“Exaggerate your staccatos!”
 “Don’t forget to project and put character in your tone!”
“If you can’t hear the melody, then you are playing or singing too loudly.” 
“What tempo is that? Forte Piano? Play it piano.”
“Great power and volume control!”
 “Let’s go to bar 49, 2T. When you hit that note then let it rip!”

If this reads like a musical test, then think again. It is actually the real-time feedback that our choir and band students received from the  Performing Arts professionals during their Disneyland Paris musical workshops. With a wake up call starting the day at 5 am, our band and choir students kicked off their jam-packed schedule as they prepared for their exclusive workshop starting at 07:45 and battled nerves of performing live onstage at Videopolis later that afternoon. But what actually happens behind the scenes during the making of a Disneyland Paris musical performance? Intense workshops, rigorous practice, loading and unloading of instruments, sound checks, wardrobe changes, backstage warm ups and finally a live performance in front of a large enthusiastic crowd. Our students learned that it is the combination of having to perfect your musical piece as well as presenting yourself as a professional performer, in order to live up to a quality of standard that Disneyland Paris represents. These insights and this hands-on learning approach is what makes this ASH Signature Program standout. 

“It was good to practice that piece, Rhapsody in Blue, a very classical piece. I like how the workshop leader separated the music for us into melody and accompaniment. “ Christophe, Class of 2025 and Artur, Class of 2023

“It was very interesting, a new experience  trying to learn in that setting. I thought the workshop was interesting learning about what it is like to be a Disney performer.” 
Jordi and Mauritz, Class of 2025

“I was happy with our (live) performance, it went good. We only made a few tiny mistakes that we would know as we have been playing together for a while and we were abel to recover. The workshop helped us this morning as we discussed so many things in the piece that we improved in the performance; especially the “piano” and “forte”.
Remy and Grace, Class of 2025

The workshop was kind of like our band practice at school but lead by someone who worked at Disney for a very long time. It was interesting to hear about the acoustics and dynamics that affected the different areas of the piece. When we were practicing in the workshop room, we had to play our accents very articulately due to the echo in the room, where on stage we had to play much louder and had more wiggle room with our articulation. I had a lot of fun and would definitely do it again, I hope I can come back to Disney next year. “
Adam, Class of 2024

I thought the performance was great and fun. I was happy that my parents came  to watch and it was great to see Mr. Yarnell so happy. It was a rewarding experience and I would for sure do it again. 
Artur, Class of 2023

“I think our choir performance went really well, it was a bit difficult to adjust to the sound of the live stage but it was very different from when we rehearsed. We had to have confidence that we were singing the right thing, that was a bit of a challenge, but Im happy that we got to showcase the music that we have been working on for so long.”
-Camilla, Class of 2023

It was very nerve racking, but it was really cool because I never thought I would have this kind of opportunity. It was nice to do it, but it was also good to have it over too as it takes a lot of energy to perform!”
Leigha, Class of 2025 

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