GHS Orchestra and Choir Dazzled by Disney

This past Spring Break, Orchestra and Choir students traveled all the way to California to perform on stage at Disneyland! Orchestra teacher, Michelle Brody, and Choir teacher, Michael Jones arranged the trip, organizing fun touring activities for students to have an amazing experience there.

Brody describes auditioning for Disneyland. “Mr. Jones and I thought a trip to California would be a cool experience,” Brody said. “When we looked into the audition process for performing at Disneyland, we decided to go for it! We organized the trip centered around the best experiences for the students.”

Junior Anya Nakonechna, a choir student, had a blast with her friends at Disneyland and enjoyed seeing the recording process.

“I had a blast during the trip and at the recording process at Disneyland. We went behind the scenes, met a professional voice actor, and got to experience the musical show business in just 90 minutes,” she said. “As of being in the happiest place on Earth, my friends and I got fast passes on thrilling rides, ate lots of churros, and were Disneyed-out by the end of the two days.”

Brody also believes her experience in California with students was amazing.

“Performing for the public at Disneyland was an incredible experience. The whole experience was a professional and exciting process and getting to see backstage Disneyland was awesome,” she said. “It was a bit overwhelming when we first entered the stage, but the musicians settled in quickly and put on a wonderful performance.”

Orchestra member freshman Sarah Iselin, thought the trip was a lot of fun and enjoyed the freedom had.

“Disneyland was really, really fun. We were there all day, and we had to stay within the park, but otherwise we were given a free reign. We were allowed to do whatever we wanted as long as we were in groups of at least three,” she said. “I spent a lot of the time just walking around the park and riding the rides that looked fun and taking pictures. My favorite rides were probably ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Space Mountain’. Both were tons of fun!”

Overall, Brody and Jones organized touring the Dolby Theatre, Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grammy Museum, Anaheim, Disneyland, Mission Beach, San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, and more.

“We felt this was a great amount of activities to do, and we all had a ton of fun! It was overall an amazing trip and we all created amazing memories!” Brody said.

Nakonechna feels that the trip to California brought her choir classmates and herself closer together.

“I definitely was brought closer to my choir pals! I talked to students that weren’t in my choir and we all had a laugh. It was amazing because not one day had a flaw while I was on the trip because of the great people that went with me to Cali,” she said.

Iselin also feels that the trip was an opportunity to get closer to classmates.

“This trip definitely brought me closer to the friends I have in orchestra and choir. I got to spend a ton of time with them and get to know them a lot better,” she said. “I think it was part of the reason for the trip, so that our playing/singing and cooperation as a group would be better.”

The orchestra prepared weeks in advance for the on-stage performance in California. Each week, there were checkoffs ensuring that students knew the music. Outside of this time, students were expected to practice at home, too. Iselin describes her experience performing on stage.

“Playing onstage at Disney was amazing. There was a screen behind us that showed a great display as we performed. I also really liked all the music we performed. I was a little nervous beforehand, but it ended up being a great experience,” Iselin said. “We all put a lot of effort into this, especially Ms. Brody, and it was all so much fun.”

Brody feels that the orchestra had a phenomenal performance.

“Their performance was great! It felt very ‘live,’ complete with professional technology and lighting, in true Disney fashion,” she said!

Nakonechna also thinks orchestra’s performance was well done.

“Choir did not perform on stage, but the orchestra did such a great job!” she said. “They were in tune and impressive, which made the audience see the capability of a great high school orchestra.”