Alumnus takes over high school band program

Josh Forke’s career has come full circle.

“When I left, I never thought I’d be back,” he said. “But now that I’m back, I’m really excited about it.”

Forke was recently named the Columbia Falls High School’s band and instrument instructor, replacing Karen Ulmer, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Ulmer has a 30-year career teaching music and taught Forke back when he was in Columbia Falls Junior High.

Forke graduated as a Wildcat in 1999. In addition to band, he played soccer during the program’s fledgling years. His father Terry was a longtime Lutheran pastor here and now lives in Billings, where he’s the president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Forke obtained a bachelor’s in music at the University of Idaho and a master’s in music education from the University of Colorado in 2008. He taught junior high music in the Denver area for 11 years. Most recently he was a long-term substitute at Bigfork High School and currently he’s the music teacher at Fairmont-Egan School.

With a four-day schedule at Fairmont-Egan, Forke has been coming to Columbia Falls on Fridays to teach with Ulmer. It’s been a great experience. Ulmer’s tenure here includes 15 years teaching in Columbia Falls at the high school and 10 at the junior high as well as five at Helena Flats.

Over the years, Ulmer’s students have won multiple awards, and many have gone on to careers in music. Her job opening was a coveted one — it drew 16 applicants.

While junior high teaching is rewarding, Forke said the high school’s program under Ulmer is a joy.

“It’s really fun to hear kids playing the right notes,” he said.

Forke will formally start his post next fall. Ulmer said it’s great to have Forke and choir teacher alumna Beth Benton in the same building.

“I think it’s cool we have two Columbia Falls graduates teaching the music program,” she said.

Ulmer said she plans on traveling in her retirement, visiting her son Nicholas, who lives in Portland, Ore., and daughter Kim, who has a doctorate in music and works at the renowned Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.

She also plans on playing her own instruments more., She plays baritone saxophone for the Don Lawrence Orchestra and the Latin jazz band Cocinando.

Ulmer will go out playing. A concert titled “Night of Legends” featuring Columbia Falls graduates from years past is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m. in the high school’s Little Theater.

The Jazz Factory and Columbians bands will perform Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m. at the bandshell in Marantette Park, weather permitting, or at the Little Theater.