Long bus rides, cold and windy weather, and a freezing ocean did not stop the band from having a great time in Florida.

Our first main stop was Clearwater Beach Florida. We flew out of the bus, eager to play on the beach. The sand was soft and white, but the water was freezing cold. Few students had the courage to jump into the icy waters. After going to get dinner, we went to the hotel where we could finally sleep in a real bed.

The first Disney park we went to was Magic Kingdom. Ferries would take us from the drop off to the park, but the trip took longer than some students anticipated. Many of us had fast passes early in the morning and had to sprint to get to the ride in time. People looked at us like we were crazy because we were running. We had the whole day to spend in the park doing whatever we wanted. We stayed until the closing fireworks and then got back on the bus.

On Wednesday the band spent the day at Disney Recording studios where a professional musician taught many helpful skills. We recorded a song from the Lion King that would be put over a part of the movie. We got to listen to our song as if it was the actual movie recording. After this workshop, the band headed to Animal Kingdom.

Thursday was concert day. We got to perform the music we had been spending weeks preparing. The venue was outside in Disney Springs. It was pretty windy and cold, but we managed to play the music better than we ever had before. After the concert we spent the day at Epcot.

Our last day in Florida was spent at Universal Studios. Many of us spent our time in Harry Potter world. We ate dinner together at Hard Rock Cafe and then had some more time to spend in the park. The buses were late picking us up. We ended up leaving around 11 p.m. We left Universal and headed straight home.

On the way back, one of the buses was having tire problems and we left them behind. Two of our buses, including mine, arrived at midnight. The other bus arrived around 1 a.m. Stepping off the buses for the last time meant the trip was over.

This trip was such a great bonding experience for the entire band and many of us can’t wait to go again next year.