Music Department

Lower Merion High School

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Every three years, the music department takes a trip to perform and attend clinics.  We are currently in the process of planning a trip for the 2024-2025 school year.  As we learn more, we will provide you with more information regarding the time frame, itinerary, and costs associated.
Disney Trip 2024-2025
  • 2/13/2025 - All medications due to the nurse's office.
  • 2/4/2025 - Informational Meeting for all students and parents/guardians at 7:00pm in the LMHS Auditorium
  • 1/15/2025 - Disney Tips Meeting with Mrs. Minecci (students only, Lunch 1)
  • 1/7/2025 - Pre-trip rehearsals begin.
  • 12/2/2024 - Final Payment due.
  • Medications Due - Medications for the trip are due by Feb. 13. Please make arrangements with the nurse's office to drop those off.
  • Pre-Trip Rehearsals - Ensemble rehearsals focused on music for our performances on this trip will begin in January and will take place during Lunch & Learn. Your teacher will give you more information on the exact schedule when that time approaches.
  • Student Orientation Meetings - These meetings will happen during students' ensemble class on Feb. 21 or Feb. 24 and will reinforce and add to information presented at earlier meetings to prepare students for the trip.
  • Required Forms - If you need to update forms at any time (common with changes in medication), those updated forms can be turned in at any time.
  • Remind - The Remind list for this trip (mandatory for students, encouraged for parents/guardians) is now operational. All students on the trip have been enrolled. Parents/guardians are welcome to join as well using the instructions on this site.

Recent Updates

What's Next?

REQUIRED FORMS
downloads and information

Parent/Student Feb. 4
Meeting Notes

Remind.com

​All students are automatically signed up for this trip's Remind.com group. (Parents are also encouraged, but not required, to sign up.)
  • ​If you have a smartphone, and would prefer to get push notifications.
    On your iPhone or Android phone, open your web. browser and go to the following link: rmd.at/lmdisney25
    Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You'll be prompted to download the mobile app.
  • If you don't have a smartphone or would prefer to get text notifications.
    Text the message @lmdisney25 to the number 81010.
    If you're having trouble with 81010, try texting @lmdisney25 to 484-416-5802.

DOCUMENTATION
AND RESOURCES

The Big Picture

Each ensemble will be scheduled to perform for the public on a Disney stage. In recent years, LMHS ensembles have performed at an outdoor, lakefront pavilion at Disney Springs, an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex that is open to the public (no park admission necessary).

In addition, LMHS ensembles will take part in a workshop program that allows students to work with professional Disney musicians to create a soundtrack for an animated sequence. This program is frequently cited by students as their favorite part of the entire trip.

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All LMHS students in grades 9-12 who are enrolled in Concert Choir, Concert Band, or Symphony Orchestra are invited to participate in this trip. Students in 9th grade ARE eligible for this trip.

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There is probably no more monolithic name in the entertainment business than Disney. Ever since its founding Disney has been a company that takes pride in going the extra mile to ensure not just high quality, but a truly magical experience for its customers. This attention to detail and dedication to an ideal are qualities that we hope to encourage in our students. What better way than to take them to Disney World for an experience that transcends the boundary between experiencing the magic from both sides as both a consumer and a performer?
Beginning in 2003, the Lower Merion High School (LMHS) Music Department has taken a trip to Disney World every three years. Over the years hundreds of students have taken part in performances at Disney World while on the trip in addition to traveling with and building relationships with their peers and adults in the LMHS community. Every time we go on this trip we build on our experiences from previous trips and look to find new ways to make it even more meaningful for the students, and this year is no exception.

Who is eligible for this trip?

Why Disney World?

What musical experiences will students get on this trip?

Trip Details

We are very pleased to once again be working Bruce Bevan and Amanda Sutliff at World Class Vacations. They specialize in student travel, and are especially familiar with travel to Disney World.
The trip will last for five days and four nights. We will depart from LMHS early on the morning of Thursday, February 27, 2025 and return late in the evening on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Students will miss three days on school while on this trip. They are responsible for making arrangements with their teachers to make up all work missed.
We will leave from LMHS and travel by school bus to Philadelphia International Airport. From there we will fly to Orlando. Once in Orlando, we will use a combination of charter buses and Disney transportation. After flying back to Philadelphia on the last day, school buses will return everybody to LMHS.

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When is the trip?

How will you travel?

Who handles the travel arrangements?

We will spend one day each at the following theme parks (as far as the schedule allows):
  • Magic Kingdom (Disney)
  • EPCOT (Disney)
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Disney)
  • Animal Kingdom (Disney)
  • Universal Studios Florida AND Universal’s Islands of Adventure Includes the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley AND Hogsmeade
We have found the best place to stay for this trip is one of Disney’s All-Star resorts. We will be staying at All-Star Movies. Students are housed at quadruple occupancy (four people to a room).

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Two meals per day are bundled with the trip package. These primarily take the form of prepaid debit cards:
  • Day 1 - $20 Universal Meal Card for dinner
  • Days 2-4  - $30 Disney debit card (breakfast and dinner)
  • Day 5 - $20 Disney debit card (breakfast and lunch)
Students are on their own for lunch each day.
Disney is very good at accommodating all manner of food allergies. If your child has a food allergy they need only to alert the Disney staff.
For a comprehensive list of establishments that cater to people with dietary restrictions (allergies, Kosher, etc.), please click here.

Where will you stay?

How are meals handled?

