Students at ETHS have multiple opportunities for trips all around the globe through theater programs, world languages and, of course, the ETHS band or orchestra. Every year, one of these groups will take a turn travelling somewhere to learn about music around America. The places these students are most likely to go are New York City (Where the ETHS band went in 2023 and ETHS orchestra will go in 2026), New Orleans or Nashville. One place that is only open to the ETHS band is Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where the ETHS marching band plays while walking down Disney World’s “Main Street.”
2025 was the first year since 2012 that ETHS traveled to Florida, where students participated in a sight-reading clinic and marching band members made the walk down Main Street. Both of these things, especially the latter, were dominant factors in the decision to travel to Disney World.
“[Disney] had to get an understanding that we’re going to do Disney justice by marching in their parade. So if we didn’t get in the parade, we wouldn’t have gone to Orlando, we would have found somewhere else to go,” commented Associate Director of Bands James Columbo.
Performing at Disney allows the band different opportunities than it would have in other locations.
“ When we do it in Orlando, it’s for a much more diverse crowd from all across the country or even the world. So it’s just kind of a different responsibility for them to show off and do what they do best,” remarked Columbo.
According to the Disney Performing Arts website, between 10% and 20% of marching bands that apply to play down Main Street are accepted. Some of the requirements include playing with good tone and balanced sound, precision and mastering of marching technique. Disney World requires an audition video from the last 12 months to show the group’s skill. Some other guidelines include no horseplay of any kind, no chanting or any other action “deemed inappropriate by Disney.” Clearly, Disney World is very strict about who they pick for this honor.
On the students’ third day in Orlando, band students and teachers woke up around 5:30 AM for a three-hour clinic called the “Soundtrack Sessions Workshop.” This clinic was devoted to improving the students’ sight-reading abilities and giving them the experience of playing Disney music that would be played over the cartoons. The clinic leader, acclaimed bass player Suzzane Vascik, led the students in practicing and performing multiple Disney songs during these three hours.
“It was a really good experience,” said band student Ife Dada. “We played songs from ‘Moana,’ and [the instructor] helped me with my sight reading. ”
Junior Isais Mercado agrees, saying how different this trip was from the 2023 New York City trip:
“I feel like I learned a lot; it was a pretty educational experience. The last time we played a piece, it was all right but definitely not as fun as this one. Last time, we practiced two pieces with the entire band; this clinic was more entertaining.”
Next year, students will fundraise for their 2027 trip, whose location is still a mystery. Whether they go to Nashville, New Orleans or wherever else, it is sure to be an educational and fun experience that band students will be unable to forget.
