Musicians get ready to march on capital.

Byline: LARRY BACON The Register-Guard

FLORENCE - This is a story about a group of young musicians who are on their way from the lowest of lows a year ago to a high they never dreamed of, coming up in late May.

The Siuslaw High School band program - once one of the premier high school programs in the state - virtually fell apart after its director of 23 years, Steve Conlee, suddenly left his job in April 2000 amid allegations of misconduct with female students.

Conlee subsequently resigned, and the state suspended his teaching license for six months.

Because it took the school district a long time to find a permanent replacement, the band program had to limp along with substitute teachers - none of whom were certified band teachers - for the remainder of 2000 and through 2001.

Band director Bill Bartman, previously band director at Reedsport High School, took over the program last September.

After little more than two months on the job, Bartman dropped a bombshell one day in class. He told the students that the school's symphonic band and jazz band had been invited to Washington, D.C., to play during a prestigious Memorial Day weekend music festival.

The bands will be the only ones representing Oregon in the National Festival of the States, which this year has a "Support America 2002' theme. Only the top high school, college, and community bands and choirs are invited to the event, which is sponsored by the National Park Service, U.S. Navy Memorial and the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.

For the band students, the invitation came like a bolt out of the blue. "They were just blown away," Bartman said.

To have such an opportunity to look forward to after their program had taken such a hit changed the students' outlook, he said.

He credited Conlee for laying the groundwork for the trip the year before he left, which included sending a recording of the symphonic and jazz bands' music to the coordinator of the festival, along with information about the bands' past achievements.

The bands were scheduled to participate in the inaugural festival in 2000, but Conlee's departure made that impossible, Bartman said.

Music Celebrations International, which coordinates the festival, held a spot open for Siuslaw in 2001, and again this year, but made it clear this was the last year the invitation would be extended.

Before telling the students, Bartman discussed the invitation with the school board and with parents of the band members. He got green lights from both groups.

There also was another concern. Bartman knew the quality of the bands' music had deteriorated since Conlee's departure. He and the students had worked hard to regain lost ground, but he wanted festival officials to know what they were getting, so he recently sent them a recording of music by this year's bands.

Not only did the festival people tell them to come, they also gave the symphonic band a chance to attend and perhaps play at the annual ceremony for the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Bartman said whether the band performs at the ceremony will depend on how much time is available.

He said he's impressed with what his students have accomplished this year. "Musically, they have come from an acceptable kind of middle school sound to a competitive high school band," he said.

His Reedsport High School Band won district honors last year and went on to perform in state competition. This year's Siuslaw band is already playing better than last year's Reedsport band, he said.

But the challenge for Bartman and his students hasn't been just to improve musically. They also have to raise money to pay for the trip.

Bartman, accompanied by some parent chaperones, plans to take 36 musicians on the trip, which will cost $1,100 per student or a total of almost $40,000.

The students have been doing fund-raising activities since last fall, ranging from working at a community crab feed to being auctioned off to do chores for the highest bidder. Community service organizations, local musicians and individuals also have made donations or helped raise money for the trip.

Bartman said the campaign is about halfway to its goal, adding, "The community response has been phenomenal. Every day we get donation checks just out of the blue."

Amy Rowles, a Siuslaw High junior and clarinet player in the symphonic band, called the trip a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "We're the only school in the state going, so its really special for us," she said.

Rowles said the festival's patriotic theme, reflecting the nation's response to last September's East Coast terrorist attacks, will make the festival even more meaningful.

Senior Liz Bartman, an oboe player and the band director's daughter, said students are gratified by the community support they have received.

One of the things she's looking forward to the most is being in the place where so much of the nation's history has been made. "It will be kind of cool to see where we came from," she said.

Band members are scheduled to leave May 23 and return May 26.

The symphonic band is scheduled to play at least twice - at the Jefferson Memorial and at The Fairfax, a military retirement home. The jazz band will play at a pavilion on the site of the first Washington, D.C., post office. The performances will be judged and critiqued by festival representa- tives, but no prizes will be awarded.

When they're not playing, Bartman said, band members will be touring The Smithsonian National Museum and other attractions in the nation's capitol. "They will really get to experience Washington, D.C., he said.

SIUSLAW BAND TRIP

The Siuslaw High School symphonic and jazz bands are raising money to pay for a trip to Washington, D.C., to perform during a Memorial Day weekend festival. They're the only high school bands in Oregon to be invited.

Where to donate: Checks can be made out to and mailed to Siuslaw High School Band Fund, Oregon Pacific Banking Co., P.O. Box 2200, Florence, OR 97439.

Where to hear the bands: The two bands will performing Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Siuslaw High School, 2975 Oak St. in Florence, and April 25 at 7 p.m., along with the eighth-grade band, at Siuslaw Middle School, 750 Quince St. in Florence. The concerts are free but donations will be accepted at the door.

CAPTION(S):

The Siuslaw High School jazz band will be playing in Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day weekend, along with the school's symphonic band. "The community response has been phenomenal. Every day we get donation checks just out of the blue." BILL BARTMAN Siuslaw High School band director