NORTH, S.C. — In 2019 Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Middle School and High School and North Middle School and High School combined marching bands. Now, the Royal Cadets Marching Band is heading to Disney's Imagination Campus.
The band will travel to Florida next April, after being selected to perform at Walt Disney World.
It’s a performing arts program at the theme park that’s open to students nationwide, but they have to audition to get there.
Band Director Herman Marsh says his students will learn more than just music on their trip.
"Exposure, learning opportunities, experience all of these things to me make a model student,” said Marsh. “It gives them an idea of what’s out there in the world. They don't have to see themselves as in a box and they can do more, they can be more. I often tell the students to see it, be it, perform it. So that's the approach I am taking to why it's important for them to be out there."
Eddie Perry, a senior at North High School, says after four years of participating in the band, their hard work has paid off.
"We put in the work, that's what I can say. We put in a lot of work to get to this point,” said Perry. "I'm pretty sure most of us on this band, we have never been to Disney. So, to go to a place like that through this. I know some people never thought, 'Oh band can't take me this far.' Band can take you this far."
Trinity Shunk is a senior mellophone player at North High School, She says this is a rare opportunity.
"This is North, not a lot of people have the money to go to Disney,” said Shunk. “So the fact that we all get this opportunity together. This really is a gamechanger for all of us."
Last weekend, the Royal Cadets Marching Band finished fifth place at the South Carolina Band Director’s Association Championships and earned a superior rating.