Trip of a lifetime for Fatima choir AMANDA KERRIVAN The Charter

The Fatima choir will be traveling to Walt Disney World’s “Disney Magic Music Days” in April to perform in front of an international audience. Members of the choir include Maggie Careen, Angie Coffey, Brenda Daley, Danielle Nash, Mitchell Corcoran, Zack Nash, Stephen Nash, Brandon Young, Marcus Careen, Mark Manning, Matthew Corcoran, Amanda Kerrivan, Caitlin Lundrigan, Chelsie Porter, Hilary Young, Samantha McGrath, Allyson Roche, Eddy Lundrigan, Luke McGrath, Jesse English, Tommy Roche, Bradley Power, Brittany Gardiner, Jenna Corcoran, Gabrielle Coffey, Nicole Lundrigan, Heather Careen, Rebecca Coffey, Vicky Foley, Breanna Careen, Robyn Lundrigan, Tyler Linehan, Jamie Mooney, Darrell Linehan, Mark Coffey, Haleigh McGrath, Sydney Fitzgerald, Chelsey Nash, Angela Nash, Kaitlin Nash, Nicky Power, Jake Greene, Kyle Nash, Kyle Morrissey, Robert Linehan, Kyle Careen, Brent Power, and Hope Chisslett as well as Mr. Colbourne.

In childhood, one is subjected to numerous fantasies: becoming a prince or a princess, visiting a faraway land, or perhaps meeting a famous rock star.

One childhood fantasy is becoming a reality for Fatima Academy students who will be traveling to Florida next April.

Walt Disney World 's "Disney Magic Music Days" enables successful student choirs from around the world the opportunity of a lifetime. Fatima's 49 school choir members will participate in one of those music days on April 3, 2010 in Orlando, Florida by taking to the stage to perform in front of an international audience of thousands.

The man responsible for the endeavour is Fatima's music teacher, Robert Colbourne. Mr. Colbourne initially had the idea several years ago, when he first heard of Disney's "Magic Music Days."

He believed the choir becoming part of such an event was possible and after seeing the never-faltering commitment, talent and dedication of the students, teachers, and the Fatima community, he became more convinced of the viability of such a plan.

Mr. Colbourne submitted the choir's audition tape in September and on the Oct. 24, was thrilled to receive the invitation from Walt Disney World to join the Disney stage.

"Initially, there was concern about the financial commitment and the commitment in general from the students and the parents," said Mr. Colbourne. "But I quickly realized that just about anything is possible with the talent and the determination here."

Students are quite excited about the trip and are working hard to make it a reality.

"It was the first day of school when Mr. Colbourne and Ms. King told us about the possibility of being a part of Music Days. As soon as they got a few words out, we were all excited and thrilled at the idea. It was not only a trip to Florida and the opportunity to show everyone our talent. We may be small in numbers but we're big on talent," said Level II choir member Vicky Foley. "It was never, 'How are we going to be able to do this?' It was always, 'so, this is what we have to do. And I think that sums up Fatima as a whole."

Parent Leona Kerrivan has a good understanding of the enormity of making this trip a reality but thinks that the experience is well worth it.

"I can honestly say that there's not a parent out there that isn't working on making this trip happen. Or there's not a student or a teacher at Fatima who isn't working tirelessly. I think we all understand how important this trip is to our kids. All the hard work will pay off when we welcome them back on April 8th, and hear them go on and on about this experience of a lifetime," she said.

Grade 8 student and choir member Caitlin Lundrigan said she remembers the exact moment she heard they could go.

"We were obviously relieved, excited beyond anything, and just anxious for April to come," said Ms. Lundrigan. "I've never been outside of Canada before, like a lot of the other choir members. So, to visit Florida with all of your friends and to perform on a stage like Disney, it's something we're not going to forget anytime soon."

She also said while the trip will mean hard work from the students, it also includes hard work from their music teacher.

"It really shows Mr. Colbourne's commitment to us. Anything he does, he puts 100 per cent into it. He never stops, and he's the reason why we, the students work. Without him, this would not even be a possibility," she said.

For his part, Mr. Colbourne is pleased to be participating in this event, which will be a great boost for his students.

"I think music is a medium that makes people become confident individuals," he said. "While students may forget information taught in a classroom, with music, the confidence gained will never be forgotten nor will the memories made."

The choir will perform strictly traditional Newfoundland music in Disney. "In recent years, there has been a great deal of enthusiasm for music and the arts, particularly the Newfoundland style," explained Mr. Colbourne. "We want to keep the tradition and our culture alive. This is where we come from, this is who we are and now we can showcase it to the world."

The Fatima choir will be traveling to Walt Disney World's "Disney Magic Music Days" in April to perform in front of an international audience. Members of the choir include Maggie Careen, Angie Coffey, Brenda Daley, Danielle Nash, Mitchell Corcoran, Zack Nash, Stephen Nash, Brandon Young, Marcus Careen, Mark Manning, Matthew Corcoran, Amanda Kerrivan, Caitlin Lundrigan, Chelsie Porter, Hilary Young, Samantha McGrath, Allyson Roche, Eddy Lundrigan, Luke McGrath, Jesse English, Tommy Roche, Bradley Power, Brittany Gardiner, Jenna Corcoran, Gabrielle Coffey, Nicole Lundrigan, Heather Careen, Rebecca Coffey, Vicky Foley, Breanna Careen, Robyn Lundrigan, Tyler Linehan, Jamie Mooney, Darrell Linehan, Mark Coffey, Haleigh McGrath, Sydney Fitzgerald, Chelsey Nash, Angela Nash, Kaitlin Nash, Nicky Power, Jake Greene, Kyle Nash, Kyle Morrissey, Robert Linehan, Kyle Careen, Brent Power, and Hope Chisslett as well as Mr. Colbourne.