After months of fund-raising, planning and excitement, the Grant Union band and choir traveled to Disneyland last week.

During their March 21-25 stay, they joined several other bands and choirs to perform during the Disney’s Magic Music Days event.

As the Northwest Eagle travel bus pulled into the parking lot to start the journey, the excitement turned to dread for some students, as they realized that their next 18 hours would be spent on that bus. As sophomore Amanda Buckhaults said later, “If I never have to ride on a bus for 18 hours again, it will be too soon.”

However, she added, “The drivers were fun. I am glad that we were able to drive over and back with them.”

On Friday morning, after a rough night of trying to sleep on the bus, the students headed to Universal Studios for a day of simple pleasures. Some students ran straight to the roller coasters, while others posed for pictures with the many movie characters strolling through the park.

“I loved the Mummy ride! It was my favorite ride at Universal Studios,” said senior Kaitlin Andrews.

As Friday drew to a close, the restaurant of choice was the Hard Rock Café, noted for its rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia.

“I think it was a great place to eat and rest from a long day at Universal, with some music that we knew,” said senior Kerry Randall.

The band and choir were huge successes in their performances for Disneyland tourists on Saturday – both groups were honored with standing ovations. After the performances, the students were free to wander the park and enjoy the rides.

Despite long lines and more people than all of Grant County, most students enjoyed the park.

“It was fun and the rides were amazing,” said Kate Henry, a freshman. “I could not believe the mass of people that surrounded me. Other than that I am glad I raised the money to go.”

Senior Brock Henry agreed.

“Disneyland was savage! It was crowded and I got into a boxing match with Mickey,” Brock said.

Grant Union music students were were able to attend a workshop where they learned elements of music as well as how sound and music are inserted into cartoon clips. Some students even played percussion with pots and pans, and watched as their own music was inserted in a clip from Tarzan.?

“Seeing how things worked behind the scenes made me feel special, because people usually don’t see that in Disneyland,” said junior Han Byul Ru. “The clinic, led by a hilarious lady, was very interesting also. We played some games, did some activities and learned about music history, which I thought was cool. Overall, I absolutely loved it. I hope we can do it again!”