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Top Music Destinations

New York City

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The “Big Apple” moniker for New York City was coined by musicians and meant, ‘to play the big time.’ Vibrant and diverse, New York offers all popular music genres: blues, jazz, rock, hip-hop, classical, disco and punk!

 

Performance Opportunities

 

Highlight Opportunities

 

Walt Disney World/Disneyland

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The feeling of marching down Main Street in front of thousands at the happiest place on earth is a cherished event for any marching band. Marching Bands can be a part of Disney magic by marching in parades and participating in workshops in the Disney Performing Arts OnStage program. Applications can be accepted up to one year in advance. Disney also offers the program at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Year-round performance opportunities are available.

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Want to give your group or students an opportunity to be a part of the most magical parade on earth? Marching in the Disney World Parade exposes your group to a vast number of people from all around the world and creates a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone. 

  • Give your Color Guard/Auxiliary the unique opportunity to rehearse and perform a simulated Disney “Special Event” production. Following a high-energy warm-up, your students will learn valuable flag and movement basics. Next, they will be led through a fun-filled and magical routine with exciting choreography on tall flag and swing flag, complete with show props. When your Disney Show Producer gets a call for a last minute “special event,” your students are put through an “audition” and cast into roles for the show. After a simulated Disney rehearsal, the clinic culminates in an exhilarating simulated performance incorporating all of the equipment and prop routines the students have learned.

  • See the importance of discipline in dance, show presentation and movement to dance teams, show choirs, drill teams and color guards. Participants put this insight into action as they learn an actual Disney production number for a backstage performance.

  • Elevate your Choir’s talents with workshops that focus on singing styles, interpretation and vocal dynamics. A Disney vocalist and recording artist also demonstrates how movement can impact song and ways vocal warm-ups enhance performance.

  • Learn elements of live performance with show choirs by focusing on the basics of vocal technique and the fundamentals of staged movement.

  • Witness a hands-on showcase of the essential components of jazz with style. Participating groups examine phrasing improvisation, ensemble sound, jazz styles and the rhythm section.

  • Give your students the unique opportunity to rehearse with and to accompany a professional Walt Disney World musician in a live concert. A critique by the musician of the rehearsal and performance gives your group unique insight into ways to be better performers.

  • Learn valuable fundamentals that raise the level of your group’s performance skills by exposing them to different teaching styles, interpretations and performance techniques while heightening their awareness of importance of solid technical and musical fundamentals.

  • Take your concert band right into a recording studio and give them the amazing opportunity to record their own soundtrack to a portion of a Disney animated feature.

  • Experience the Candlelight Processional and Massed Choir Program – A special option for Choral Groups. Disney Magic Music Days and Walt Disney Entertainment are looking for outstanding high school, college, university, church, or community choirs to be part of a Disney holiday tradition. For more than 25 years, this holiday extravaganza has spread the spirit of the season and feelings of goodwill to people from around the world.Rich in holiday splendor, the beautiful and inspirational narration of the Christmas story features glimmering light displays, an enchanted “Winter Wonderland” setting in Epcot, and the wonderful music of a massed choir performing with the Walt Disney World orchestra. Celebrity narrators add to the excitement of the event while creating a once-in-a-lifetime performance opportunity for participants. Your group performs thirteen original holiday arrangements. In addition to providing a challenging and educational experience for your program, these unique Disney selections provide a rich addition to your choir’s repertoire.

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Washington, D.C.

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The only place on the planet where one can visit with a nearly 20-foot tall President Lincoln, read the original U.S. Constitution, see Dorothy’s ruby red slippers and enjoy internationally acclaimed art? Washington, D.C., of course! World-class fun, awe-inspiring monuments, memorials and museums, family-friendly interactive experiences and more offer something for everyone.

