Pride of Herndon invited to lead Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade

On April 22, Herndon High School’s marching band and color guard embarked on a trip to Walt Disney World where they were invited to participate in some wonderfully enriching events. The concert bands attended a Disney Performing Arts workshop called “You’re Instrumental!” at a recording studio in the Epcot Theme Park, where they learned and played several famous Disney songs, including tunes from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Tarzan. Afterwards, they received a recording of their performance accompanied by footage from the animated films.

The color guard participated in Disney’s “Auxiliration” workshop at the Costume and Audition Building where they learned a new routine in under two hours and then performed it with Disney dancers. This workshop gave the students a sense of what it is like to audition to be a Disney Cast Member. They were taught a routine using flags and given a chance to audition for the Casting Agents. After all of them were hired as Honorary Cast Members, they were taught two additional dance-oriented routines that incorporated various props, and they received a surprise visit from Goofy who joined them for the final run-through of the performance.

For their grand finale, on the night of Saturday, April 25, the entire band marched from the beginning of Main Street to Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom as a prelude to the Main Street Electrical Parade. This parade features floats that are covered in hundreds of thousands of electronically controlled lights that flash in time with a synchronized soundtrack. Marching in this parade is one of the highest honors the Walt Disney Company can bestow on a marching band.

Carlee Craze, who is a Senior at HHS and co-captain of the color guard, exclaimed “It was an amazing experience to be able to march in the parade. It was my first time in Disney World and I got to be an honorary cast and crew member. We all had so much fun. It will always be a part of our memories and something that not many of us may be able to do again.”

The HHS Band Parents Association supplied the band with LED lights to add to the magic of the event. There were lights on the drum majors’ uniforms, on the color guard flags, around the bell of the tubas, on the drumsticks and on every marcher’s shako.

In addition to the large contingent of parent chaperones in attendance, more than 75 friends and family members were there to cheer them on as The Pride went marching by, adorned with lights and playing “Cantina” from Star Wars – a song that generated a lot of cheers from fans young and old in the crowd.

Lindsay Eastham, also a Senior and co-captain of the color guard, enjoyed seeing the backstage area prior to the parade. “Everyone was so friendly… Prince Charming even waved at me,” she said. She was thrilled to perform in the Magic Kingdom as well. “I especially liked hearing the little kids in the crowd respond to the flags and the lights when we were marching by. They were so excited! The entire trip was a great experience.”

For Senior Kyle Jones, the trip to Walt Disney World was special for another reason. Although he is a member of Herndon High’s concert bands, he doesn’t usually get to participate in marching band activities because he plays football in the fall, during the regular marching band season. In fact, he hadn’t had an opportunity to march with the Pride of Herndon since his freshman year. “Being a part of the Disney cast and playing in front of thousands of people is nothing that can be replicated; but most importantly, I spent time with my Herndon band family. I learned a lot. I learned that you can do whatever you put your mind to when you surround yourself with people with the same mindset as you.” Reflecting on the fact that it had been quite a while since he had marched, Jones said “Marching wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I started where I left off as a freshman, a little off tempo, but I pulled through during the parade. This was a once in a lifetime chance. Who else can say they marched down Main Street in Disney World? This trip was the best band trip I’ve been on throughout high school, and I will brag about it to everyone throughout my years of living.”