Military Bands as a career?

adam0408 · Post by **adam0408** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:11 pm

oh really? That might be a better option.... I dont have any desire to go through basic training- probably because I have misconceptions about it.

What does the process entail these days?

BradParrish · Post by **BradParrish** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:14 pm

Yeah, the new camies look pretty slick actually. I kind of enjoyed not wearing camofaluge while at the Armed Forces School of Music. Everyone excpet the Navy wore them everyday but Friday. I think i'd rather wear the new camies than the Utilities, but right now my band is wearing civies when we're not on gigs since our temporary band facility is technically off base. Hopefully they'll actually finish the renovation on our band hall! Then is back to uniforms everyday.

Brad Parrish

Chuck Jackson · Post by **Chuck Jackson** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:55 pm

Brad,
Nice to hear that you guys are considering your uniforms black. When I taught at the School, all my Navy students hated their "Blues" days, which happened on Fridays during the Winter. During the summer, y'all looked pretty spiffy in your whites, but I seem to remember your daily working uniform as BLUE dungarees and light BLUE shirts.

Chuck"who needs help remembering his colors now that he is out of the military, but remembers a whole bunch of green, blue and black in Uncle Sam's Happy Camping Club"Jackson

Chuck Jackson · Post by **Chuck Jackson** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:58 pm

Maybe since I'm 44 and looking back things are tinged with a certain shade of rose(damn, there goes that whole color thing again), but I did the most growing up in my life in Basic Training. It's not for everyone, just those who have the stones to live through it.

Chuck"who is amazed that people now won't select a GREAT career path in the military because of Basic Training, but that's just my take on it and those people wouldn't make great MILITARY musicians because it takes more than a little accepting of the unreasonable"Jackson

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:51 am

BradParrish wrote:If you're the slightest bit afraid of going to war, then don't join the Marine fleet bands.

Wait, is this true?

Yup.

The different fleet bands have differing levels of risk. They more or less stay attached to their battalion or division, so while the 1st MarDiv band will go provide security at a base in Iraq (along with musical support for ceremonies), the band at MCRD San Diego will pretty much stick around for recruit graduations and the occasional field exercise.

The only Marine band that's not combat trained is the President's Own. Even the Commandant's Own drum & bugle corps, also stationed at Marine Barracks, maintains a nominal level of combat proficiency.

If basic training seems like it might be scary, you shouldn't worry. Marine boot camp is supposed to be the roughest... but if I made it, then anybody could.

poomshanka · Post by **poomshanka** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:58 am

Some good info:

viewtopic.php?t=4195&highlight=

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:59 am

TUBACHRIS85 wrote:... as the ones who become an officer through the enlisted ranks, which are known as,"stallions"

Just being nitpicky, but last I heard, the nickname was "Mustangs" -- and that's pretty much service-wide.

The term is usually given with respect, because such officers have "been there, done that" as enlisted troops. Imagine the difference in knowledge between someone who went to Officer Candidate School (OCS) straight out of college and someone who had been at the tip of the spear, so to speak.

This short writeup describes it well --
http://www.dcmilitary.com/navy/trident/ ... 12299.html

Tubadork · Post by **Tubadork** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:36 am

Hey,
Just for clarity, for the non-premiere bands of the Army, if you are going to stay in 20 years, YOU WILL SEE COMBAT. I would say that about 1/3 to 1/2 of the Band here in Korea (8th Army Band, Seoul, Korea) has been in combat or is on their way to a unit that will be deploying soon. I had no idea when I joined and I'm not sure that I would have joined if I knew that.
Bill "writing from the field in Taegu, on a break from guarding the command post, dressed in full battle gear including M16 and not a tuba in sight" Pritchard

30 DAYS AND COUNTING

WoodSheddin · Post by **WoodSheddin** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:57 pm

Henry wrote:If you intend to wear the uniform of the nation's armed services only as some kind of work related requirement don't disgrace yourself and your fellows by joining.

Takes all kinds. Military is full of the "Hooah!" and the "Who what?". Not everyone signs up to defend their nation in combat. A large chunk sign up to earn a steady paycheck. Pull out all the "steady paycheck" types and the Army would become the Marine Corps. Smaller and meaner, but certainly too small.

As long as someone does their job to the best of their abilities and follows orders and rules, then let them have their paycheck.

Adam C. · Post by **Adam C.** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:41 pm

-If you intend to wear the uniform of the nation's armed services only as some kind of work related requirement don't disgrace yourself and your fellows by joining. Many military band members may have duties only as bandmembers- but they are all also soldiers/marines/sailors/airmen at the core.

-If you become an officer you'll be out of the music business. Only warrants remain in the band arena. Ensigns, Lieutenants and up are in the service.

For the first statement by Henry, I speak for myself only when I say I'm a musician at the core. Was a musician before I enlisted, and will be after I'm out. I'm sure it's the same way for many other military folks.

