As students walked out of Food Court yesterday, the distinct sounds of a bagpipe could be heard drifting out of the Old Dartmouth Cemetery.
The music belonged to Josh Marks '96, a geography major who has become infamous around campus for his piping.
Marks studied the bagpipe for six months when he was nine, but quit because he never practiced. But his desire to play the bagpipe continued and 10 years later, during his Freshman summer, he began lessons again.
And this time, he is sticking with it.
Last summer Marks, who lives outside of New York City, had to drive two hours round-trip every Saturday to Danbury, Ct. for his bagpipe lessons. Now he practices two hours a day, and is heard all over campus.
Marks does not take regular lessons at school, but tries to practice with a pipe band in Thetford, Vt. He hopes to devote more time to it during his leave term next winter.
Marks, who used to play the trumpet and the saxophone, says the bagpipe is unlike any instrument he has played before.
"It takes a lot of conditioning and a lot of practice," Marks says, adding that it also takes, "a lot of lungs."
Marks plays a Great Highland Bagpipe -- the type originally meant to be played in battle -- so his music tends to overwhelm himself and others when he tries to play in the practice room provided by the music department.
Because his instrument is so loud, Marks plays outdoors, explaining the bagpipes sound that students hear.
He likes to practice in open, outdoor spaces, preferably not too close to dormitories -- like the cemetery, the Bema and the river front.
Marks' most memorable session occurred during the blackout two Saturdays ago, when he went outside of Russell Sage on the spur of the moment and began to play.
Some sisters of Epsilon Kappa Theta were making their way to Chi Heorot fraternity when they encountered Marks and asked him to lead them in a procession across campus.
Some brothers of Zeta Psi fraternity joined in the procession, and by the time Marks reached Heorot, he was leading a small crowd.
Marks plans to continue his piping and hopes to play competitively next summer.
Marks says that piping can be lucrative, and named weddings and funerals as two of the leading gigs for bagpipers.
When asked, Marks said he would consider playing at social functions at the College.
He has a Scottish bagpiper's costume, kilt and all, and says, "someday during senior year, when I am a little better, I'll get out the full outfit and play on the Green."
