Main Street

Musical Art for a Worthy Cause

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Disney Magic Music Days, Disney Performing Arts at the Walt Disney World Resort supported music education in an exciting and unique way: through the creation and sale of five one-of-a-kind instruments.

The instruments in question were string basses, donated by Conn-Selmer, Inc., and painted by the world renowned artists at Walt Disney Animation Studio--the same studio that's been creating full-length animated feature films since 1937.

Following their official debut on February 4, 2010 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Calif., the basses embarked on a tour of music and art museums across the United States. And on June 27, all five were sold at an auction, with the proceeds benefitting music education charities through the Grammy Foundation. www.disneyartformusic.com

Disney Holds New Gospel Events

Two soulful new events took place at the Disney Parks in 2010. At Disneyland Resort in February, Celebrate Gospel showcased 14 southern California gospel choirs and highlighted the connection between Disney and the gospel community. At Walt Disney World Resort, the inaugural Disney Gospel Choir Fest, held in September, brought choirs together from across the country to compete for a performing spot at Night of Joy, Disney's contemporary Christian music concert event. Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Smokie Norful was the master of ceremonies, while a panel of label executives judged the choirs' performances and selected the winning group. Visit www.disneygospelchoirfest.com for more details.

New Name, New Era

Disney Magic Music Days celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010, and over those 25 years the once exclusively instrumental program has grown to include dance, theatre, choral and other performing groups. In an effort to be inclusive, the program is updating its name to Disney Performing Arts OnStage, a change that will better represent all these performing disciplines.

A Place of Honor for the Sherman Brothers

The next time you walk down Disneyland Park's Main Street, U.S.A., keep an eye out for a window bearing the sign "Two Brothers Tunemakers." This latest addition to the Main Street landscape honors the creative work of songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman, the composers of "It's a Small World (After All)" and the theme songs for several Disneyland attractions, as well as songs from classic Disney movies like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and Winnie the Pooh. The window was of officially unveiled in March 2010, and Richard Sherman was happily present at the ceremony with a close friend (above right). A window dedication, by the way, is the highest honor a Cast Member can receive at Disneyland.

Rising Performers Grace Disney Jazz Celebration

Disney's second annual Jazz Celebration is now one for the history books, but the illustrious guests who headlined the March 2010 event at the Walt Disney World Resort still have history of their own to make. Among them were trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, trombonist Saunders Sermons, drummer Jared Schonig and saxophonist Jessy J —whose 2008 debut CD Tequila Moon spawned a single of the same name that stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard jazz chart for eight weeks.

You could also find members of jazz's next generation of greats in the school ensembles that took part in the festivities, which included adjudicated performances, clinics, master classes and a closing awards ceremony. The third Disney Jazz Celebration is set for March 11-13, 2011. For more information, visit www.disneyjazzcelebration.com.

Step Classic Gets Enhanced

For its third year, the Disney STEP Classic (September 3-4, 2010) once again brought the excitement of stepping to the Walt Disney World Resort. The Disney STEP Classic is open to step teams of all ages. Besides competing, the 2010 teams participated in workshops taught by performance judges who are also National STEP Show Alliance (NSSA) certified step coaches.

All the action happened at the state-of-the-art Premiere Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios, giving participants a true professional performance experience. Winning teams were showcased during the MEAC/SWAC college football game at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando. To learn more, visit www.disneystepclassic.com.

Festival Disney Sets New Records

The sixth season of Festival Disney (March-May 2010) was the biggest one yet. Over a single weekend in March, Walt Disney World Resort hosted the largest number of musical ensembles in the festival's history, with 13 distinguished adjudicators providing feedback and over 15 hours of performances on one day alone. Also, 96 directors were recognized for having previously participated in Festival Disney, Disney Jazz Celebration or The Disney Honors. For more on Festival Disney, including how to take part in the 2011 season, visit www.festivaldisney.com.