Benji Boyd, Sophomore
ASSISTANT EDITOR
On Friday the 14, as Marblehead High students eagerly awaited their release for April break, the Music Department started their vacation early. The orchestra, band, and choir classes spent the first five days of their break safe from the New England Spring in sunny Orlando, Florida, living it up at Disney World.
Chaperoned by Marblehead High music teachers Andrew Scoglio, Julie Frias, Averi Parece, and two others, a group of fifty-one students arrived at Disney late on the 14th and checked into the Pop Century Resort. They spent their next few days roaming around the parks, performing in Disney Springs, and workshopping with professionals.
Anyone lucky enough to be passing by the Waterside Stage on Monday, April 17, would have found themselves serenaded by two performances by the Marblehead group, one choral and one instrumental. The choir performed three numbers: a choral piece called “Seeking Light,” a Disney medley aptly named “Disney Dazzle,” and our very own town song “Marblehead Forever.” The orchestra and band collaborated on an instrumental piece, which was aided by the nearby Rainforest Cafe’s erupting volcano to create a dramatic crescendo. The rest of the students’ time was used to explore the parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. The latter was also the location of their workshop, where students worked together with Disney cast members to learn new songs and skills.
While rides such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Avatar Flight of Passage were certainly favorites, students felt that one of the best parts of the experience was just being in a place so new and different from back home. Overall, students enjoyed the time away from the Marblehead winter and in the sun, even if the heat was a little too intense. Brady Weed, a choir student, is of the opinion that, “The best part about the trip was that I didn’t get sunburned.” Knowing him, this statement is truly remarkable and does nothing to downplay the rest of the experience.
The reason this trip was possible was thanks to the fundraising efforts of FoPA, or Friends of the Performing Arts. FoPA is an organization of parents of high school students in the performing arts who chip in to raise money, coordinate events, and help the department in any way they can.
This time around, the main event was a raffle for vouchers provided by the tour company, Encore Tours. Students were encouraged to sell tickets to both raise money for the trip as a whole, as well as reduce their personal costs. Whatever the students raised was subtracted from the amount they were required to pay to attend, allowing students who put in the hard work to travel for much cheaper.
Thanks to FoPA, our amazing high school music teachers and chaperones, and the initiatives of the students involved, this year’s Music Department trip was a huge success. Music Department Lead Teacher Andrew Scoglio says that the trip went pretty smoothly, considering it’s the first time the department has gone on an extended field trip since their long weekend in New York City in 2020. Before that, in 2018, the department went to Quebec City and Montreal to perform.
The success of this trip is a good sign for those hoping to plan and go on trips in the future. While Mr. Scoglio acknowledges that this kind of thing can’t happen every year, he is optimistic about continuing the tradition and has hope for bigger trips down the road.