Over the weekend, Parlier High School’s band performed and marched down Main Street at Disneyland, California.
The morning of their performance started like no other; students had to meet up at the High School to check in and load up in the buses, all before 3:00 am.
In our group, experiencing the following rides after the band’s performance were the following students: Eliberto, Jocelyn, Fernando, Yicelyn, and Carlos (in order from left to right).
Together, we went on many adventures throughout the park. We got to the park around 7:45am and while everything opened at 8am, if you’re able to get there before then, you can witness the “Rope Drop” ceremony. As soon as we had access to the rest of the park, these were the rides we went on in order:
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: You are recruited by the rebellion and then captured by the First Order: you ultimately escape with the rebellion and make it to the new secret base as intended.
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: On this thrill ride, you need to have a team of six: two pilots to fly the ship, two gunners to fight off the First Order, and two Engineers to fix the ship as the pilots crash and the gunners try to hold off pirates and Tie Fighters. On this ride, you are hired by Smugglers and they are in desperate need for anyone to help acquire some goods, so much in fact, that they don’t care if you have any job experience. They really stress the importance of no experience necessary, somehow, you make it back to the shipyard and your cut is used to repair the ship, so the experience is pretty much meant to be a joyride.
- Big Thunder Mountain can be found in the heart of Frontierland. You board a runaway train through a haunted goldmine. This was a ride only for those who seek drops, twists, and an explosive adventure.
- For our next ride we found ourselves in Tomorrow Land. Autopia offered a ride with a little more of a scenic adventure. This ride offered many references to modern driving such as going on an overpass, staying in the middle lane, driving under a bridge, and even semblances of traffic.
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: Armed with a laser blaster, you are a space ranger tasked with the duty of helping Buzz Lightyear defeat The Evil Emperor Zurg. You must blast your way through the ride so you can get back the batteries he stole.
- The Disneyland Railroad: This ride has a genuine steam train that will transport guests around the park stopping at the many train stations throughout the park.
- “It’s a small world”: This cute boat ride took us around the world and back again to see the many different cultures and references that our world has to offer. This boat ride showed us that it is indeed a small world after all.
- Storybook Land Canal Boats: Here, we boarded a boat and swam off to an enchanted land in the belly of a famous whale, Monstro. We had a whale of a time listening to all the magical tales that Disney had to offer from Mr. Toad, Aladdin, and even Arendelle’s very own Elsa.
The Food:
We stopped by a few shops to taste the wonderful confections and meals that Disneyland had to offer. The Hungry Bear Restaurant is where we stopped in for a quick bite and some delicious beignets.
The Red Rose Tavern modeled after Beauty and the Beast, is where we ate our fill of burgers and tater tots.
Our last stop was Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. This old-fashioned Ice Cream parlor settled our sweet tooth for the rest of the night.
The Band:
The main event: Parlier High School’s very own Marching Band, all dressed up in their stunning marching uniforms, put on a great performance.
They marched from Snow White’s Castle, all the way down to the park entrance. Main Street was cordoned off to all viewers, everyone had to stay behind the white ropes. Only the VIPs (your very own Parlier High Marching Band) was allowed to march on the streets.
Hearing Parlier’s name over the Disneyland speakers was a feeling unlike any other. These students- and their instructors- worked hard, for years, to achieve this goal. To see it fulfilled in full band uniform was magic.
The crowd cheered as their name was called over the intercom, Minnie Mouse and Goofy were jumping for joy. Goofy danced and enjoyed their performance along with all viewers- the lucky people at Disneyland- for this grand event.
The Band Members:
I didn’t get the chance to talk to every band member, but the ones I did talk to really enjoyed what we set out to do on Saturday. Personally, I had the opportunity to get to know six individual band members and students and they are what made the trip extremely special.
Yicelyn: “Hello my name is Yicelyn and i play the bass clarinet. My favorite thing about Disney was performing because I love seeing people happy about what I’m doing. I love seeing the hard work that us as a band put into getting to that point. Another thing I enjoyed about Disney was going with the people that I love and appreciate. those people made a big impact on me and made me into the person i am today.” When asked what was her favorite ride she responded with: Rise of the Resistance! The reason is that this ride had so much detail and was very eventful.
Fernando: “I play the bass drum for marching band, my favorite part about being at Disneyland must have been getting on some great rides and getting to experience the park for the first time, that’s my favorite part about it because it gave me an enjoyable sense of wonder to see what the park had to offer.”
If you had to choose one specific ride, which ride would it be?
He replied with:”Big thunder mountain.”
Eliberto: “The instrument I play is the Alto Saxophone. My favorite part about being at Disneyland was the time spent with the group. Creating those memories with our group was fun, and I will cherish those memories forever.”
Which ride did you enjoy the most?
“My favorite ride would definitely have to be The Rise of the Resistance.”
Jocelyn: “I play the Snare drum for the PHS band and personally I really liked walking around the park, noticing details from movies or seeing characters. I haven’t been to Disneyland in so long, it felt nostalgic. The march we did was great too, one thing I heard from a little girl in the crowd was the fact that we have an all-girl snare line and it warmed my heart.”
When asked what her favorite ride was she responded with, “My favorite ride was the Millennium Falcon because of the roles that were assigned to us. I thought it was fun to work as a team and it wasn’t as scary as a roller-coaster.”
Carlos: “I play the clarinet. My favorite part about Disneyland was the rides because some of them were to get your adrenaline up and running and some were really slow so you can enjoy the experience of the ride. I can’t decide if my favorite ride was Rise of the resistance or the Millennium Falcon. I like the rise of the resistance because it was a really fun ride and it was definitely worth the wait. I like the Millennium Falcon cause it was about teamwork and I got to be a pilot.
Final Takeaways:
It was a pleasure spending the day with these remarkable students. As a teacher, I am proud of the dedication to their craft and I am excited to see how they will enhance their skills in the future to expand in their endeavors.
A special thanks to Band Directors, Mr. Theodore Tanaleon and Mr. Michael Afu for helping Parlier achieve excellence and for uplifting our community everyday. We applaud and appreciate their efforts.
When you see any of these amazing and talented students and teachers, pat them on the back at let them know that they did a great job representing Parlier High School at one of the grandest and most magical stages there is.
