When seen in dollars and cents, the cost of buying a ticket to Disney World might seem disheartening. But for the music department, collaborating with a local shopping center makes the expenses much less daunting.
On Monday, Jan. 20, supporters of Marshall’s music department headed to Reston Town Center to help raise money for the music department’s intended trip to Disney World in late March.
“This is the third ice skating fundraiser I’ve done. The orchestra has done this since my freshmen year, and it’s just a fun way to raise some money,” violist Eleanor Wagner, junior, said.
The department plans one trip every year for students in orchestra, band and chorus to perform in a competition and spend several days enjoying the attractions of the area.
“People on the trip do a performance, go to a workshop and see the tourist attractions wherever the music department goes,” violinist Stephen Mills, senior, said. “So this year that means spending a couple days at Disney parks.”
The music students are planning to visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure in addition to attending a music workshop during the five days spent in Florida, according to Wagner.
Due to the high cost of the trip for each student, the fundraiser was organized to help pay for the expenses. When paying for either ice skating or a meal at Chipotle, each customer would input the name of a music student he or she wanted the payment to go towards.
“The money goes to music students’ spring trip accounts so the out-of-pocket expenses are reduced,” Mills said. “Being able to pay less, have some of that money go to a friend’s spring trip payment and see a lot of friends at Reston Town Center, made it even more worth it.”
The orchestra department, which held a similar fundraiser at Reston Town Center last year, spread the event to the entire music department to help offset the cost of the trip for individual students.
“Reston Town Center is very supportive of the Marshall music department, so their willingness to do this fundraiser was a big part of that,” Mills said.
Aside from paying for the ice skating, volunteers also set up a bake sale near the rink to collect more money and help students afford the pricey plane ticket. Overall, the fundraiser was a success and the trip will occur as planned.
“I liked seeing so many other kids from the music department on the ice,” percussionist Alana Hassett, sophomore, said.