Taking my band - any tips?

[GTIDMB]

I'll be taking my marching band to the world Feb 17-21. I've been to WDW plenty of times and know my way around well, but I've never been in charge of a group. Any tips from anyone who has taken a group of teenagers? Any dos or don'ts that you've discovered that you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[RiversideBunny]

One time, at band camp .....

:animwink:

 

[GTIDMB]

Wow. Never heard that one before...:lookaroun

 

[fosse76]

When I was in marching band in high school we went on a trip to Six Flags. Essentially, we were left on our own...we checked in at the end of the day when we were going back to the hotel. But Six Flags obviously doesn't have its own transit system so we couldn't really go anywhere else.

I guess my point is that just let them around on their own and they should be fine. Maybe have a few chaperones at designated places in different areas of the park at a designated time in case they need something or if they need to go back to the hotel (for illness only).

 

[erstwo]

So, have you never taken the band anywhere (you know besides competitions, etc.) before or have you just not taken them to Disney?

 

[GTIDMB]

This is my 3rd year of teaching. We've done plenty of competitions, parades, etc, but never overnight. This band typically goes on a "big trip" every four years, and this is the year in the rotation. I picked WDW because I've been there lots and know the lay of the land and what to expect.

 

[DrummerAlly]

Congratulations!

While I've never taken a band - my high school marching band played at Disney World three years ('01, '03, '05). We did the spectromagic parade once, and played 3 afternoon Magic Kingdom parades. Our band was 150 people. Here are my suggestions based on being both a student in that band on all three trips and also a current high school teacher.

3 suggestions stand out to me -

1. DO NOT use Disney transportation, especially for getting to performances. Spend the extra money for coach busses. Why? Our first trip we used mostly disney transport and it was a disaster. Other guests were angry that we filled busses, students got separated, it was easy for students to venture away unnoticed, and chaperones were often very confused.

2. Make sure you schedule ample time and a suitable location for a few practices. We had two rehearsals in the parking lots of the All Star resorts and it really helped us to retune the drums, fix things that got beat up in shipping, and adjust to playing in the heat and humidity (we were from MA)

3. Make sure your students understand Disney's rules about performers. When we went we couldn't have tattoos, body piercings, funny hair, etc. This proved to be a challenge for some of our musicians.

Have a fantastic trip - It will be the most magical performance ever for your kids!

 

[erstwo]

^^wow those are great tips Drummerally!^^

I've been in charge of many, many trips of high schoolers, mostly in the 80 - 120 person range. I've never taken a group to Disney, but I think some of the following would apply to any overnight trip:

I always had the "Big 3." Three rules that if broken, meant an immediate trip home/ to the most boring trip of your life. The Big 3 usually included things like
being found out of your room past curfew with out chaperone permission, damaging property that belonged to someone other than yourself,
being more than 20 minutes late to "check in time" (where you check in while at the parks, etc, so we know you are still alive)
or anything that involved breaking a law.

I'm sure you have them under control, but it always helped me to have the big 3 and really emphasize them, so that they knew that there were clear boundaries. I told them it was like the foul lines on a baseball field - they had some room to move around inside the field, but if they went foul they were out. Cheesy I know, but it always worked for me!

 

[DrummerAlly]

Aaah, just thought of one more.....

On our trips, the cost of going included some amount of meals included. Basically, each day we were given two vouchers for counter service meals. I'm not sure how these were obtained, whether they're still available, etc - but if you don't already have meals worked out you may want to ask about it. This was good because some of the students didn't eat well leading to exhaustion, dehydration etc. Without it, my guess is that some people would have run out of money causing headaches for all involved.

I'm sured you'd agree there's nothing worse than an exhausted, poorly fed, dehydrated marching band. The food vouchers avoid some of the inevitable problems.

 

[crmark1]

^^wow those are great tips Drummerally!^^

I've been in charge of many, many trips of high schoolers, mostly in the 80 - 120 person range. I've never taken a group to Disney, but I think some of the following would apply to any overnight trip:

I always had the "Big 3." Three rules that if broken, meant an immediate trip home/ to the most boring trip of your life. The Big 3 usually included things like
being found out of your room past curfew with out chaperone permission, damaging property that belonged to someone other than yourself,
being more than 20 minutes late to "check in time" (where you check in while at the parks, etc, so we know you are still alive)
or anything that involved breaking a law.

I'm sure you have them under control, but it always helped me to have the big 3 and really emphasize them, so that they knew that there were clear boundaries. I told them it was like the foul lines on a baseball field - they had some room to move around inside the field, but if they went foul they were out. Cheesy I know, but it always worked for me!

I agree with all of this. Way back when jan/78 after marching in the Orange Bowl Parade my high school band stoppred at MK for a day. A girl was sent home for shoplifting. No matter how much you stress the rules someone will try to stretch or break them. Have a great trip.

 

[kstella]

Have the kids check in at a designated place at a designated time.

Bed check at a specified time each night.

Make sure everyone knows the rules and consequences of breaking them.

Relax and have fun!

 

[dclick4968]

I've been involved in marching band for MANY years and have taken MANY trips, Disney included.

The one thing that I haven't seen listed is to have a chaperone at a designated place ALL DAY. We usually rotate chaperones every 2 hours so no one person/couple can't enjoy the parks as well. We usually try to find a nice shady spot with seats/benches with some sort of big landmark that is centrally located. The students all know that if there ever were a problem, they could come to that location at ANY TIME and find a chaperone.

With most kids having cell phones today it would probably be a good idea for all the students to have their lead chaperone's phone number.

We also printed small cards (actually just a piece of paper) with all contact info, including the hotel address/phone number, the travel company's phone number, the Band Directors phone number, the lead chaperone's phone number, etc. That way, there was NO EXCUSE for the students to not be able to contact someone if there was an issue.