For Henry's second statement, I'm not sure I understand what he's talking about. Everyone is "in the service", and gaining rank as a conductor doesn't mean you lose involvement in music. At least from my experience.

Dean · Post by **Dean** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:18 pm

DO NOT let Basic Training be a factor in your decision. 6-12 weeks (depending on the branch) is simply not enough of a chunk of your life to deter you from making a big decision.

Other factors are important, sure. Basic isnt one of them!

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:28 pm

Leland wrote:Even the Commandant's Own drum & bugle corps, also stationed at Marine Barracks, maintains a nominal level of combat proficiency.

That's good to know. How often do you guys get to the rifle range?

Marine boot camp is supposed to be the roughest... but if I made it, then anybody could.

That was my feeling when I left P.I. in 1990. I went in expecting a lot more than I got, not that I was prepared for either. But 15 years ago is was nothing like "Full Metal Jacket", though sometimes I wish it had been.

WoodSheddin · Post by **WoodSheddin** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:54 pm

Henry wrote:...and that attitude would be why most field recommendations, including mine, were for less force structure used on Army bands. The Army band structure is no longer organic to any Divisions or Corps in the projected force analysis and, with the token forces needed to play at echelons above reality lawn parties aside, is clearly on the skids. Good luck to you.

The musician side of me wishes this was not correct, but the realist in me knows there is a lot of truth there.

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:08 am

ThomasDodd wrote:
Leland wrote:Even the Commandant's Own drum & bugle corps, also stationed at Marine Barracks, maintains a nominal level of combat proficiency.
That's good to know. How often do you guys get to the rifle range?

Not often, really, but we're getting into doing it semi-regularly again. I was in the batch that went in December 2003 (after 15 years of nobody requalifying on rifles!), and got Expert again. And the Air Force says that an M16 isn't any good at 500 yards...

Hopefully we'll get back into martial arts training, too. The entire company is tan belt qualified, but getting to the gray belt level should be cool.

Marine boot camp is supposed to be the roughest... but if I made it, then anybody could.
That was my feeling when I left P.I. in 1990. I went in expecting a lot more than I got, not that I was prepared for either. But 15 years ago is was nothing like "Full Metal Jacket", though sometimes I wish it had been.

Yeah. It wasn't like the movie, but it kinda was, too. When people ask about what we did, I just tell them straight up without embellishing it, and they still are surprised. It's just that the DIs get the recruits to work together so hard to reach the end goals that it didn't seem like such a big deal at the time.

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:41 am

Leland wrote:
ThomasDodd wrote: That's good to know. How often do you guys get to the rifle range?
(after 15 years of nobody requalifying on rifles!), and got Expert again. And the Air Force says that an M16 isn't any good at 500 yards...

wow. 15 years... that's scary.
What would the AF know about rifles anyway:)

When people ask about what we did, I just tell them straight up without embellishing it, and they still are surprised. It's just that the DIs get the recruits to work together so hard to reach the end goals that it didn't seem like such a big deal at the time.

Thinking back, I find nothing exceptional happening. I guess it depends on who you talk to, and who you were before. Comming for the rual south, and talking to rednecks later, it was nothing big. Somone from the city would view it differently I guess. I remember a few guys who complaind at the time, and some of us were thinking, "what's the big deal?"

Only think that gave me trouble was running. Even when I lfinished, I still had trouble with 3miles.

JHardisk · Post by **JHardisk** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:33 am

Henry wrote:...and that attitude would be why most field recommendations, including mine, were for less force structure used on Army bands. The Army band structure is no longer organic to any Divisions or Corps in the projected force analysis and, with the token forces needed to play at echelons above reality lawn parties aside, is clearly on the skids. Good luck to you.

The Air Force seems to have found a solution to this. Make bands deployable. Many of the regional bands are preparing troops to be sent overseas on a musical mission. Our rock band was the second band to be tasked to do and overseas TDY, and it was a big success. They have almost every AFSC (job designation for you not so Air Force types) with a deployable tag to it. As a tubist, I could be tasked to go on deployment to play a brass quitet, or whatnot. This wouldn't involve non-musical duties, though I'd be carrying an M-9. The realism of being sent overseas however, is quite slim (but, not out of the question). Somewhere up there, a 4 star sees the importance of military bands and the reason to keep them around.

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:47 pm

ThomasDodd wrote:Thinking back, I find nothing exceptional happening. I guess it depends on who you talk to, and who you were before. Comming for the rual south, and talking to rednecks later, it was nothing big. Somone from the city would view it differently I guess. I remember a few guys who complaind at the time, and some of us were thinking, "what's the big deal?"

Hehe... yeah, true. And, of course, you've probably seen the joke "letter from boot camp" that's been out there:

http://www.manbottle.com/humor/Boot_Camp.htm

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:00 pm

Leland wrote: Hehe... yeah, true. And, of course, you've probably seen the joke "letter from boot camp" that's been out there:

http://www.manbottle.com/humor/Boot_Camp.htm

No, I had not seen that one.

Go girl :)