marching at disney world

[colorguard02]

HI!!!!!!! I just got back from marching at Magic Kingdom!!!!!! I am a colorguard at my high school !!!! It was amazing!!!!!!! We had so much fun!!!!!! I got to see back stage at Magic Kingdom!!!! I saw where they keep the parade floats. I also saw the backside of splash mountain. Lets just say it looks very different.There are lots of roads and unusal things back there. If anyone has stories about marching at Disney I would love to hear them!!!!!! :wave:

 

[EmeraldDolphin]

very very cool!! my oldest son went with his marching band in his freshman year, and absolutely loved it too! my younger son didn't get to go... it was right after 9/11, and they canceled his trip... my daughter starts marching band next year, and maybe she will have a chance to go to WDW.

 

[goofyfan13]

my marching band trip got cancelled too because of 9/11. I'm in the drumline and from it sounds like we are going next year!

 

[CTXRover]

I had the chance to march with my high school band before the Main Street Electrical Parade (when it was there in '99) when I was a senior. This is a story. On the day we should have marched it rained and our director decided he didn't want us to march in the rain and ruin the new uniforms we bought that year (all kinds of gold-sequin type sashes and stuff)!! The MSEP still went on that day and the announcement for our band still happened. All the parents in the park that didn't know what happened panicked, thinking something awful must have happened. When we finally got back to our hotel that night, almost all the parents came to the hotel we were staying at worried "to death"(Most of them were at different hotels). All this over some rain. Luckily, we still got to march later that week since Disney actually allowed us to move our performance to later that week. When we finally got to march, it was absolutely awesome!!!

I also got to march at Epcot and the Disney-MGM studios when I was in 8th grade and was brought up from the middle school to fill a position in the high school band since someone was "asked to leave". Otherwise, our high school only goes to WDW every four years and I wouldn't have gone twice (lucky me )

My favorite park to march at was probably Epcot. That year we did an American themed show and we had A LOT of people who didn't even know us stop and watch us. (We marched around WS and stopped at China to do a little show)

 

[imagineersrock]

Originally posted by colorguard02
HI!!!!!!! I just got back from marching at Magic Kingdom!!!!!! I am a colorguard at my high school !!!! It was amazing!!!!!!! We had so much fun!!!!!! I got to see back stage at Magic Kingdom!!!! I saw where they keep the parade floats. I also saw the backside of splash mountain. Lets just say it looks very different.There are lots of roads and unusal things back there. If anyone has stories about marching at Disney I would love to hear them!!!!!! :wave:

hey there- im in my school's band and would actually like to hear a little more, what exactly do you do, how did you get into this, etc... i'd love to hear some more info, thanks!

ps- wecome to the boards!

 

[jsr327]

I went to WDW with my high school marching band about four years ago, but we performed at Epcot. It's a pretty incredible sound marching underneath Spaceship Earth with a full percussion line . I've never heard an echo like that in my life.

 

[walthimself05]

Originally posted by goofyfan13
my marching band trip got cancelled too because of 9/11. I'm in the drumline and from it sounds like we are going next year!

dude sweet, im in the drumline too. I've always wanted to play there. I play snare and i go to Louisville Male High school. I don't kno if u hav heard of us but we are one of the most honored high school bands in the world

(not to sound like the world revolves around us or nuttin)

 

[figmentmom]

My husband and I are both elementary music teachers - he teaches band, and I teach vocal music - and we always enjoy the high school marching bands. However, our FAVORITE marching band was at EPCOT four or five years ago. Can't remember where they were from (and if I did, I wouldn't tell!), but the group's adrenaline level was sky-high as they reached the fountain. At that point, the drum major and majorettes high-stepped off in one direction, and the entire rest of the band headed off in the exact opposite direction, much to the band director's obvious horror!

 

[agdbeanie]

Originally posted by jsr327
I went to WDW with my high school marching band about four years ago, but we performed at Epcot. It's a pretty incredible sound marching underneath Spaceship Earth with a full percussion line . I've never heard an echo like that in my life.

You obviously haven't heard the Florida State University Marching Chiefs marching into (and under) Doak Campbell Stadium!

 

[Goofster]

Hey, I went to WDW two years ago with my High School Marching Band. It was a lot of fun! We marched in the Share a Dream Come True Parade on New Years Day of 2002. We were supposed to march in Epcot also, but that performance was rained out. It was really cool to see the backstage area in the MK and the float building and stuff. I had no Idea Splash mountain was sooooo big. Disney does an amazing job hiding the show building and making you think the whole ride is inside the mountain. It was also cool how we got the T-shirts and pins.

Ohh, and my band does this cool dance called the Abunga, where we all get low to the ground and dance around. It was soooo much fun Abunga-ing down mainstreet with the Castle behind us. Just out of curiosity, I would be interested to know if anybody was at the MK new years 2002? I know they wouldnt remember my band, but still.

Yeah, being a bandee and going to WDW is great!

 

[EmeraldDolphin]

Originally posted by figmentmom
My husband and I are both elementary music teachers - he teaches band, and I teach vocal music - and we always enjoy the high school marching bands. However, our FAVORITE marching band was at EPCOT four or five years ago. Can't remember where they were from (and if I did, I wouldn't tell!), but the group's adrenaline level was sky-high as they reached the fountain. At that point, the drum major and majorettes high-stepped off in one direction, and the entire rest of the band headed off in the exact opposite direction, much to the band director's obvious horror!

