For the first time since 2018, the LHS Marching Band traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, to parade on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom.
The trip took lots of preparation, including an audition and many hours of practice. Senior Miri Pickman worked hard to perfect her performance.
“We spent a lot of time marching around the track and working on our fundamentals to better prepare us for a longer parade than usual,” Pickman said.
The band, including junior Taryn Wells, learned a new song, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.”
“We marched three-quarters of a mile, and we’re playing fight song, and then the drumline cadence, and then Crazy Train,” Wells said. “And then just repeating that over and over again.”
According to junior Connor Rayome, in addition to practicing every day, another way the band prepared was by marching in reverse.
“Typically when we go around the track we go counterclockwise and so since Disney, the path is not straight, we go and have our turns be clockwise,” Rayome said. “So we have to practice for that to stay in line.”
Before leaving, everyone looked forward to different aspects of the trip. Wells looked forward to being with her friends, but Rayome had a different approach.
“Trying the foods at Disney is one of my major motivators,” Rayome said. “I want to eat around the world at Epcot.”
The band had to work together to make sure they were ready to show off their skills in Florida.
“The band as a whole is a very talented group,” Pickman said. “We all work hard to play our parts well and succeed together as a group.”
Some members of the band felt pressure going into the trip because of the location and popularity of the park.
“It’s kind of weird because there’s probably going to be more people,” Rayome said. “There’s so much more people, and we’re just like some random Kansan band.”
Despite the pressure, band teacher Mike Jones helped get the band excited for the trip. Before the trip, Jones explained the route and the different parks that the students could attend.
“You can just tell he’s really excited about it,” Wells said. “[He’s] excited for us to be able to go.”
Having the opportunity to go to Disney with friends was a magical experience for the band. In groups, they spent time on rides, ate different foods and met classic characters. Wells and her group planned out what rides they wanted to do ahead of time.
“It was so much fun to be with friends because we got to do just whatever we wanted there,” Wells said. “So that freedom was really nice, we had the same ideas so everything just went perfectly.”
As Pickman remembers her time in band, she is glad she can share this memory of her last marching performance with her friends.
“I’ve had a lot of fun marching over the years and at Disney this year,” Pickman said. “It’s definitely one of my favorite parts of the year when we get to march at the football games, but being able to march at Disney was a very fun and unbelievable experience.”
Welcoming the team, junior Molly Kelly performs the fight song in front of fans at the Oct. 6 football game. Kelly took her marching skills to Disney on the school band trip. “There were a lot of very specific rules we had to follow that we had to adapt our performance to,” Kelly said. “It was a really cool performance in front of many people.” Photo by Maison Flory
