3:30 a.m. It was Friday morning and gathered in the lobby of Garden City High School was a group of 123 students and 11 chaperones waiting to leave for Florida. The Garden City High School marching band, concert band and orchestra, under the direction of James P. McCrann and Margaret Gullotta, were taking part in a performance tour in Orlando, Florida. The group arrived in Florida on Friday and remained there till Tuesday. It was an amazing experience that none of the students will ever forget.

The excursion began with a day full of practice and a leisure night at the Orange Lake Country Club, but excitement and nerves filled the air, for the next morning began the performances. The orchestra was the bravest group, the first to perform. However, waking up in the morning was the greatest challenge when the students received wake-up calls at 6 a.m. The firt day in Disney World was incredibly amazing, especially when the Garden City High School orchestra performed beautifully in Epcot Center. Everyone was remarkably impressed and was ready for their chance to perform, which came soon enough.

Sunday morning brought the largest challenge the group had to face, the SpectroMagic Parade at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The Garden City High School Marching Band had been preparing the entire year for the step-off, but everyone was still extremely nervous. The group was taken backstage, which at Disney World means behind the scenes, to prepare and warm up for the highlight of the night, the parade. The band was given the chance to show the world how much they have accomplished in three years, by leading off the SpectroMagic Parade, and by the reaction of the crowd, they completed the task with flying colors.

With an enormous weight lifted from Mr. McCrann's shoulders, he had only one more performance remaining in Florida. The concert band now had to show their ability by playing at Universal Studios. It was a different experience in a completely different theme park, but that didn't stop the determined students who performed beautifully. The entire group could now finally relax and enjoy Florida.

And that's exactly what they did! For it is impossible to go to Disney World and not have an enjoyable time. They took on Jaws, Back to the Future and the test run of Twister. The evening was also fantastic, for it was Mardi Gras. A street party and parade provided the needed relaxation and everywhere you turned you could see the students' smiling faces. Arriving back at the hotel, they enjoyed the available pools and the beach before heading off to sleep.

The remaining day in Florida brought sadness to their hearts, but Florida ws not officially over until they experienced Disney World's MGM Studios. There they conquered the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, multiple times, before heading back to New York. It was sad to leave, but it was such a powerful and wonderful experience that will remain in their hearts and minds forever.