Fondly remembering the Disney trip

On March 13, 2015, the Lawrence High School Music Department began its four-day, biannual Disney trip. Every other year, Lawrence’s marching band, orchestra, chorus, and dance team travel down to Disney World and perform.
This trip was particularly special because of the addition of a new performing group, Life Rhythms, which is a percussion ensemble consisting of a group of hardworking life skills students and accompanied by members of the marching band.
After months of fundraisers and preparation, the much anticipated trip finally arrived. Disney day is the only day that students don’t mind up getting early for (for the most part). The trip had a bit of a rough start with flight delays for each of the three flights en route to Orlando, Fla.
I was on the last flight to Disney and we made sure to make the most of our three- hour flight delay, for which we were on the plane the entire time. To keep us entertained during part of the delay, all the chorus members on my flight serenaded the passengers with songs they were planning on performing in Disney. It was fantastic.
The moment we reached Orlando, we could feel the warmth through the plane. After a long winter here in New York, I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful the Florida weather felt. Or how hard it was to leave that same Florida weather, but we won’t get into that. It’s too painful. That night we traveled to Magic Kingdom and the excitement in the air was unreal. Students immediately ran to buy Disney ears and hats, getting into the Disney spirit. Everyone on the trip seemed to walk with a spring in their step and with a smile on their face. The next day, the music department and chaperones journeyed to Epcot. The orchestra, chorus, and dance ensemble left Epcot to perform at different times in Downtown Disney.

Each performance was a success, leaving all of us with a huge feeling of pride for Lawrence. But, I think that everyone would agree that the most special and emotional performance at Disney was that of the Life Rhythms. It was an incredible moment to watch and experience. After our adventure at Epcot, we returned to Magic Kingdom.
One of the things I was looking forward to most was watching our spectacular marching band march down Main Street because it was one of my favorite aspects of the trip two years ago. There’s something about that performance that makes the fact that I’m in Disney with some of my favorite people suddenly feel real.
On the last day of the trip — insert sad face here — we spent a couple of hours in MGM Hollywood Studios before heading home. The Lawrence Music Department had another successful and memorable trip to Disney World. Speaking on behalf of the 250-plus students who participated in this event, I think we would all agree that our time in Disney is something that we will always looks back on fondly.