On Dec. 17, members of the Hopkins Lean Mean Performance Machine (LMPM), the HHS pep band, left Minnesota for the “Happiest Place on Earth”: Disney World.

Led by the music ensemble’s director, Dan Gaisford, and the ensemble’s drum majors, Emma Konrad, senior, and Alea Donat, junior, LMPM worked with a musical clinician to play Disney music, marched in a parade, and visited all four Disney Parks in Orlando, Fla.

The trip is a long-standing tradition for LMPM, which travels to Orlando every two years. Konrad expressed excitement about the opportunity this trip presented for her.

“This will be my first time on the trip, but I’m crazy excited for it,” Konrad said. “I’m nervous, but I think I’m ready.”

The ensemble normally meets for rehearsals on Thursdays from 7 pm to 9 pm, with extra rehearsals for the drumline on Tuesdays. Throughout the school year, the ensemble performs at pep fests and sporting events, making over 20 appearances.

“LMPM is the most visible music ensemble at [HHS],” Gaisford said. “LMPM adds a level of excitement to every event they attend. We get compliments from the athletes and at the games we play at telling us how much energy LMPM creates.”

Gaisford became the director for LMPM earlier this year, and he is enthusiastic about the ensemble and the lasting ties it has formed.

“The students really want to be there. They take the extra time out of their life to be at rehearsals and games,” Gaisford said. “A level of community is created within LMPM. The students are around each other so often, it is hard not to bond and grow as a group.”