PORT ANGELES — Band students at Port Angeles High School are preparing for a trip to Anaheim, Calif., that blends performance, competition and hands-on training with music professionals — with some fun mixed in along the way.
The highlight of the trip, set for March 26-31, is a film-scoring workshop at the Disney Imagination campus. During the session, students will take part in a soundtrack recording session designed to mirror how professional studio musicians work. They will sight read music as a scene from a Disney film is projected behind a conductor, with their performance recorded and synchronized to the film. The band will receive a copy of the completed recording.
Band director Jarrett Hansen said the program doesn’t provide the music in advance, requiring students to rely on their sight-reading skills — something they have been practicing several times a week.
“It’s an opportunity for them to really know what it’s like to be a professional musician,” Hansen said. “The pressure, the skills required and the stress of the moment.”
During the competition portion of the trip, the band will face similarly sized schools from across the country. The group will perform “Teeth of the Mechanism” by John Mackey, “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli and “The Country Club Stomp!” by JaRod Hall. It will preview the program during performance at 7 p.m. March 4 at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Park Ave.
Students also will attend a concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Walt Disney Concert Hall that will include a question-and-answer session with Hansen’s former teacher, David Cooper, the orchestra’s associate principal horn.
“Hopefully they’ll be able to talk to him about being a professional musician,” Hansen said. “And be inspired — in music or otherwise — to be great at what they do.”
The students’ itinerary features visits to Universal Studios Hollywood, two days at Disneyland and Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, as well.
The $2,350-per-student fee covers airfare, lodging, transportation and most activities. Much of that cost has been offset through fundraising by the Port Angeles High School Band Boosters, which began raising money after the band returned from its March 2023 performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
“The moment that trip was over, we began fundraising,” said booster president Bonnie Schmidt, who teaches music at Dry Creek Elementary.
The boosters raised $16,000 through a Snap! Raise online campaign. Students worked at partner events like the Dungeness Crab Festival, the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts and the North Olympic Discovery Marathon, with earnings going toward the trip.
Barhop Brewing hosted a trivia night and Strait View Credit Union underwrote the cost of two entire trips.
In total, the booster club has raised about $21,000, providing partial or full scholarships for 20 students.
A total of 93 people — 68 students and 25 chaperones — will make the Anaheim journey.
Upcoming fundraisers include a performance at 7 p.m. Wednesday by Dallas Brass at the Port Angeles Performing Arts Center.
As part of its visit, the seven-member ensemble will hold a clinic for middle and high school musicians. Students will then join Dallas Brass onstage at the evening performance.
The school received $10,000 in Clallam County Lodging Tax (LTAC) funds to help support the event.
A final fundraiser is expected to be a February takeover night at Westside Pizza.
“The community has been so generous,” Schmidt said. “This trip wouldn’t be possible without their donations and support.”
For Hansen, the value of the trip extends beyond the music itself.
“You may not remember sitting in math class,” he said. “But you are going to remember being at Disneyland with your friends from band.”
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
