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ENLARGE
Marty Follose conducts the Riddle High School band in a recent practice. Freshman Kailee Hanson plays the flute at left. The band won state this year and has more than a third of the student body is in the band.
RIDDLE — The song is called “Pressure.”
When Riddle High School band director Marty Follose first heard it, he knew he wanted his musicians to play it.
It begins with chimes, a flute solo, and then the percussion comes in.
The woodwinds take on the melody, and then the brass picks it up, with variations.
As the piece builds, the clarinets begin trilling. The flutes play with just their mouthpieces. A percussionist hits something that looks like an anvil with a hammer.
Every musician is doing his or her own thing, and the result is a noisy, dissonant mess.
Then they all take a breath. A triangle sounds, followed by a wood block, and the song resolves quietly, as it began.
COOL UNDER PRESSURE
“Pressure” was one element of Riddle’s performance that impressed the judges at the Oregon School Activities Association Band and Orchestra State Championships earlier this month.
Riddle took the state title, 21 points ahead of second-place Kennedy High School from Mount Angel.
Victory was sweet for Riddle after finishing second for three years in a row. Last year, first place eluded the band by just one point, and the year before by two points. They haven’t won the state championship since 2001.
“I’m just glad we took first,” said senior Rob Bixby, a saxophone player. “I’m a little bit tired of losing by one point, two points. It’s finally good to take first and win by a lot.”
Sophomore Hannah Pappas said the band works hard on rhythm, and senior Carli Schofield said this year’s freshmen were much better than she expected them to be.
However, sophomore Ashley Creager said, “I think mostly why we did so good is because we have the oldest person.”
She was referring to Follose.
That brought laughter from the whole room, including Follose. He’s been teaching at Riddle for 28 years. Most of the students have been in band with him since fifth grade, said sophomore Dory Bixby.
“So we’ve all been learning from him for a long time, so we pretty much know all his tricks and everything,” she said.
Follose has helped build Riddle’s music program, and he credits former elementary music teacher Carol Hall with giving the students an excellent foundation.
Follose said the students could have done better at state, and they judged themselves harshly.
“Even though we got on stage and we played and we did not play our best, we knew we could play better, it was still better than everybody else,” he said.
Riddle played a variety of music at the competition, the traditional “Highland Legend,” a march, and the song “Creed,” which was on the list of approved songs, as well as “Pressure.”
Follose could have chosen less challenging music, but he said he’ll never do that.
“We’re not going to play easier music just so that we can get a better grade,” he said. “We’re not going to lower ourself just so that we can look good.”
NO BAND OF GEEKS
One thing that makes the Riddle music program stand out from others is that Riddle doesn’t fight the “band geek” image.
“A lot of bands are all nerds,” sophomore Pappas said. “Here, band is cool.”
“We make fun of the people that aren’t in band,” freshman Stephanie Maurer added.
Of about 130 students in the high school, 42 are in band, providing a rich talent pool for Follose’s program each year.
“It’s the best program Riddle really has,” Rob Bixby said. “It’s the one that wins state, and we go to Hawaii and Disneyland.”
Every other year, the band takes a big trip. Students also do acting, music and dancing for elementary school students with “Just Us,” another of Follose’s creations.
“Our band has much more incentive to stay in band than a lot of other bands,” senior Schofield said.
Follose told the students the trips aren’t just motivation. They are a reward for working hard and meeting his standards.
He uses the trips for education, too. The students perform all the way to and from their destination. When they visit Disneyland and Universal Studios, he reminds them that music is everywhere because it sets a mood.
PLAYING AT THE HOUSE OF MOUSE
Playing on stage at Disneyland when he was a freshman was Nathan Egenhoff’s most memorable band experience.
Now a senior, Egenhoff is a drummer, and he is blind.
“Even not being able to see, knowing there’s thousands and thousands of people walking around that can hear you,” he said. “They might not be right in front of the stage, but it’s Disneyland, so you can hear it.”
Egenhoff, too, was excited to win state.
