Magical Musical Kingdom for WHS Students on Trip to Perform and Learn at Disney

The Wilton High School music department enjoyed a magical four-day trip to Disney World in Orlando over the weekend of March 10-13, as 169 students, five directors, 17 chaperones, and two volunteer truck drivers traveled on four separate planes as part of a trip that was months in the planning. Students sold hundreds of pies at Thanksgiving as one of several fundraising events to assist with trip costs.

Three WHS music ensembles — band, orchestra and chorus — participated in daily workshops and performances at Disney Springs’ Imagination Pavillion. They also got to enjoy time in four different theme parks, including Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom.

The WHS Band had a tremendous performance at Disney Springs, playing selections from Disney at the Movies, The Incredibles, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The band also participated in a workshop with an excellent Disney clinician and performed music from Moana, Indiana Jones and Aladdin.

The WHS Chorus performed “He Lives in You” from The Lion King; “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas; “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog; and a medley of songs from Frozen. During their workshop, they worked with a member of the Disney Voices of Liberty to record music from the Lion King, which was quickly edited and set to video. Students enjoyed the opportunities to sing in a group and solo, in addition to recording sound effects in a fast-paced professional environment.

In their public performance, WHS Orchestra students performed music from several Disney soundtracks, including The Jungle Book, Moana, Tangled, Coco, and Pirates of the Caribbean. In their workshop, they had the opportunity to rehearse and record music from Aladdin, Star Wars, and Frozen.

During their workshops, all three ensembles learned about the life of a professional musician working in a live concert setting and the recording studio. They reviewed the skills necessary to play everything correctly on the first take and were inspired to bring their full energy and enthusiasm to every performance.

The trip provided an excellent opportunity for music students to come together to learn, perform, and bond as an ensemble, creating lasting memories.  For the WHS seniors in particular, who have been making music together through the tough pandemic years, it was an incredible end to their high school music experience.

“I found the whole trip an amazing experience,” senior chorus member Miya Lasher said. “I’m so grateful to have traveled with a bunch of my friends during my last year of high school. I feel like the whole trip brought us a lot closer together as a music department, and it’s something I’ll always remember.”

Senior band member Allie Eidt agreed. “It was an absolutely fantastic trip! Spending all day with friends going on all the different rides was insanely fun and performing at Disney Springs was a super cool experience — even in our hot concert black attire. It was an unforgettable experience for the end of our senior year.”

Chaperone, band teacher, and Instructional Leader Michael Gordon said the trip was full of “magical moments for WHS musicians,” and chaperone Michele Clark praised the students for doing “a great job of representing Wilton.”

Parent chaperone Carolyn Lyon enjoyed seeing another side to the students and teachers together. “A fun part of the trip was watching the teachers rehearsing and interacting with the students. You can really see how much they all love their jobs,” she said.

This was the first time that the WHS music department has made this trip to Orlando and it’s something the department hopes to repeat in future years. 

“The trip was a huge success and we hope to be able to repeat it every few years so that everyone gets the opportunity to go at least once,” instructional lead Malcolm Karlan said.