>Tune into one of my favorites

>Some of my favorite things in Walt Disney World are the sounds. I love hearing the bell on the trolley on Main Street USA, I love hearing the explosions from Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! When I am walking in Disney Hollywood Studios and I love hearing the screams from Test Track. But my all time favorite sound in Walt Disney World is the background music. For people that have not been to Disney

before, there is music played in all of the guest areas throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. This musical background is an Unknown Magic because it is like the color scheme of the Resorts or the landscaping of the parks; the Disney Imagineers use music in Walt Disney World to enhance the feel of where you are without being intrusive. Even though the music fills the air and it is around you, many people miss it. They hear it as white noise, not as part of the Experience. But I see the music as helping with the theme of whatever area you are in. It helps you to become more involved in the experience, more engulfed in the magic.

For example, in Adventureland there are tribal drums that play, making you feel as if you are entering a jungle. While in Frontierland you can hear the Wabash Cannonball as you are walking past the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café. In Disney Hollywood Studios as you walk up Hollywood Boulevard it isn’t

 uncommon to hear Hooray for Hollywood being played from the speakers. In Epcot the music is what you would find in each of the countries represented in the eleven different pavilions. From the Chinese music,

featuring zither and lute type instruments to the Mariachi Music that fills the air around the Mexico Pavilion, the music adds to the atmosphere and helps you to believe you are really in that country.

There are other places where the music is not only part of the attraction, but also very much a part of the experience, where the music is as memorable as the ride. The most well known of these attractions is It’s a Small World. The song for the ride written by the Sherman Brothers, composers for many of the Disney movies, is a song that stays with you for many hours after riding through the attraction. A place that is more of an Unknown Magic in Walt Disney World where this happens is at Winter Summer Land, the miniature golf course near Blizzard Beach, the music played here is very important to the feel of the two courses. Depending on which course you play, the winter or the summer side, you will either sing along with the Beach Boys or with Classic Christmas carols. This is a fun way in which the music adds to the experience.

I enjoy listening to the music in Walt Disney World so much that even when I am home, I try to enjoy some of the magic that I get from it. I have the Official Disney Theme Park CDs and I have some recordings of the music played on the Resort TV channels that I listen to from time to time, but the one way that I get my

Disney Music fix that I can share with everyone, is by listening to Reedy Creek Radio. They not only play the music from different attractions and from parades and firework shows, but also from the resorts. It is a good way to enjoy the music from Disney World even when you aren’t there.

So, if you are in Disney World or are going to Disney soon, take the time to enjoy one of my Favorite Disney things, the Music that surrounds you when you are there. And if you aren’t there but miss the music as I do, try Reedy Creek Radio for your Disney Fix.

>Stop and Listen

>Music has always played a big part in Disney Films and television shows. From Some Day my Prince Will Come to Miley Cyrus, the Disney Studios have always used music as one of the elements to add Magical Experiences to their productions. The Walt Disney World Resort is no different. Music fills the air, it is around you at all times and without it, Disney World would not be Disney World. But many people miss it. They hear it as white noise, not as part of the Experience. So, I offer for you today, the Unknown Magic of the Music of Walt Disney World.

In the Theme Parks, music is a key element to the experience. Each attraction has its own music. Some of them are so Famous that the mere mention of them will put the tune in your head for the rest of the day. Others are not as famous, but if you ride the

attraction more than once during your trip, you will be able to sing along with some of the song as you are enjoying a Magical Experience on the ride. Not only do the attractions have a soundtrack, but so does every other area in Walt Disney World. For example, each of the seven lands in the Magic Kingdom has its own special area music loop; from the entrance medley of Main Street USA, to the Fife and Drum music in Liberty Square. In every case, the music adds to the atmosphere of the area.

It is the same in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where the music adds to the feel of being on a Hollywood movie set in the 1930’s or 40’s. The music on Hollywood Boulevard is different than that of the music and sounds on the Streets of America.

The music on Hollywood Boulevard is noticeable, as is the music on The Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. The background sounds in the other areas of the Hollywood Studios, for example the music that plays in Pixar Place, are more subtle.

The music in Epcot is also subtle, but it adds to the atmosphere in different ways. In Future World each attraction has its own music, but the areas surrounding these attractions has themed music also. Some of the music in the areas of Epcot enhances
 each area so much, that it gives you the feeling that you have actually left Florida and have entered another place. This is especially true in the World Showcase, where the sounds and music make you feel as if you are actually in a different country.
 Even in the Animal Kingdom, they have music playing that is very often overlooked, because it is so subtle that you don’t notice it.

Each Resort Hotel (as mentioned in my post from the other day) has its own theme and the music played there goes along with the theme. The music through-out the Resorts is very subtle, but without it, the Resorts would not be the same. The music adds to the feeling

of comfort and relaxation. Some of the Pool bars play different music to go along with the theme of the Resort also.

There is music in other places that is not so subtle. For example at Winter Summer Land, the miniature golf course near Blizzard Beach, the music played is very important to the feel of the two courses. Depending on which course you play, you will either sing along with the Beach Boys or with Classic Christmas carols.

With all this music around you in Walt Disney World, the question is posed, “How is it an Unknown Magic?” Well, it’s because the music at Disney World is like the color scheme of the Resorts or the landscaping of the parks. The Disney Imagineers use Music in Walt Disney World to enhance the feel of where you are without being intrusive. (Except in certain cases where the song is so strong, you can’t help singing it and having it in your head throughout the day).

So, now you know, the best part of this Unknown Magic is that you can enjoy it as a Magical Experience at any moment of your vacation. All you have to do is stop and listen.