And for the first time, he participated in the sight-reading competition. Bands are given the music just a few minutes ahead. The director is allowed to give some advice, and then the students have to play.
Egenhoff has always sat out during that competition.
“Since this was my last year, I decided to try it and I did really good,” he said.
A Braillist was given the music ahead of time and prepared it for the competition. Neither Follose nor Egenhoff was allowed to see it before the contest. Egenhoff was given a part that can be played with one hand so he could read with the other. That meant playing wood block, tambourine, the cow bell and the triangle.
While sight reading was new, playing parts with Braille wasn’t.
“Every song we play, I memorize my part by the time we get to districts,” Egenhoff said. “But like concertwise, I probably memorize 90 percent of what I play. Most of the time I don’t even take the music.”
During concerts and practice, Follose wears a microphone on his shirt. It’s connected to an FM system Egenhoff hears through headphones.
“At the beginning when he’s conducting, at the very beginning, he just goes ‘One, two, one two, ready go.’ And then I play,” Egenhoff said.
If Egenhoff gets lost or needs a cue, Follose can count or tell him where he is.
Egenhoff wants to become a professional drummer.
“Follose’s taught me how to play,” he said. “He’s made it possible for me to accomplish my dreams.”
DISTRICT DOMINANCE
Follose didn’t always take his students to competition.
“I didn’t go to state, I didn’t go to even district for I don’t know how many years,” Follose said, “because I kept thinking you can’t compete in music. ... I’d be like saying, ‘Let’s get the baseball team out there and the South Umpqua football team out there, and you guys play against each other. It’s all sports. Just play.’
“It’s all music, yes,” he continued, “but if we don’t have the same instrumentation, if we don’t play the same music, how can you truly compete?
“I don’t believe that so strongly now because I’ve gotten to the point where I can differentiate between what’s good and what’s bad, so that you can play different music and still pick out a winner,” he said.
He changed his mind when another band won a district competition, and he knew without doubt that Riddle’s band was better.
“So the next year we went, and we have never lost district since,” he said. “I can’t even tell you what year that was because I don’t even have records of it back then, but probably close to 20 years, we have never lost district. So that’s kind of neat.”
When Riddle High School band director Marty Follose first heard it, he knew he wanted his musicians to play it.
It begins with chimes, a flute solo, and then the percussion comes in.
The woodwinds take on the melody, and then the brass picks it up, with variations.
As the piece builds, the clarinets begin trilling. The flutes play with just their mouthpieces. A percussionist hits something that looks like an anvil with a hammer.
Every musician is doing his or her own thing, and the result is a noisy, dissonant mess.
Then they all take a breath. A triangle sounds, followed by a wood block, and the song resolves quietly, as it began.
COOL UNDER PRESSURE
“Pressure” was one element of Riddle’s performance that impressed the judges at the Oregon School Activities Association Band and Orchestra State Championships earlier this month.
Riddle took the state title, 21 points ahead of second-place Kennedy High School from Mount Angel.
Victory was sweet for Riddle after finishing second for three years in a row. Last year, first place eluded the band by just one point, and the year before by two points. They haven’t won the state championship since 2001.
“I’m just glad we took first,” said senior Rob Bixby, a saxophone player. “I’m a little bit tired of losing by one point, two points. It’s finally good to take first and win by a lot.”
Sophomore Hannah Pappas said the band works hard on rhythm, and senior Carli Schofield said this year’s freshmen were much better than she expected them to be.
However, sophomore Ashley Creager said, “I think mostly why we did so good is because we have the oldest person.”
She was referring to Follose.
That brought laughter from the whole room, including Follose. He’s been teaching at Riddle for 28 years. Most of the students have been in band with him since fifth grade, said sophomore Dory Bixby.
“So we’ve all been learning from him for a long time, so we pretty much know all his tricks and everything,” she said.
Follose has helped build Riddle’s music program, and he credits former elementary music teacher Carol Hall with giving the students an excellent foundation.
Follose said the students could have done better at state, and they judged themselves harshly.