:lol: That's hilarious!

Whew... it wasn't our band... we marched at MK, and did a stand still at EPCOT & also at Universal Studios

 

[SpongeScott]

I marched once at Disney World--25 years ago! (Yes, they had instruments back then). It was the WORST we ever played. We only had to play one song--Gonna Fly Now--the theme from Rocky--and we absolutely bombed it! But I still got to march in a Disney parade.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

July 1974
Black wool uniforms
Black fur hats
Accosted by one of the Three Little Pigs in Fantasyland

Back when "Walt Disney World" was the Magic Kingdom.

 

[colorguard02]

Originally posted by walthimself05
dude sweet, im in the drumline too. I've always wanted to play there. I play snare and i go to Louisville Male High school. I don't kno if u hav heard of us but we are one of the most honored high school bands in the world

(not to sound like the world revolves around us or nuttin)

OK one thimg never use dude sweet again.Here's the story on the way to Disney World we took a bus(for 16 hours). It had a t.v. on it we wach Dude Where's My Car. So for the rest of the trip thats what the little band kids said the whole time.Thats really cool about your band!!!!! I would love to hear more about it :animwink: I love to talk to anyone about band!!!!!!

 

[DarkImage4]

Marching Band/Drum & Bugle Corps

I've been in WDW a few times for performances....

I never actually marched in a HS band in WDW, but I was there on staff with the band I teach for New Years 2000 to 2001. They did a parade in MGM, starting at Star Tours and headed to the fromt of The Great Movie Ride where they did a stand-still perfomance of "America" from West Side Story. The headed out towards the front of the park on backstage there.

In drum corps however......

In 1996 until 1998, WDW was partial host to the Drum Corps International World Championships. Competitions were held at the Citrus Bowl, individual and small ensemble performance were held in Pleasure Island and Many, if not all completing groups did at least one parade/performance in one of the parks.

I was with a group called the Raiders at the time...

The first parade I did was around the World Showcase...I don't remember what I did (I'm in the pit, no marching keyboards ). The second year (97) was my last as a member, and I got to lead the corps from Frontierland and down Main Street while I carried the American Flag :sohappy: !!!. I wish I had appreciated WDW more back then :hammer: .

In 2000, my wife was with the Cadets of Bargen County and got to do a full performance in front of Cinderelly Castle!!!

I thinks that all.....

 

[SewIn2Disney]

Re: Re: marching at disney world

Originally posted by imagineersrock
hey there- im in my school's band and would actually like to hear a little more, what exactly do you do, how did you get into this, etc... i'd love to hear some more info, thanks!

ps- wecome to the boards!

It's called Disneys Magic Music days and they have a bunch of days reserved for marching bands (and other musical groups) to perform in the parks. It is really the experience of a lifetime. I did it in 1999 when i was a freshman in HS. I was in color guard and choir. Our band led off the afternoon parade (and got a behind the scenes tour of the utilidors) and the choir got to perform in downtown disney on their lakeside stage. They also have workshops for you to participate in, and best of all -- you get to hang out in the parks with all of your friends! You have to talk to your director about doing this for your band trip!!!! Disney was by far the BEST trip I went on with the band in all of HS.

It's great to hear from fellow band geek/disney lovers !!! (and all of you flag-its too --(that was the name for the color guard in high school...I know, it's really mean )

I hope this anwsered some of your questions--trust me if i could, i would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Dumbo#1fan]

My senior year, which was last year, my band went; we got to march at MGM. After the park had closed all the bands that mached went to The Indiana Jones Theater, they gave out awards and trophies; my band won best marching band. It is a great experience that made my senior year that much better.

 

[meanmice]

I just got back from my senior high school band trip. we went to Atlanta. It was ok, but many people kept saying that we should sell the instruments and drive the extra miles to Disney. When we went to Florida my sophmore year we went to Universal studios. I was not happy. My dad is president of our band parents assoc. and he says that when it comes time for the next trip to FL (my brothers junior year) they will go to disney. I'm thinking of asking to chaperone that trip.

 

[colorguard02]

Re: Re: marching at disney world

Originally posted by imagineersrock
hey there- im in my school's band and would actually like to hear a little more, what exactly do you do, how did you get into this, etc... i'd love to hear some more info, thanks!

ps- wecome to the boards!

Thanks!!!! It is a long process to go. you have to make videos to send to Disney in uniforms and all.They will send info back telling you of you get to go. you can get all the info by going to www.disney.com click on vacations. At the vacation home page click on youth programs. Then click on magic music days.Beg your band diector and maybe he will let you go.You can stay for different numbers of days.We stayed in the parks for 3 days.We travel for 2 days. Your band can do what they want except for when you march. You have to wear uniforms and have some rules to go by.Like for the color guard no tosses.It is wonderful. I have always dreamed of marching at Disney World. When we turned down main street and saw cinderella's castle I got a little teary.Hope I have helped. Maybe with a little begging you and your band can go!!!!!!!!

 

[coasterfan101]

Hey, I'm leaving this Monday to go to Disneyworld with my HS band....we are marching in the Share A Dream Come True parade on Saturday the 26th.....we go every other year and this is my first time going! I'm so excited. We are in the parks for 5 days and we are traveling in a bus for 2 days.....

Sounds like everyone else has had a great time when they went, I hope I have the same! (duh, of course i will!)