rehearsed numerous times on a busy day in Disney Springs, the concert band plays their instruments to melodies such as, “Play that Funky Music” and “Boogie Shoes.”

The alluring scents of the food, the daunting rides nearly 200 feet tall, the joyous atmosphere that screams back to your childhood: all great enchantments that make teens gravitate to Disney World.

Nevertheless, when these aspects combined with music workshops by professional musicians and live performances, an exhilarating trip came to fruition for the concert band.

During the trip, student musicians used their time to their advantage and had fun whether they were in the park, at a workshop with a professional or performing in front of an audience.

Some of the band students had been working toward raising the fund for the trip.

“I went to a lot of teachers, and I went door to door trying to raise enough money,” sophomore Andrew Schlaff said.

During the workshop lead by David Jones, a musician and teaching artist with the Disney Corporation for over 30 years, the musicians were taught the skills they will need for a career as a professional musician.

“We played Disney songs for a professional that we had to recognize, and we learned what it was like to record music for movies,” junior drummer John Morris said.

The trip not only held fun opportunities but also serious ones, too. The band held an art jazz performance, in which they played jazz-type music, stepping away from the stereotypical band music.

“The band was well prepared for their jazz performance in Disney Springs. They gave a fun, musical performance,” according to band director Patty Pniewski.

“I think we did really good,” Morris said. “We played better than we thought we would.”

The attractions at Disney were also quite eye catching to most of the students.

“On the last day, we went to every park in Disney which all smelled like fair food, visited Universal which was full of screaminging kids, and watched the bright fireworks, ” junior Sylvia Whitt said.

Of the musical accomplishment, “At least half of the band was featured on solos and they did a really nice job,” Pniewski said.