Star Valley Marching Braves perform at Disneyland

AFTON — Sixty-seven members of the Star Valley High School’s marching band marched in a parade on Mainstreet USA at Disneyland on Wednesday, June 11 to an estimated 30,000 park guests. The band also recorded five cues in the Disney Recording Studio while visiting the park.

“About 20 months ago, I set the goal to perform in another Disney Parade with the Star Valley High School Marching Band,” said SVHS Band Director Kurt Sand. “This is the third time that our students have had the opportunity to perform at Disneyland. The two previous performances were in 2014 and 2018.

“It is quite an honor to receive the opportunity to perform in a Disney parade,” he said. “Groups that are interested in marching must complete a fairly rigorous application process of paperwork, photos, audio recordings and videos of past local performances. All of those must meet the ‘Disney Standard’ of excellence. I am proud of the fact that our band program has exceeded those standards on three separate occasions.”

When Sand initially proposed the trip in the fall of 2023, his students were thrilled with the idea but soon realized the challenges that such an opportunity would present. They would need to complete all musical requirements to qualify for the performance, and they would need to finance the trip.

“There were some doubts to overcome,” Sand said. 

For a year and a half, the students saved cash for the trip from individual work efforts as well as group fundraising projects. As a result, they were “rewarded with an incredible experience and memories that will last the rest of their lives,” he said.

For approximately one third of the students, this trip presented their first experience flying on an airplane, first time at Disneyland and Universal Studios and first time swimming in the Pacific Ocean.

On Tuesday, after a day of travel and a full night’s rest, band members participated in a Disney Recording Studio recording session, which gave them a glimpse into the life of a professional studio musician. 

The young musicians were given sheet music to various Disney movie soundtracks and went through the process of briefly studying the music and then recording tracks, called cues.

Nearly immediately after receiving the music, their guest conductor discussed the piece with them, and they watched the scene of the movie without the musical audio track. They were invited to study and practice the music for about 60 seconds, and then the conductor led them straight through it.

“We analyzed what went right and what needed to be improved upon, and then, we recorded the music with the scene,” Sand explained. “The sound engineer added sound effects and other missing instruments, like strings or keyboards to complete the recording. In 2014, the band managed to successfully record three cues. In 2018, we nailed down four cues.

“This year, we completed five cues in our recording session,” he said. “I was a pretty proud band director. It speaks very well of their overall musicianship and sight-reading skills.”

Danielle Call, who serves as assistant band director, felt the recording session was an exceptional experience for the students, commenting, “It really gave me chills.

“They just took in every word and played with evident joy. I’m just so immensely proud of them all,” Call said. “For the incoming freshman to have their first march be at Disneyland with minimal practice, they outdid themselves. They blended right in; it was seamless. I also know our graduates loved that this was their final band memory. What a huge opportunity for every participant!”

Wednesday was the first day of summer break for the Los Angeles County schools, and officials told Sand that the park was at full capacity with roughly 90,000 people in attendance.

“Our Disney ‘handlers’ estimated that nearly 30,000 people watch the parades during the day, with more taking in the nighttime parades. Our students did an amazing job representing Star Valley High School, our community and our state on a very large scale,” said Sand.

Sand was quick to acknowledge the roles of many people who made this experience possible as the band prepared and executed the trip. 

“We thank our wonderful administration and staff at LCSD#2 for supporting our music programs. We thank this community for believing that music and the arts still matter in public education,” he said.

“I especially want to recognize Danielle Call for working above and beyond her job description for our kids, and for serving as one of six chaperones on the trip. ‘Band Moms’ Charlotte Parsons, Annissa Simpson, Amy Klindt, Amber Merritt and Dawn England embraced the role of chaperone for us,” Sands added. “I don’t think they really knew what they were signing up for when they said they would come with us, but they did a wonderful job looking after our kids while on this trip.”

Sand knows of at least 12 families that made the trip to Disneyland in support of their children and the band, which he feels is always a blessing for the students. 

“Lastly, I must thank my wife, Sherri Sand, for all she does every day to help me and ‘our band kids’ be successful. There is no way that any of this happens without support from so many people that truly love Star Valley band.”

This story was published on June 18, 2025.