Many members of the Paly bands and orchestra are gearing up for the Heritage Festival, a music competition near Disneyland, after performing at the annual Pops Concert and Swing Dance on Friday.

While Friday’s concert featured all school musicians, only some of these students will embark on the Disneyland trip, according to band and orchestra director Jeff Willner.

Friday’s performance started off with the concert band, composed entirely of freshmen, performing The Pink Panther and music from The Sting.

The freshmen then moved off the big gym floor and up into the bleachers, while orchestra students came down from the stands onto the floor.

The orchestra started with a “Medley of Waltzes” from La Traviata, which features strings only. They then played Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Dance of the Tumblers” with assistance from several wind players.

Since orchestra and band meet during different periods, the wind and string players only rehearsed a few times together during lunch.

“We just practiced with them at lunch a couple of times,” senior clarinetist Pablo Morales said.

Morales noted the difference between playing with strings and playing with wind players and percussion.

“[It’s] a fuller sound because there is more variety of instruments,” Morales said.

The performance concluded with Rodgers’ “The Carousel Waltz” from Broadway and highlights from the Disney film Enchanted, performed by the Symphonic Band.

Following the concert, musicians and audience members sat down to dinner and later enjoyed swing dancing under the instruction of Claire Day with music by the Jazz Band.

After the Pops Concert, the musicians only have one week to prepare for their Saturday morning competition in the Heritage Festival, according to senior clarinetist Stephen Lim.

Willner noted that the preparation for the two events has been very different.

“This [the Pops Concert] doesn’t necessarily prepare us for Disneyland,” Willner said. “In L.A., we’re playing different music.”

According to band director David Brigham, one of the biggest challenges for the band has been getting all the musicians together since the students performing together at the competition come from two different bands, symphonic and concert.

“I think it’s a little tricky because the band performing there comes from two different bands,” Brigham said. “Concert and symphonic band don’t get to rehearse together on a regular basis.”

The students have been rehearsing together on Tuesdays at lunch in preparation for the trip.

The band will be performing Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and the “Second Suite” by Gustav Holst.

Besides the performance element, many of the students look forward to spending Saturday in the Disneyland theme park.

“Disneyland is like my second home,” Lim said. “It allows me to open up some of my friends to one of my favorite places.”

Brigham agrees that the amusement park will be a highlight of the trip.

“[It’s exciting] because that’s where Mickey lives and because that’s the happiest place on Earth,” Brigham said.

The music competition will take place on Saturday, March 20, at Fullerton College.

Many of the musicians are optimistic about how the Paly groups will perform.

“We’re going to come in first place in our championship,” Lim said.