TubeNet

I don't know how the other services work. But the Band of the Air Force Reserve is actually a full time active duty band, that represents the Air Force Reserve. Your pay will be based on your college hours/degrees. Anywhere from E0 to E2 for the non premier bands. I believe the pay schedules can be found online.

Ok, my memory really sucks, please disregard everything I've said.

bands.army.mil (the site you were perusing) is the site with all of the band information. .

When I went to basic and AIT, I was paid active duty. However, I went in as an active duty soldier. But everyone who goes through that training is on active duty. Even if you're looking reserve/guard bands, that training is still considered as active duty training and you will be paid accordingly.

I was paid as an E-3, and I'm sure you will be also. This was because of the ACASP program - you get higher rank due to skills you developed as a civilian.

I've been out for a while now and things may have changed, but I doubt it. There are enough Army band members (special band and non-special band types) on this board that can probably shed more light.

Just remember, you can always talk to a recruiter. heh heh heh.

-Kevin "hell, what do I know?" Young



--Damn, the elephant beat me to it!--

My wife JUST joined the Army National Guard Band in DC (the 257th Army Band). She swore in at MEPS on March 24th, so this is pretty current.

She has a college degree already, so she is an E4. The Army gives you rank based on how many college credits you may have now. So, if you have no credits, you will be E1--a college degree is E4. If you have some credits but no degree, you may be an E2 or E3 when you swear in.


The 257th band pays their E4's about $50 bucks a drill. The band guarantees you 48 drills per year. A "drill" is 4 hours of duty. My wife's band meets every Monday night for four hours. Some NG bands meet one weekend a month--Saturday and Sunday for eight hours per day. Either way it works out to about $200 a month in drill pay. Some musicians will do more, if they are in an ensemble that gets called out for a lot of gigs (the band's singer gets a ton of drills per year). She also has to do the 2 weeks in the summer. For the 257th, that is a 2 week musical tour. She gets paid full-time E4 pay during that 2 weeks (E4 monthly pay is 1758.90 a month).


My wife is also receiving a $20,000 cash bonus. She gets half that when she completes basic, and half at 3 years service. (She enlisted for 6 years)

The big draw for us though, is the college money. My wife is a full-time student now. She will receive $11,500 PER YEAR in tuition money. $4500 of that is army tuition assistance, and $6000 is the GI bill. She cannot draw on the GI bill until she completes Basic, but she can take tuition assistance right now.

She does have to go to basic--army basic is about 10 weeks. You have a year from your enlistment date to actually go to basic. My wife is going in January. And yes, you do have to go to the school of music, but the National Guard school is only 4 weeks. You do not have to go right to the school after basic--you can schedule it later. You get paid full time pay while you are at basic and at the school of music.

Welp, thats about it for National Guard as far as I know it. Things may be different now--they change sometimes from month to month. My advice is to visit those units during their drill weekends. Walk around, talk to people, and see what they think. They will know all the current info about the pay/benefits, etc!

And yes, Bob, those are the only two Army bands in IL.

Bob...

There is also an Air National Guard Band (Air Force) down in Peoria, only a couple of short hours from Chicago.

http://bandofthemidwest.com/

Andy Rummel

Dean pretty much hit the nail on the head, but there are a few clarifacations:

ALL, yes I repeat ALL Army bandsmen enter the Army at the advanced pay-grade of E-4, $1,758.90 per month if active duty, pro-rated for NG and reserve. This is due to the ACASP, Army Civilian Aquired Skill Program.

All Army bandsmen attend Basic Combat Training, a 9 week course consisting of basic soldering skills and the beginning of the solderization process.

All Army bandsmen (excluding premire bands) attend Advanced Individual Training at the Armed Forces School of Music in Virginia Beach. Active Duty Soldiers attend for 23 weeks, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers attend for 4 weeks, during the summer months, AIT is not offered for Reserve and NG components during the Fall, Winter or Spring.

Age limits are 17, with parental consent, through 42.

Sign-on bonus are available, but they are offered on a per case basis. However the Montgomery G.I. Bill and Army Loan Repayment are both options for Soldiers in the Reserve and NG.

Also, since I went to Grad. School in Illinois I know quite a few NCO's in the 85th Divison Band in Arlington Heights, PM me and I can get you their contact info, I assure you they will know more about the current state of the Reserve and NG bands than ANY recruiter.

I would guess there isn't a big difference between those types of bands, any more than there are differences between one band and another band (ie two NG bands).


The big differences are probably in the benefits you may receive. Check which has the best tuition assistance, GI Bill, cash bonus, etc etc... The bonus can change as much as every month, so make sure that is clear!