 

[dreamfinder]

I definitely agree that a defined meeting place is crucial, and having someone there all day helps. Make sure each member has the cell number for their chaperone, and it probably doesn't hurt for the chaperones to have the numbers for everyone in their group. Also, having the well defined rules along with the predetermined punishment are solid. Perhaps have the students and their parents sign this before the trip? So that both know what happens if the student breaks the rules and that way the parent knows they may be responsible for the early plane fare home if that is needed. As standard WDW rule, get to places early and allow more time than you think will be needed. Especially with a bunch of kids who havent gone before, giving some lenience on meeting time is good, but also building in a buffer esp if you have a set time you need to be next. Better to be early than stuck on a bus when your performance time is coming up.

 

[GTIDMB]

Thanks everybody! You all have great ideas - some of which I was already planning, and some of which I plan on adding. Keep the ideas coming. I'd love to hear more!

 

[Eyekimore]

I remember from my High school trip- the chaperones took our park passes after we entered the park. That made it impossible for us to park hop. Noone could leave on Disney transportation and get into any other park. (unless they had another separate pass.)

This might not work if you were enjoying the extra magic hours at night- as you need to show room keys- if staying on property. Otherwise- it would at least keep them contained........

 

[ClemsonTigger]

A lot of sound advise.

One other piece that I didn't see while skimming was making sure that the "rules of the trip" are well know to parents and students alike. You can't repeat them too many times, particularly conduct during the formal part of your trip. If someone doesn't look appropriate, act appropriately or act up backstage, they will pull them out and possibly take action to remove them from the property.

They need to know that when performing, they are temporary CM's, and as such are at the full oversight and discretion of their Orlando "boss". That boss can have an iron fist and does not have a good sense of humor for usually tolerated HS fun and games.

Parents should sign a notice of what would happen if Disney takes action with someone (shoplifting is not uncommon) or if they violate your rules.

When they do have free time, give them some freedom. Possibly check in at the park they are going to, afternoon check-in, then evening room check. Remind them that they can have fun without making noise or negatively affect neighbors at the hotels.

 

[GTIDMB]

I like the idea of taking passes so they can't park hop, but won't that prevent them from being able to use fastpass?

Also, I'm planning on having check-in times every few hours throughout the day. I'm giving them a 30 minute window to check in to allow some buffer time for long lines, meals that take longer than expected, etc. I'm thinking that by having them physically have to check in every 3-4 hours, that will prevent them from leaving. We all know that in WDW, that isn't really that much time to get anywhere and accomplish anything before you'd have to turn around and come back. Also, just the hassle of that might deter them. Some parents suggested that they could call to check in, but I insisted that calling would defeat the purpose of the "check-in." I know it's annoying and you kind of have to plan your day around the check in times, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[ncstate7991]

Lots of great suggestions here by others. As a person that went to WDW twice on band trips I can give a couple more suggestions. (NOTE: This was 15+ years ago.)

The check-in time window is necessary! If you arrive at the park at 9am make everyone check-in between 11:30 and 12:30 for the first check-in and between 3 and 4 in the afternoon for example. I say give them an hour to check-in. The reason for that is because you are going to have a chaperone at the spot at all times, so you may as well give them something to do. It will also allow your band members the ability to get in line for a ride and not worry about the wait times etc. It also shows that you trust them, somewhat. The first time we went to WDW they gave us a 15 minute window and it did not work.

During the check-in window have several chaperones handling the check-in area during your check-in times. The first day we figured out that two chaperones during the check-in hour could easily get bombarded with too many band members and someone would accidently not get checked off. Let the chaperones take shifts so they can enjoy the parks. NOTE: We only had ~10 chaperones, 2 band directors, and 1 flag corp director with a 150 member band.

As other have stated, have a chaperone at a specific spot all day long. Make the spot centrally located, but not too big (ie the castle). One trip we did behind the castle on a bench. The chaperones also had a bright yellow or red umbrella. This made it easier to find the spot the first time, or refind it if a new set of chaperones liked a shady bench etc.

Hotel ... Good luck with this one. Our doors were taped on the outside at the top around 10pm (or earlier). If the tape was broken in the AM they knew we had left the room. The band director knocked on the door and told us he was taping it, and I am pretty sure he did b/c I heard the sound of tape being pulled off of the roll. Try to find a hotel where you can have an entire floor. That way you are all close together and not disturbing others too much. :snore: Also, a chaperone was out on each hall for the first couple of hours after the doors were taped ... just in case.

Just some ideas, and I hope that it helps! You all will have a great time!

 

[disneydentist]

Greg,

Some questions.

1. Are you staying on or off site?

2. How many people, students and chaperones combined?

3. Do you have any group meals planned?

4. Did you hire nighttime security or are your chaperones going to do it?

5. Are you flying? Are the instruments flying?


As other have suggested, print out the rules and your itinerary. Parents need to sign off before the trip. Everyone get a copy of the itinerary fro use in WDW. also, to quote a dear friend (and retired band director) "To be early is to be on time and to be on time is to be late." Kids need to have this emphasized with some frequency.

 

[WI DISNEY FAN]

I know when I went on school trips when I was in high school our luggage was searched before the trip by the teachers. I remember they even opened all bottles of shampoo etc.. and smelled them. They also put tape on our doors at night and a chaperone would sleep in the hallway of the hotel in a chair.

The chair in the hallway started after one year someone went out of their room and to conceal it they removed the tape from everyones door. After that some kids still climbed out the windows at night.

Have fun!! Most kids will follow the rules. I cant wait to have the chance to be a chaperone on a trip like that.