What theme parks will you visit?

What adults will be there to supervise students?

We travel with a full complement of adults to keep students safe and happy throughout the trip. Among those traveling with us are:
  • LMHS Teachers - Mr. Datsko, Mr. Hunnex, Mrs. Villante, and Mr. Cooperstein (LMHS Music Faculty) will all be going on this trip, along with additional LMSD faculty and staff: Mrs. Minecci, Mrs. Christman, Ms. Cox, and Miss Stephens.
  • LMHS Administration - Dr. Fadeyibi (asst. principal) will be traveling with us.
  • LMSD Nurses - We will have two LMSD Nurses, Ms. Harrell and Mr. Perkis, traveling with us to care for any students who require medication or become ill while on the trip.
  • LMHS Instructional Aides - Instructional Aides will travel with us as needed to support students who require extra assistance as dictated in their IEPs.

Students are all grouped and assigned a chaperone who acts as their surrogate parent throughout the trip. Their assigned chaperone will be their main source of information while we're on the trip and an adult they can turn to if they have questions or need help.

A private security company has been contracted to provide two security guards each night to monitor student rooms overnight and ensure everybody’s safety.

Trip Insurance
Trip insurance is not included as part of the normal trip package. It is available for purchase separately from a third party (Travel Insured International) and is encouraged by our travel agency. NOTE: Trip insurance purchases do not go through the school. Use the link below to purchase trip insurance. Trip Insurance costs $83 and covers:
  • Trip cancellation
  • Trip Interruption
  • Travel Delay - 6 hours
  • Missed Connection - 3 hours
  • Baggage/Personal Effects
  • Baggage Delay - 24 hours
  • Accident & Sickness Medical Expense
  • Emergency Medical Evacuation, Medical Repatriation & Return of Remains
  • Cancel for Any Reason - quote covers up to 75% of trip cost. (This is an additional cost.)

Trip insurance is recommended by our travel agency. We especially encourage families of seniors to purchase trip insurance.*

For more information or to purchase trip insurance, click here.

Trip insurance cannot be purchased before the first deposit is paid. It also cannot be purchased after the last payment is made.

*If the trip is cancelled due to weather every attempt will be made to reschedule it during the 2024-2025 school year, but if that is not possible it may be rescheduled for the following year, leaving any graduating seniors out. Trip insurance would cover this.

At this time, the cost is not fixed, but our current estimate is that it should not exceed $1,900 per student for the trip package. We typically break down the total into three payments:
  • Initial Deposit - $700 (due Sept. 20, 2024) This payment reserves your place on the trip.
  • Second Deposit - $700 (due Nov. 1, 2024)
  • Final Payment - $500 or remaining balance (due Dec. 2, 2024)

All payments should be made by check or money order to “Lower Merion High School” and include "Disney - [student name]" in the memo field. Payments can also be made through MySchoolBucks.

The LMSD legal department has asked us to remind you that according to our contract with World Class Vacations the cost of the trip is subject to change in accordance with sharp swings in the price of jet fuel. While this is possible, we have never experienced a change in price from World Class Vacations once our contract with them has been signed. (NB It has already been signed.)
How much does it cost?
Will there be fundraising opportunities to help defray the cost of this trip?
We offer several fundraising opportunities for students to raise money for their trip. Each fundraiser allows students to raise money in a different way and students can choose which fundraisers they’d like to participate in.

Fundraisers that are currently on our calendar:
  • Cookie Dough Sale (1) - Fall, 2023 ($2116 raised!)
  • Chipotle Fundraiser (1) - Winter, 2024 ($186.37 raised!)
  • Mattress Sale - May 11, 2024 ($6000 raised!)
  • Cookie Dough Sale (2) - Fall, 2024 ($2608 raised!)
  • Chipotle Fundraiser (2) - Sept. 18, 2024 ($503 raised!)

What is the cancellation policy?
If you have already made the initial deposit and find that you need to withdraw from the trip, please contact your student’s music teacher. Often we are able to avoid cancellation fees by replacing one student with another for the trip. If that is a possibility, we will work to make it happen, potentially allowing for a full refund of your deposit.

If there is no student to take the place of somebody who is withdrawing from the trip, the following penalties may apply to any refunded deposits:
  • Any cancellations after the first deposit date are subject to a $95 per person penalty.
  • Any cancellations after the second deposit date will be charged a $450 per person penalty.
  • Any cancellations after Room List Date (Nov. 22, 2024) are subject to 100% penalty on total price package.

Students who are under the age of 18 when we travel are not required to present a government-issued ID to pass to through security at the airport.

All adults and students who are 18 or older must present a valid government-issued ID at the airport.

For safety reasons, we require all students under 18 to travel with some form of ID as well, but it does not need to meet government-issued ID requirements. School ID is acceptable.





When we travel, all students (and adults) who are 18 or older must have a REAL-ID compliant ID. Pennsylvania driver's licenses are not automatically REAL-ID compliant, but they are available upon request. US passports are REAL-ID compliant.



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PennDOT Information Re: REAL ID

Enforcement of the REAL ID Act has been delayed until May 7, 2025.

Beginning October 1, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will require a REAL ID-compliant driver's license/photo ID card, marked with a GOLD STAR, or another form of federally-acceptable identification (such as a valid U.S. Passport or Military ID) to board a domestic commercial flight or enter a federal building or military installation that requires ID to be presented upon entry.


​ID Requirements and the REAL ID ACT​​