By: Nicholas Beaumont’23 and Alexander Fowler’23

Over the Easter break, the Saint Paul’s marching band traveled to Orlando, Florida to participate in one of the Universal Studio parades. The band marched a half-mile around the central theme park area. Although this was the band’s final parade of the year, they didn’t disappoint, spreading laughter, cheer, and happiness to a whole new crowd. This crowd was smaller than the Mardi Gras gatherings, and they were a little confused at first when they saw the marching wolves dancing through Universal Studios. The band’s signature funk contrasted the standard playing of typical high school bands, and while the crowd was not ready for the signature Mardi Gras style, they ended up loving it just as much as a New Orleans crowd.

That’s not all the band did in Orlando; leaving Tuesday night and arriving Wednesday morning, the band spent an entire day (from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm) in Universal Studios having fun and experiencing other bands perform. On Thursday, the band traveled to Magic Kingdom, spending another full day (7:00 am to 11:00 pm), seeing how Disney World interprets Mardi Gras and giving feedback to the park on performances. On Friday, the band arrived at Hollywood Studios for a repetitive full day (7:00 am to 11:00 pm) of learning about exciting visual techniques and bonding as one big group. On Saturday, the band performed at Universal Studios at 10:00 am. Then spent the rest of the day riding rides and bonding. The band departed Saturday night and arrived back at Saint Paul’s Sunday morning.
Throughout the week, the musicians grew even closer together. Whether screaming while the Tower of Terror drops or becoming immersed in one of the many Universal film-inspired reality rides, there was something for everybody. Only the seniors had experienced a band trip like this, and having four grade levels share the tradition at once will surely make the band closer than ever.
One thing that was made very clear by the chaperones was to have nobody be left alone. This trip isn’t just about the parade. It’s about growing closer as a band; because, without brotherhood, there is no Saint Paul’s band. Every brother now has a new collection of memories to remember for the 2021-2022 school year.