OnStage

Marching Around the World

by Rusty Cutchin

When the Fort Hill Sentinel Marching Band queued up for its Disney Magic Music Days performance last February you could almost hear the sighs of relief. The Maryland school band had experienced bus trouble and then a snowstorm that literally put a cloud over its much-anticipated trip to Walt Disney World Resort.

But nothing could put a damper over the group's enthusiasm and determination to take the Disney stage, and on a beautifully sunlit Saturday in February the band began its march through the Magic Kingdom. "One of the neatest experiences," says Fort Hill Director of Instrumental Music Joseph Thompson, "was hearing our high-school name announced through the Magic Kingdom [PA system] right before we started."

A shared experience that performers relate about Disney Magic Music Days is the excitement of performing on a Disney stage in front of an international audience of thousands. "It was pretty neat that so many cultures were represented in the audience," says Thompson. "It was a very nice experience for our kids."

Added to that was the thrill of going backstage at Walt Disney World, an experience limited to select performers who become honorary members of the Disney Cast. "Most of our students had not been to the Magic Kingdom or Walt Disney World before," he says. "And those who had been there before thought going behind the scenes was a whole new experience."

In the hour or so before the band's performance, the group prepared in the backstage area where parade floats are prepared and maintained. Then a Guest Talent Coordinator escorts the band to a staging area to await its cue. From there, says Thompson, "It's pretty much wall-to-wall people with a street running through the middle of them."

As the band performed its program — a Cirque du Soleil piece, the Sentinel fight song, and a street cadence — the group wended its way from the rear of the Magic Kingdom. "We have an honor guard that carries the American and Maryland flags," Thompson says, "and they led the way. Everybody from the businesses along the street came out, and they formed a perimeter around us."

A Magic Time

Being a Disney Cast Member, if only for a day, leaves an indelible impression on young players. Apart from participating in a parade and enjoying the adulation of families themselves delighted to be experiencing the Disney magic, student performers find the Walt Disney World stages to be supported by some of the best sound and lighting technicians in the business. The stages themselves are uniquely Disney, and young musicians performing on them get a real-world view of what it's like to be a professional performing artist. Just going through the transition from backstage to onstage at Walt Disney World for the first time is something few players forget.

The dreams of marching through the Magic Kingdom were almost dashed for the Fort Hill Sentinels. But even a broken-down bus, a wait for repairs at a truck stop, and a delay in arriving couldn't erase the thrill of being onstage at a Disney Park.

Many students agree that the motto of the Disney Performing Arts Programs — when you own the Disney stage you own the world — is particularly apt for marching bands parading down Main Street, U.S.A., at Walt Disney World. The backdrop of Cinderella Castle, the natural lighting of a sunny day, and the large, appreciative audience create one of the most wonderful stage settings in the world.

Off Stage and on to the Park

As the Sentinels reached the end of the parade and their performance, they got another taste of life backstage at Walt Disney World. They followed the route back to the Disney Magic Music Days prestaging area, and then the band was free to enjoy the thrills of the park, but they didn't become just anonymous guests blending in with the crowd.

"The Disney staff was so courteous, helpful, and friendly while we were there," Thompson says. "The Disney Cast Members would make a big deal out of us being at a ride. They would greet my kids separately. They really recognized the fact that we were a group and took care of us."

All of which added up to a truly magic experience. As director Thompson points out, his band members "were really excited to be in the parade, and they played their best that day."