Tuba Vacancy - US Navy Band

[rascaljim]

James -
Congratulations
Jim Langenberg

[Steve Marcus]

Impressive, James.

Congratulations!

[schneidah]

Congratulations, man! A great player and a great guy, as has already been mentioned. Guess we need to have a big Chicago sendoff for you soon!

[anonymous4]

Congrats to James!

I've heard that Mike Forbes was one of the two finalists, is that correct?

That's correct.

[tuba_bloke]

Kent Eshelman
Paul Carlson
Dan Castillo
Ed Vinson

Also Ben (Fast Eddy) Ordaz, and Justin Crider

[Ed Vinson]

Used to be.
BM LSU
MM Juilliard
working on Professional Studies Degree at Mannes with Baer.

[WoodSheddin]

In case any of you are contemplating service with our Armed Forces, no matter which service remember:
-- Go the Navy School of Music, which is the single schoolhouse for all our Armed Forces. That's a 21 week unaccompanied course (ie, barracks of some form).

Military service can be a great life. Understand, though, even folks in the DC bands travel in harm's way.

Military service isn't "just a gig."

I wish you well

Actually, the none of the Special Bands in the DoD don't go to the School of Music.

There are only very rare occasions when DC bandmen travel in combat zones. The Air Force Band I believe has sent a small group and "Pershing's Own" has also sent a small group. In both cases the tours were very very short. Something like a couple of weeks long.

I am not sure how all the other branches handle things, but in the Army Division Bands the band travels with the division. So if they deploy the band does also. There have been and I would assume still are several bands in combat zones. Just not the Special Bands.

[dwerden]

In case any of you are contemplating service with our Armed Forces, no matter which service remember:
...

Much of what JohnP posted is true, especially for "post" bands. But for the premier ("special") bands the situation is somewhat different. Among the 5 premier bands:

Army, Navy, and Air Force require standard basic training

Coast Guard and Marines do not have basic for musicians. In the CG, for example, you go to a 2-week course where you learn about military procedures, get uniforms, etc. Then you go right to the Band.

While in the CG Band I never had to qualify for weapons. I DID have to sign a paper that said I understand that anyone in the military could be required to use a weapon.

Yes, your free speech could be limited. On the other hand, if you work for a private company I'm sure you could put out blog posts and speak out in editorials blasting the CEO with no consequences, right? It's not ALL that much different in the military.

You are expected to maintain certain standards of conduct. If you really are a bad boy (or girl) you could end up with fines, reduction in rank, or worse - but you have to really try to get there!

Your best bet for a happy fit is to go in with your eyes open, for sure. If you are willing to accept the environment and culture, and even wish to take some pride in what you do (and understand there are a few gigs where your body being there is much more important than your performer's pride), you're got a pretty good crack at success. It's probably easier for euphoniumists to have a good attitude about this than tubists because we are not going to regret not waiting for the right full-time orchestra gig to come along.

I put in 26 years in The U.S. Coast Guard Band. I had to keep my hair cut (fine - that's how I wear it anyway!), keep my weight reasonable, keep my shoes shined, uniform clean and pressed, etc. I had to show appropriate respect for superiors. I did gigs where we left the academy at 4am and gigs where we got back at 4am. I had to play really cold gigs, really hot gigs, and really long gigs, as well as parades, etc. On the other hand, I got to play live concerts in front of more audiences than I can count, toured about 42 states, played in England and the former Soviet Union, did concerts for live public radio broadcasts, played in a euphonium-tuba quartet, and sat in an ensemble with some great players. I learned a lot from playing and working with those folks for the whole 26 years. My horn was supplied, as were my uniforms (now that I am in the civilian work force, I spend a lot more on clothes). My medical care was free, including some rather expensive dental work. About a third of my income was tax free because it was in the form of paid benefits (housing, food, etc.). I pay a lot more in taxes now. I have a pension for life after serving 26 years (I could have had that at 20). And much more, but this is a forum post, not a book!

In general, the people who came in after working a few years (as opposed to just out of college) were happier because they knew what their other choices were, and they knew what the other trade-offs were. It's not for everyone, but it's great for many.

[Karl H.]

I must post a disclaimer to this thread: JohnP has no affiliation with the Navy or the Navy Band. Much of what he has posted is inaccurate as far as relating to the Navy Band: he is entitled to his opinions, and may quote from Army regulations, but they are most definitely not Navy Band policy.

Others may post their experiences in other service bands and other branches of the military if they wish (although I think the general forum is a more appropriate area for general discussions of service in the military), but since this is a thread concerning an audition with the US Navy Band in Washington, D.C., I direct your attention to page three of this thread, where I put links to the Navy Band’s website, the Navy Music Program, and even directions to information regarding each of the 14 Navy bands.

If there are any further questions regarding service in the US Navy Band, I’ll once again suggest contacting MUCM Stuart McLean…

http://www.navyband.navy.mil/faq.shtml#audition

or

NavyBand.Auditions@navy.mil

… our Career Information Program Manager.

Also, as I am one of the very few members of the Navy Band who has served in fleet units (1977-1982) and the Navy Band (1992-present) I feel uniquely qualified to shed light on service in any part of the Navy’s music program. I will happily answer any question I can here in this thread or via Personal Message (PM).

Sincerely,

MUC Karl Hovey
Principal Tuba, US Navy Band