COOS BAY — Oregon’s budget crisis has put Dominique Miller in the spotlight, at least during part of her school day.

The sixth-grade student has taken up bass drumming, after the choir class she was in last year at Millicoma Intermediate School was cut. She has enjoyed the switch, though it’s been challenging at times.

“If you make one mistake, it really stands out,” she said. “But I like it. You can really feel the vibrations.”

Budget cuts forced the school district to move one of the two music teachers at Millicoma to the upper grades. Choir became an early-morning extracurricular, leaving band as the only music option during the school day.

Dominique isn’t the only sixth-grader who has found herself in new surroundings this fall. At least 60 students who took choir last year also have signed up for band, said Jeanine Walker, the school’s remaining music teacher.  And fifth-graders have been signing up for music in droves, too.

Walker estimates there will be at least 300 students taking one of the eight classes she teaches.

“It has absolutely been the busiest year of my life,” she said. “It’s bordering on shocking how many students signed up, but kids want to do music.”

Walker’s happy to see the enthusiasm, though it’s put a strain on class sizes and music supplies.

She teaches eight classes, each meeting every other day. They average about 40 students each, though some have been creeping up to 50.

“Those are big classes,” she said.

And at the sixth-grade level, the skill levels differ between students like Dominique, who came over from choir, and Isaiah Kingery, who took up band last year.

Isaiah plays saxophone and likes songs that go into the upper register. But some of his classmates are still learning the basics, so those songs have been put on hold.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating because you want to play harder music, but you need to get them good first,” he said.

Isaiah and his friend Cory Spann agree their classmates who started band are getting better. They don’t blame the newcomers for holding them back, though.

“Playing an instrument is fun,” said Cory, who plays trombone.

But that also means finding an instrument.

The district has more than 100 instruments at Millicoma, though Walker estimates 150 students will need a clarinet, flute or trumpet so everyone can have something to play. She’s solicited friends on Facebook and around town to donate funds and unused instruments, but she’s still about 35 short.

Walker has made due for several weeks by teaching fifth-graders the basics on plastic recorders, which number in the hundreds. But the students will be playing band numbers soon. Recorders won’t work for that.

Spencer Mead is one of the lucky fifth-graders. His dad was able to buy a flute from a family friend. He’d wanted to play guitar, but that’s not an instrument taught in the program.

“It seems like a good instrument to me,” he said of the woodwind he’ll soon be working with.

Walker appreciates the parents who can provide instruments for their children, but she realizes some can’t afford it.

She’s trying to offer as many opportunities for music outside of band. On Fridays, she offers African drumming to anyone interested. She’s also keeping the choir program alive with the unofficial early bird class. About 100 children have shown up, though she knows there are some students who can’t make it at 7:30 a.m.

Marshfield High School choir teacher Ken Graber, who also teaches at Sunset Middle School, applauds Walker’s dedication, but said it’s not the same as having scheduled class time. He is concerned students won’t be as prepared for his classes. There is a musical IQ that is set fairly young, he said.

“It’s really important as a district that we educate these kids when they are most receptive, which I believe is at a younger age,” he said.

Walker sees this first-hand, which is part of the reason she enjoys working with students at Millicoma.

“I love this age,” she said. “You get them when they are excited. You can really teach them.”