A wake up call? Kind of.

Sequim High School's percussion ensemble gave school board members and superintendents from across the state an earful Nov. 22 with their rendition of "Junkyard Rumble" and "Lids," two aluminum trash can-crashing pieces that filled the Spokane Convention Center from wall to wall.

The 22-member ensemble traversed the state for upwards of seven hours Friday morning and stayed overnight on a gym floor before their 10-minute gig Saturday morning at the Washington State School Directors' Association annual conference.

Vern Fosket, Sequim's band director, said the piece was so well-received that, of the half-dozen music guests playing the conference, Sequim's "trash can" band was the only one to receive a standing ovation.

"It was great. I can't say enough - that was awesome," Fosket told his students as the bus pulled away from the convention center. "That was worth the 14-hour bus ride, I'll give it that."

See a slideshow and hear audio from the performance at: www.sequimgazette.com/static/slideshow/trashcan/.