A Field Trip to Disney World By Sarah West

The last four days of my life have consisted of excitement, laughs, exhaustion and many many happy memories. Our school orchestra and marching band took a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. It was one of the best experiences of my life. We got to perform three pieces in Disney Springs, record a song for Beauty and the Beast, and of course get to experience four Disney parks in eighty-degree weather.

The sight-reading workshop in which we played the music for Beauty and the Beast was an experience that really stood out to me. The whole orchestra learned valuable skills and not to mention a cool dvd of the dancing scene from the animated movie with us playing the music. But we also got an inside look at what being a professional musician is like. The recording, the personal stories from our instructor, advice on how to become a professional; all invaluable. Being a musician mostly likely is not something I would do as a career, but it is also one I had never even considered before this experience and I am thankful to have been able to.

The parks also did not disappoint. There were so many fun interactive and immersive rides. One ride, Mission Space, simulated the actual feeling of flying a rocket, G force and everything! I spent an entire ride through the world of The Pirates of the Caribbean questioning how it was possible that we weren't outside (the set was so well done for half of the ride I thought I really was outside). I also had the chance to try out my skills from french class for real in Epcot, plus the opportunity to fulfill childhood dreams by meeting classic characters. Not to mention some pretty funny pictures from the roller coasters and The Tower of Terror and some great firework shows.

While trip may have ended with being stuck at the airport with a four hour delay, not returning home until 5:00 am (at least I got another day off of school), aching feet, a sunburned nose, and the knowledge of how much school work I need to make up, it was all worth it. I got once in a lifetime experiences, made new friends, happy memories, and funny stories to tell. This has definitely been the best school trip I have ever been on.