The Music of Disney

Story Time:

When I was in 7th Grade my family went to Walt Disney World and I saw a group called the Main Street Philharmonic. This is a marching band type group, made up of professional musicians that plays at the Magic Kingdom. I remember as a young trumpet player instantly falling in love with their sound, energy, showmanship, and passion.

Fast forward: Freshman year of college I did an internship at Disney (not music related) for 7 months. It was during this time that I had my doubts about whether I would continue with music. I very soon found myself on every single day off going to the magic kingdom to watch these guys perform. It was during these months that I became inspired to dedicate myself to the trumpet full time and make a career out of this. Though my focuses have shifted to a more orchestral oriented career, I haven't forgotten where I come from, and what my inspirations were (and are).

I wanted to share this story and brief post along with some recordings because I think too often we get so centered on academic and art music, and forget that 'fun' groups like this are still very much musically valid. So with these recordings I encourage you to listen to and watch everything - their stage presence, musicality, technique, and the arrangements. This is a group of seasoned professionals making fun music and entertaining thousands of guests daily.

Enjoy!