Music, memories, and a little Disney magic

Every May, I have the joy of leading a group of wide-eyed, high energy 8th graders (decked out in matching shirts) on an adventure they’ll never forget: performing at Walt Disney World. There’s a special kind of magic in watching them navigate the airport as a team, juggling luggage and laughter, realizing this isn’t just another school trip. This is Walt Disney World. And it’s the trip of a lifetime.

Why Disney?

Taking an orchestra to Disney is both magical and meaningful. The students aren’t just sightseeing, they’re stepping onto professional stages, under bright lights, with world-class sound systems. Performing for Disney audiences, who are diverse, enthusiastic, and genuinely engaged, fills my students with pride, confidence, and joy.

Two Choices, Two Kinds of Magic

Disney gives student ensembles two unforgettable opportunities: the stage performance or the sound track recording session. Most years, I choose the stage performance – a polished, 25-minute show that lets my students experience the thrill of performing live for an international audience.

But some years, when I have a group I know will thrive on the challenge, I add the sound track clinic. In this session, students sight-read and record music for actual Disney film scenes, guided by a Disney musician. It’s fast, exhilarating, and eye-opening—a glimpse into the life of a professional studio player. More orchestra, more Disney magic and it doesn’t get better than that.

The Work Behind the Wonder

Before we ever see Cinderella’s Castle, the preparation begins. Meeting Disney’s professional standards means months of rehearsal – polishing every entrance, shaping every phrase, and learning the stamina it takes to deliver a full program with confidence. That hard work pays off the moment they take the stage and hear the applause.

Seeing Disney Through Their Eyes

Some of my favorite memories aren’t even about the music. For many of my students, this trip is their very first time away from home—and often their very first visit to Disney. I get to watch them experience it all: that first taste of a Dole Whip on a hot afternoon, the triumphant scream after a roller coaster, or the awe in their eyes when they meet a favorite character. In those moments, the stress and worries of middle school seem to disappear, replaced by pure joy and wonder.

Pro Tip From the Podium

When we travel, violins and violas fly with us as carry-ons. The cellos, basses, and harp? They make the road trip to Florida. It’s the best way to ensure every instrument arrives safe, sound, and ready to play. I’ve tried renting before, and let me tell you… don’t waste your money. Nothing beats having your own instruments in top condition.

Why I Keep Coming Back

For many students, this trip has been the spark that kept them in music through high school—a reminder of the joy of performance and the bonds built in rehearsal. It inspires them to keep practicing, keep performing, and keep making memories with their friends on future music trips.

For us as directors, that’s the heart of it all. These journeys are the highlight of being in a school ensemble: traveling with your orchestra, band, or choir friends, creating stories that will be retold for years.

Yes, it’s a trip. Yes, it’s a performance. But more than anything, it’s an experience that lives forever in the hearts of the students—and in mine.

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If you need to reach out to Elizabeth, you can email her at [email protected] for anything else. Please let me know if you need more from me.

From VHS tapes to DVDs to a comprehensive travel and photo sharing app, Group Travel Videos has come a long way.

Over 25 years ago, founder Dave Martinson was bringing a photo-to-video montage program to dozens of Walmart stores, called Create A Video. “People would bring in their old family pictures, we would create an emotional, sentimental keepsake video right on the spot in the stores, and put it on a VHS tape.”

In 1997, he bought the company out and opened a retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina next door to a travel agent, which brought about a whole new idea: Group Travel Videos.

“We had this idea from the previous business, but never did anything with it, so I approached them,” Martinson said. “You send out some single-use film cameras with your group, leaders can take pictures, give them to us, we’ll process the film and pictures, make a video out of it for a VHS tape, and then every kid will get a keepsake. They tried it out, and it was a hit.”

With the evolution of technology, the company has consistently kept up with the times. VHS turned to DVDs, then it all changed when apps came on the scene. It was initially just a photo sharing app, but the key was privacy: No email addresses or phone numbers involved at all, just a username and password—and that remains true today.

Now, the app offers:

• Document Sharing, for itineraries, safety protocols, checklists, even assignments for the trip.
• Group Messaging, requiring no private contact information, which also allows for subgroups (i.e. among chaperones).
• Travel Locator, for helping find lost students or coordinating meetups with group members.
• Private Photo Gallery, which are much higher quality and more easily organized than using social media, and they can be shared with not just those on the trips, but parents, grandparents, siblings, school faculty, etc.
• Storytelling Video, the original product, combining photos into a keepsake video that can be streamed or downloaded, remaining on the server for three years. And soon, group members will be able to upload videos as well, which educators can review before they’re shared with the group.

It’s highly affordable, private and intuitive—and it makes for a great recruiting tool.

“If it is a band group, they love it, because they’re all time trying to get people into programs,” Martinson said. “One of the most attractive things about joining a band or an orchestra choir is the travel aspect. So when they’re having these recruiting meetings, they have last year’s video playing, they see people that they know, they see the fun times that they had in Orlando or Nashville or wherever that they went, and it gives them the extra effort to see if they pass the test.

“Everybody really wins from it. The kids have a great keepsake, the parents get some peace of mind during the trip, and of course, the teachers as well.”

Just last year in New York City, a group using the app had an eighth grader run away after a tiff with another student, and they were able to quickly locate and bring her back safely using the locator feature.

If you’re a teacher or director working with Group Travel Videos, you’ll also be in contact with them throughout the process, being educated on how to use all the features well before the trip, with a direct line of contact while traveling as well—you don’t need to bother your tour operator.

The whole experience is heavily guided by feedback from teachers, students and other groups, with more than 2,000,000 travelers working with the company since 1999. In other words: It’s a tried and true product, and there’s a reason groups keep coming back to use it year after year.

Learn more and get started at grouptravelvideos.com.

Testimonial:

“I will be honest, with everything I needed to do to prepare for our trip, the ‘after’ video wasn’t high on my priority list. After the trip was over, and went incredibly well, receiving the video/slide show a few weeks after returning was a great memory of our adventures on the West Coast! The pictures highlighted the amazing places we saw and the awesome times we had! What an incredible compilation of memories for my students to keep for a lifetime! All of this, with very little effort from our end! Thank you for this terrific gift!”

Kate Kallenbach
Fairmont Marching Band (Fairmont, MN)
Aug 21, 2025