“Even though we got on stage and we played and we did not play our best, we knew we could play better, it was still better than everybody else,” he said.
Riddle played a variety of music at the competition, the traditional “Highland Legend,” a march, and the song “Creed,” which was on the list of approved songs, as well as “Pressure.”
Follose could have chosen less challenging music, but he said he’ll never do that.
“We’re not going to play easier music just so that we can get a better grade,” he said. “We’re not going to lower ourself just so that we can look good.”
NO BAND OF GEEKS
One thing that makes the Riddle music program stand out from others is that Riddle doesn’t fight the “band geek” image.
“A lot of bands are all nerds,” sophomore Pappas said. “Here, band is cool.”
“We make fun of the people that aren’t in band,” freshman Stephanie Maurer added.
Of about 130 students in the high school, 42 are in band, providing a rich talent pool for Follose’s program each year.
“It’s the best program Riddle really has,” Rob Bixby said. “It’s the one that wins state, and we go to Hawaii and Disneyland.”
Every other year, the band takes a big trip. Students also do acting, music and dancing for elementary school students with “Just Us,” another of Follose’s creations.
“Our band has much more incentive to stay in band than a lot of other bands,” senior Schofield said.
Follose told the students the trips aren’t just motivation. They are a reward for working hard and meeting his standards.
He uses the trips for education, too. The students perform all the way to and from their destination. When they visit Disneyland and Universal Studios, he reminds them that music is everywhere because it sets a mood.
PLAYING AT THE HOUSE OF MOUSE
Playing on stage at Disneyland when he was a freshman was Nathan Egenhoff’s most memorable band experience.
Now a senior, Egenhoff is a drummer, and he is blind.
“Even not being able to see, knowing there’s thousands and thousands of people walking around that can hear you,” he said. “They might not be right in front of the stage, but it’s Disneyland, so you can hear it.”
Egenhoff, too, was excited to win state.
And for the first time, he participated in the sight-reading competition. Bands are given the music just a few minutes ahead. The director is allowed to give some advice, and then the students have to play.
Egenhoff has always sat out during that competition.
“Since this was my last year, I decided to try it and I did really good,” he said.
A Braillist was given the music ahead of time and prepared it for the competition. Neither Follose nor Egenhoff was allowed to see it before the contest. Egenhoff was given a part that can be played with one hand so he could read with the other. That meant playing wood block, tambourine, the cow bell and the triangle.
While sight reading was new, playing parts with Braille wasn’t.
“Every song we play, I memorize my part by the time we get to districts,” Egenhoff said. “But like concertwise, I probably memorize 90 percent of what I play. Most of the time I don’t even take the music.”
During concerts and practice, Follose wears a microphone on his shirt. It’s connected to an FM system Egenhoff hears through headphones.
“At the beginning when he’s conducting, at the very beginning, he just goes ‘One, two, one two, ready go.’ And then I play,” Egenhoff said.
If Egenhoff gets lost or needs a cue, Follose can count or tell him where he is.
Egenhoff wants to become a professional drummer.
“Follose’s taught me how to play,” he said. “He’s made it possible for me to accomplish my dreams.”
DISTRICT DOMINANCE
Follose didn’t always take his students to competition.
“I didn’t go to state, I didn’t go to even district for I don’t know how many years,” Follose said, “because I kept thinking you can’t compete in music. ... I’d be like saying, ‘Let’s get the baseball team out there and the South Umpqua football team out there, and you guys play against each other. It’s all sports. Just play.’
“It’s all music, yes,” he continued, “but if we don’t have the same instrumentation, if we don’t play the same music, how can you truly compete?
“I don’t believe that so strongly now because I’ve gotten to the point where I can differentiate between what’s good and what’s bad, so that you can play different music and still pick out a winner,” he said.
He changed his mind when another band won a district competition, and he knew without doubt that Riddle’s band was better.
“So the next year we went, and we have never lost district since,” he said. “I can’t even tell you what year that was because I don’t even have records of it back then, but probably close to 20 years, we have never lost district. So that’s kind of neat.”