 

Performance Opportunities

  • National Independence Day Parade

  • Lincoln Memorial

  • National Memorial Day Parade

  • Cherry Blossom Festival

  • U.S. Capitol Steps

  • Clinic at George Mason

  • Union Station

  • Clinic at University of Maryland

  • Jefferson Memorial

  • WWII Memorial

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Marine Band Clinic

  • National Symphony Orchestra Clinic

  • Alexandria

  • Arlington National Cemetery

  • Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

  • Embassy Row

  • Georgetown

  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

  • Memorials

  • Mount Vernon

  • National Archives

  • FDR Memorial

  • Washington National Cathedral

  • Newseum

  • Smithsonian Institution

  • Union Station

  • U.S. Capitol

  • Washington Monument

  • White House

  • International Spy Museum

 

 

Chicago

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The Windy City offers shopping, shows and kid-friendly museums. As a multicultural city that thrives on the harmony and diversity of its neighborhoods, Chicago today embodies the values of America’s heartland-integrity, hard work and community and reflects the ideals in the social fabric of its 77 distinct neighborhoods.

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Holy Name Cathedral

  • Rockefeller Chapel

  • Hines VA Hospital

  • Hard Rock Café (Choir)

  • Navy Pier

  • Medieval Times

  • Clinic Opportunities: Area Colleges

  • Old St. Patrick’s Church

  • Northwestern University

  • DePaul University

  • University of Chicago

  • VanderCook College

  • McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade

  • Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade

  • Adler Planetarium

  • Arlington International Racecourse

  • Daley Plaza

  • Field Museum

  • Museum of Science & Industry

  • St. Josaphat Church

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Architectural Cruise

  • Field Museum

  • Chicago Symphony Orchestra

  • Lyric Opera

  • Museum of Contemporary Art

  • Art Institute of Chicago

  • Navy Pier with Shakespeare Theatre

  • Sears Tower Skydeck

  • John Hancock Observatory

  • Brookfield Zoo

  • Lincoln Park Zoo

  • Blue Man Group

  • Water Tower Place with Drury Lane Theatre

  • Six Flags Great America

  • Wendella Boat Tours

  • Adler Planetarium

  • Magnificent Mile

  • Millennium Park

  • Museum of Natural History

  • Museum of Science & Industry

  • Navy Pier

  • SeaDog Cruise

  • Shedd Aquarium

  • Chicago Theatre

  • SkyDeck (Willis Tower)

 

 

Hawaii

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America’s gem in the Pacific Ocean, the islands of the 50th state will please you like no place else! The educational performances and the destination highlights are out of this world. Popular performance opportunities include the Ala Moana Center, The USS Missouri, numerous parades, Kapiolani Park, Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center.

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Pan Pacific Parade

  • USS Missouri

  • Hale Koa

  • USS Bowfin

  • Polynesian Cultural Center

  • Ala Mona Center

  • Kawaiaha Church

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Catamaran Cruise

  • University of Hawaii (Clinics)

  • Hawaii’s Volcanos National Park

  • Kauai’s Waimea Canyon

  • Kauai’s Wailua River

  • Lanai’s Mountains, Farms, Parks

  • Maui’s Maui’s Beaches and Haleakala Volcano

  • Molokai’s Kalaupapa National Historical Park

  • Oahu’s Pearl Harbor & Capital

 

 

Philadelphia

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Famed for history, sports competitions, business and education, Philly has it all!

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade

  • St. Patrick’s Day Parade

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Battleship “New Jersey”

  • Betsy Ross House

  • The Bourse

  • Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

  • Elfreth’s Alley

  • Franklin Science Institute

  • Independence Hall

  • Liberty Bell

  • National Constitution Center

  • National Liberty Museum

  • Penn’s Landing

  • Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Ride the Ducks

  • Valley Forge

 

San Francisco

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The City by the Bay will steal your heart with its beautiful views, energetic neighborhoods, engaging history and fantastic food!

