Workshop

A Magical Music Workshop!

"You're Instrumental" is a Disney Performing Arts Workshop that lets students make the music for the movies

by Dave Simons

Imagine a place where you go to work, study, and play, and the working and studying are just as much fun as the playing. That's the feeling students get when they take part in a unique Disney Performing Arts Workshop program designed to show students what it's like to make the music for a Walt Disney Pictures film.

Entitled "You're Instrumental!," this multi-faceted 2-3-hour workshop for concert-band, string-, or full-orchestra students ages 11 and up offers a glimpse into the fascinating behind-the-scenes world of soundtrack creation, performance, and production. Utilizing a professionally equipped studio rehearsal facility (with music stands, pianos, amps, and large percussion instruments provided), a skilled Disney clinician guides students through the many layers of soundtrack preparation, from sight-reading and intonation basics to studio-performance techniques and more, culminating in the recording of a specially prepared, age-appropriate soundtrack to an excerpt from a Disney animated film.

Because the workshop takes place inside a pro recording studio, students are afforded the unique opportunity to hear what they sound like during an actual performance, notes workshop clinician Chad Shoopman, a lead trumpeter for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom who also conducts special events such as Disney's holiday Candlelight Processional and Massed Choir Program. "For most kids, it's the first time they've been involved in a recording project of this scale, and so it's interesting to see their reactions," says Shoopman. "But as I remind them, it's this kind of setting that helps them to focus like a professional player."

The "Duh" Factor

Shoopman devotes the first portion of the workshop to discussing what it's like to be a professional player, including working in the music business and performing on stage and in the studio. From there students sight-read a few relatively simple pieces of music. "The idea is to get the students acclimated to the studio environment," says Shoopman, "with the goal of making them respond like professional musicians, understanding the things that the pros have to concern themselves with during a typical recording session, and how they can enhance their own musical experience by taking a more professional approach once they're back at home."

An important part of the workshop experience is helping students identify the "duh" mistakes that typically crop up during any performance. "Because that's what really distinguishes the professional from the student — knowing how to avoid those goofs that you shouldn't be making in the first place." Shoopman has the students review elements such as key and time signatures, accidentals, and so forth. "By doing so," he says, "kids learn that it's up to the musician to take care of those things before they even play a single note."

A Master Take

The big payoff for the participants is the recording of a soundtrack to a Disney animated film, which occurs at the conclusion of the program. "We tell them at the start of the program that we're going to have a recording event, with the caveat that they only get one take to get it right," says Shoopman with a grin. "So the workshop is geared towards getting the students into the right frame of mind, so that this performance can be really top notch." Students are given time to rehearse the piece while also learning about the nuances of orchestral recording, before they proceed with the "master" take. "Once we finish the recording," says Shoopman, "the kids get to put away all their music, relax, and watch the film with their soundtrack included. We've taken pictures of the kids performing and on break, which we then include as part of a brief montage that immediately follows the film. And the director gets a DVD of the video to take home with them."

The amount of repeat business speaks volumes for the success of the program, notes Shoopman. "We distribute feedback sheets to the schools. And I've had so many band directors say things like, 'This was just as much fun as going to the parks!' Naturally, the kids tend to be a little suspicious at first, because after all this is a clinic. It sounds like it's going to be one of those boring learning experiences. In reality, it often winds up being the highlight of their entire trip. When you consider all the great attractions at Walt Disney World, that's pretty flattering."