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I was curious if anyone could give me some insight into the daily life of a military musician. I am seriously considering enlisting as a tuba player with the Navy or Air Force field bands in order to pay off student loans. How often are you on the road? How often do you deploy? How much time will I get with my wife and 2 young children on a regular basis?
To give you some background: I have a masters in tuba performance and have been band directing for 5 years and teach tuba/euph part-time at Oregon State University. I did university down in Los Angeles and did a lot of classical gigs, both large and small group. Also played tuba every weekend in a Mexican band for 2 solid years during that time. Thanks!

My personal experience in 2 Air Force bands over the last 15 years is about 8-10 days on the road every 6 to 8 weeks.

Air Force band deployments are on a rotation schedule according to band location. Most often, the ensemble will be a rock band, but brass ensembles have been deployed. Band deployments usually last between 3-4 months.

My current daily hours while not on the road are generally 8am-4pm, M-F. Just know that local evening & weekend gigs will come up regularly.

Don't enlist without winning an audition first. The competitive audition process is the only way into the program. Watch the band websites and union paper for the tuba openings.

I'm sure other military band members will share their experiences. Hope this helps!

Read the blog of Lauren Veronie. She's a euphonioumist in the US ARMY STAFF BAND. http://www.laureneuph.com/my_blog/" target="_blank

It is my understanding that the Navy and Air Force do not offer a loan repayment program. The Army did, but I have heard it is being temporarily suspended. I hope I'm wrong about that. Day to day life can vary greatly depending on what band you are in, who is in charge, and what is going on that day. Non gig days for me usually start with me coming in around 7:00 to practice and/or workout with the actual "workday" starting at 9:00. I'm usually out of the office around 4:30. Gig days depend on the gig. I have had some short gig days and some 18 hour gig days. Basically with the exception of night and weekend jobs the military keeps banker's hours. The pay is pretty good once you factor in all the allotments and health care benefits. As a E4 in the Army, I make a little more than most of my friends who went on to teach in public schools. Also, we get cost of living raises and time in service raises every three years. Obviously, promotions also come with a raise. There are some downsides just as in any other job. A couple people in a few key positions can really bring a band down. Plus, a lot of military towns can be pretty sketchy and it can be hard for your spouse to find steady work. At least that is my experience. All in all, it is a good gig. You get a steady paycheck and get to play the tuba. Can't beat that.

iandrew wrote:I was curious if anyone could give me some insight into the daily life of a military musician. I am seriously considering enlisting as a tuba player with the Navy or Air Force field bands in order to pay off student loans.

Do not do it for that reason. Get a part time job. If you reason for living was to join a military band I would say go for it.

Are you THE band director at SAHS? Sounds to me like you have a full time job with the Albany School District and teach at a per-student rate at OSU and WOSU. Is this correct? if it is drop me a PM.

Don't go changin.

Air Force Band in DC was looking for a tuba a short while ago. Don't know if auditions are still going on but look for it just incase.

Military Life for a Navy Musician is unique. I have been a Navy Tuba player for the past 7+ years. I love my job although it can get teadious and boring at times. I joined in 2005 and was stated in Chicago for a little voer 3 years. While there we were normally playing somesort of job (ceremony, retirement, Wind Ensemble concert) about 3-4 days a week (each band will vary). After being there I transfered out to hawaii and have been here since mid 2009. The job is roughly the same but a little less travel. Most band's working hours are from 8-3, but it varies due to the opperational schedule of the bands. In the northern bands there is more work in the summer than the winter, and most of the time if you work a weekend day you will get a weekday off. I won't go into a lot of the details but it has been very enjoyable and I just returned from the 70th anniversary of the battle of Midway where the band preformed *I know that some one my firneds in Italy are getting ready for the anniversary of the Normandy Invasion). If you'd like more details send me a message, the navy is a few tuba players short right now so if your really interested, now is the time. As for the Loan repayment, the only program int he Navy to offer that is the music program. If it is currently suspended I don't know. Hope that helps.

Douglas Plander, Tubist/Sound Engineer
US Pacific Fleet Band

It's not the only or best route for everyone Andrew, but also look into reserve bands in your area. Things probably have changed but my reserve contract is about as good as I can get- 20,000 bonus, 20,000 student loan repayment program, GI bill and kicker (possibly n/a for you?). I'm tied to my unit but there's still active opportunities if you want them, though not so often in the band field.

Does anyone have any experience in a Marine Corps band? If so, please PM me if you have a chance