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Chinese New Year Parade

  • San Francisco Saint Patrick’s Day Parade

  • San Francisco’s Annual Union Street Easter Parade & Spring Celebration

  • Carnaval San Francisco

  • San Francisco Pride Parade

  • Italian Heritage Parade

  • Pier 39

  • Grace Cathedral

  • Music in the Parks

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Stanford University Clinic

  • Alcatraz Prison Tour

  • Cable Car Rides

  • California Academy of Sciences

  • Chinatown

  • City Lights Books

  • Coit Tower

  • de Young Museum

  • Fisherman’s Wharf

  • Golden Gate Bridge

  • Golden Gate Park

  • Muir Woods

  • Nob Hill

  • North Beach

  • Palo Alto

  • San Francisco Symphony

  • San Francisco Bay Cruises

  • Sausalito

  • Union Square Shopping

  • Pier 39

  • Vampire Tours

  • San Francisco State University

  • California State University

  • Grace Cathedral

  • Monterey Bay Aquarium

  • Monterey Cannery Row

 

 

Nashville

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Music City is the place to be for great music and food in a down-home big city! Music of all genres is created and performed in Nashville. There are plenty of opportunities for student performances.

 

Performance Opportunities

Grand Ole Opry

Opry Mills

Ryman Auditorium

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre

General Jackson Showboat

The Johnny Cash Museum

Nashville Sounds

Nashville Shores

Nashville Visitor Center

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

 

Highlight Opportunities

Belle Meade Plantation

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Cumberland River Cruises

Grand Ole Opry

Nashville Shores

The Hermitage

Opryland Hotel

Opry Mills

Parthenon

Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Studio B

Walk of Fame Park

Wildhorse Saloon

 

 

Los Angeles

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As the second largest city in North America, “LA” is a magical blend of cultures, cuisines, hopes & dreams!

 

Performance Opportunities

Disneyland Park Parade

Tournament of Roses Parade

Chinese New Year Parade

Independence Day Parade

Hollywood Christmas Parade

Knotts Berry Farm

RMS Queen Mary

 

Highlight Opportunities

Beach Towns (Manhattan, Redondo, Venice)

California Adventure

Disneyland (Anaheim)

El Pueblo Historical Monument & Olvera Street

The Getty Center

Griffith Observatory

Hollywood

Museum of Tolerance

Music Center

Norton Simon Museum of Art (Pasadena)

 

 

Cleveland

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Cleveland means a positively good time in the northern Ohio, Lake Erie neighborhood.

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Cedar Point Amusement Park (Sandusky, OH)

  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

  • Bowling Green State University

  • Music in the Parks Festival

  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Cedar Point Amusement Park (Sandusky, OH)

  • Cleveland Museum of Art

  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History

  • Cleveland Orchestra

  • Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

  • Greater Cleveland Aquarium

  • Great Lakes Science Center

  • Lake Erie Island Cruise

  • Playhouse Square

  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

  • Cleveland Play House

  • Nautica Queen

 

 

St. Louis

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The ‘Gateway to the West’ is full of “must-sees” and “must-dos”! St. Louis has a wonderful music tradition and it enhances the cultural life of the city. There are many opportunities to share in high quality and accessible educational experiences in music.

 

Performance Opportunities

  • Band of America Regionals

  • Second Presbyterian Church

  • Music In The Parks

  • St. Louis Heritage Festival

  • Workshops and Outreach programs at The Department of Music at the University of Missouri – St. Louis

 

Highlight Opportunities

  • Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

  • City Museum

  • Fabulous Fox Theatre

  • Gateway Arch

  • Gateway Arch Riverboats

  • Grant’s Farm

  • Hannibal, MO

  • Laumeier Sculpture Park

  • Meramec Caverns

  • Missouri Botanical Garden

  • Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

  • Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

  • Royal Dumpe Dinner Theatre

  • The Sheldon Concert Hall, Ballroom & Art Galleries

  • Six Flags Park

  • St. Louis Art Museum

  • St. Louis Science Center

  • St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Powell Symphony Hall

  • St. Louis Zoo

  • Underground Railroad Tour

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