Gloucester Alumni

By Dan Dourian
Correspondent

The Docksiders, Gloucester High School's student jazz band, will be performing at Walt
Disney World in Florida next week, during April vacation.

The 27 students that make up the advanced school band, ranging from freshmen to seniors,
will leave for Orlando, Fla., on Saturday and return Friday, April 25.

The Docksiders, who perform regularly at the high school and at community events, have
been in existence for eight years and, according to band director David Adams, helped
many students excel in music and in life.

"This is a chance of a lifetime," Adams said of the trip. "Not a lot of bands get this
opportunity."

While at Disney World, they will perform Monday evening at the Dock Stage in Downtown
Disney, a shopping and entertainment area that is not part of the theme parks. On
Tuesday, they will perform at 1 p.m. at Galaxy Palace Theater, located in Tomorrowland in
the Magic Kingdom.

"We will be performing during what (Disney) refers to as the heaviest traffic times,"
said Adams.

Each set will consist of nine songs and will include "Georgia on my Mind" by Ray Charles,
"Zoot Suit Riot" by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews
Sisters, and "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers.

"We do a little bit of everything," Adams said.

The Docksiders will also participate in a workshop called "You're Instrumental" that will
allow band members to play actual scores from Disney movies that will be synched with the
movies. The score selection will be based on the band's skill level, according to Adams.

"It's an amazing program that helps them understand how music is incorporated into
movies," Adams said.

The band was selected after sending in an audition tape, which was judged for skill, song
selection and presentation.

"They're looking for top quality bands because we will be performing in front of
thousands of people," Adams said.

The trip will cost about $50,000, according to Adams. He noted the band raised that money
over the past two years during performances. The Docksiders also received financial
support from the Gloucester Education Foundation.

"This trip would not have been possible without the support of school administration and
the support of the community," Adams said.

This will the program's third trip to a Disney resort in the past five years. In 2004,
the Docksiders went to Walt Disney World in Orlando, and in 2006 they went to Disneyland
in California.

"The kids who have gone the past two times still talk about it," he said. "It's a special
experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives."

Band member Lindsay Marino, 17, of Essex Street, said she is thrilled to be a part of the
trip.

"I'm looking forward to this trip and getting to know the freshman band members," she
said.

Marino, who plays the trumpet, has been a member of the Docksiders since her freshman
year. She went to Disneyland with the band two years ago.

"It was nice to play in front of a crowd of strangers," Marino said.

Adams said that he plans to have the band travel every two years.

"It's good for the program and it gives the students a chance to see other parts of the
world," Adams said. According to Adams, traveling every two years will give them the
opportunity to raise the money and properly plan the trip.