Disney Imagination Campus

NEW Disney Music in Storytelling Workshop Coming to Epcot!

Students in the Epcot Morocco Pavilion with a blue clipboard

January 08, 2025

A Cultural and Immersive Experience for Performing Arts Students

Picture yourself walking through Epcot© towards Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind® attraction. You snap a photo of yourself in front of the Nova Corps Star Blaster ship before scanning your Magic Band®+ and stepping into a planetarium-like atrium known as the “Galaxarium.” As you enter the queue, you’re greeted by a subtle, galactic melody that instantly transports you out of this world. You and your friend speculate which of Starlord’s mixtape songs you’ll hear when it’s your turn to ride the thrilling coaster. Suspense builds as the attraction’s plot unfolds. The tempo and intensity of the music rise as you hurry your way into the next room, where the mission awaits you. A brass fanfare overwhelms you as you step into the ride vehicle. This is it—your moment to be a hero.

Now, you’re in the World Showcase at the Mexico Pavilion, stepping into an entirely different world. It’s dinnertime, and you have reservations at San Angel Inn Restaurante. You walk into the Mexico Pavilion and are greeted by the sound of a mariachi band. You weave through the stalls of a busy street market packed with chattering shoppers. As you approach the hostess stand, a child standing in line starts humming “Remember Me” from the ©Disney•Pixar movie Coco.

In just one day, you journeyed across worlds—from an intense mission to save the universe to Mexico's warm, festive marketplace in the World Showcase. Without you fully realizing it, Disney parks used the magic of musical storytelling to immerse you in the unique atmosphere of each place.

At Disney parks, music and sound are more than just background elements. Instead, these orchestrations act as a portal, transporting guests from attractions to experiences within our multiverse of stories. We continue to nurture authenticity through music and sound, allowing guests to experience new cultures fully and travel to new lands without ever leaving the theme parks.

In the NEW Disney Music in Storytelling workshop, Disney Imagination Campus invites students to embark on a musical journey through Epcot© as they explore how composers, Disney Imagineers, and producers use music to captivate audiences with immersive stories within our theme parks and on the big screen.

This is not a music theory class. It’s an intermediate-level musical storytelling workshop that transcends borders, connecting students to a global community where music becomes the universal language for expressing emotion, fostering understanding, and celebrating diversity.

As students travel the World Showcase, they’ll explore how music reflects cultural traditions, learning the rich heritage of the countries they visit as they identify the instruments and musical motifs working together to craft the historical narrative.

Students will also step into the world of cinematic storytelling, learning how composers and music producers use music to enhance the visual narrative of a film. They will learn how a movie’s soundtrack sets the tone for each scene, reflecting on the emotions of the characters and the unfolding movement of the plot.

The workshop, held at Walt Disney World© Resort in Florida, is facilitated by Disney Cast Members skilled in the art of musical storytelling. Designed for performing arts students, including instrumentalists and vocalists, the workshop offers an engaging and inclusive experience that nurtures creativity and critical thinking.