     I remember Don Darling as my first band director in about the 5th
grade in Dunseith. I believe that would have been during the ’60-’61
school year. He had lots of patience with the beginner’s band as we
squeaked and made all sorts of weird sounds that really weren’t even
close to the right notes. We went over and over the simple songs until
they kind of resembled something similar to that song. Don had lots of
ability to get our attention and keep us focused. One thing I remember
was how Billy Berube was trying to learn to play the bass drum and he
didn’t quite get the beat so he would be off a bit and Mr. Darling
would start to tap his baton on the top of his music stand to try to get
Billy back on the beat. He would do it for a while and then stop us and
start again. Billy would get behind or ahead again and Don would start
tapping louder and louder and then finally just toss his baton at Billy
and bounce it of the top of the big base drum. Bill could hardly see
over it anyway so didn’t have very far to duck. I’m sure Don Darling
was frustrated but he would smile and go pick up his baton and start
again. Anyway, after a while Bill got to be good on the bass drum and
later went on to become one of the best snare drummers in the area so
Don’s patience paid off. I remember our first ‘concert’, if you could
call it that, was in the old gym at the grade school. As we were going
back up those old concrete steps I missed a step and smacked the bottom
of my saxophone on the edge of the step and put a small ding in the
bottom of it. For the next coupIe years I remembered that night every
time I saw the dent. It was in the fall of ’64 that my dad, Don
Johnson, took over the entire music program in Dunseith and Don Darling
went to Rolette and I think he took over the entire music program
there. They sort of traded places, so to speak, as Dad lived in
Dunseith and Don Darling lived in Rolette. He worked at Northwest Music
in Minot for many years after leaving Rolette and I used to stop in and
see him once in a while when I was looking for music or guitar stuff.Â
He really hadn’t changed much in 40 years and always called me by name
as soon as he saw me. I miss seeing him and now the Northwest Music
building isn’t even there on North Broadway anymore. Time marches on.Â
Thanks Gary!
Dick