Combined band brings dinosaur rhythms to stage
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RONAN — One usually doesn’t encounter hypothetical dinosaur sounds in music.
But on Nov. 16 at the first combined high school band concert in the area, consisting of bands from St. Ignatius, Arlee, Ronan, Charlo and Thompson Falls, audience members heard just that during the performance of an unusual piece called “Dinosaurs.”
Written by Montana composer David Bukvich, the piece incorporates the dissembling of clarinets to produce pterodactyl sounds, glasses filled with water, maraca base drums — base drums filled with beads, and a PVC pipe played as a “stomping tube” used to sound like a Brontosaurus thumping through prehistoric times.
“They had a ball putting that one together,” Ronan High School Band instructor Alicia Lipscomb explained, noting that it was a favorite of the combined band.
The Ronan band is used to playing songs written by the quirky composer, though. Last year they performed the song “Voodoo,” which included flashlights and chanting.
This year, the five bands practiced together for the first time Tuesday morning, working throughout the day on “Dinosaurs” and three other compositions with guest director John Combs.
Combs is the fine arts superintendent for Missoula County Schools, and was invited by Lipscomb especially for the event.
“Things like this happen across the state,” Combs said, noting that he was glad to conduct the young band in such wonderful facilities.
And with the firm fundamentals set in place by their high schools’ music program and the guidance from a new instructor, the day-long event proved a great learning opportunity for the adolescent musicians.
“It’s a much larger ensemble so they get the idea what it’s like to be in a big band,” Combs said.
Combs praised the young musicians for their cooperation and thoughtfulness.
Audience members left the Ronan Performing Arts Center with the sound of swing ringing in their ears, after the mass band played a final jazzy hit from the 1930s.
“(The students) had a pretty good time,” Lipscomb said. “They were absolutely exhausted. It was a pretty draining day.”
Though Lipscomb and the Ronan High School Band rapidly switched gears as they started practicing Christmas music the very next day, Lipscomb said she is excited about organizing another combined band event next year.
“My goal is to keep it running as long as we can,” she said. “And every year bring in a different director. There are a lot of great directors in the area.”
