Presidents Own Audition and Poll

[docpugh]

I though the President's Own personnel were exempt from the regular boot camp????

[Leland]

I think the question acknowledges that there is no boot camp requirement for The President's Own, and asks that, if it were different, would people still try out?

Is this close?

[WoodSheddin]

a couple of months of hell to enjoy a 20-30 year career in The US Marine Band. i thought the years of loosing auditions was much worse than anything i saw at basic training.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

No question about it - talk about the positives FAR outweighing the negatives! Some things are still worth fighting for...

[Tony Halloin]

I feel as though not attending boot camp is one of the draw backs of that particular job, in fact. The rest of the Marine Corps, I would assume, treats the band differently since they know, none of them has been through Paris Island. They don't get treated as real Marines, despite being revered by most of the musicians in the country. Kind of a toss up really.

[WoodSheddin]

I feel as though not attending boot camp is one of the draw backs of that particular job, in fact. The rest of the Marine Corps, I would assume, treats the band differently since they know, none of them has been through Paris Island. They don't get treated as real Marines, despite being revered by most of the musicians in the country. Kind of a toss up really.

That is sorta true of all the bands in DC.

[JCradler]

I feel as though not attending boot camp is one of the draw backs of that particular job, in fact. The rest of the Marine Corps, I would assume, treats the band differently since they know, none of them has been through Paris Island. They don't get treated as real Marines, despite being revered by most of the musicians in the country. Kind of a toss up really.

Some of the members of the USMB have indeed been through Parris Island or San Diego. Most have not. It may be a drawback, or it may be a benefit. It depends on your perspective. In my 15 years I've encountered all range of reactions from Marines and non-Marines on this topic. Those with some gray matter between the ears realize, upon explanation, that I didn't write the rules. It should also be said that members of the band take responsibility for their own training(musical, that is) before they even win the audition. Few other fields in the military put as much stock in training one has received as a civilian. As for the non-musical aspects of the job, there is ongoing training within the band and members are held to the highest standards of professionalism and personal conduct, as are other Marines. In that sense, we are "treated as real Marines". Regardless of how I and my colleagues are perceived, we still have a job to do, and take great pride in doing it well.

John-not considering this post "official" in any way" Cradler

[Leland]

Aw, boot camp ain't so bad -- lost 40 pounds, got strong, learned how to shoot 10-for-10 at 500 yards without a scope, learned some things that are probably useless elsewhere (urban combat, fast drops, swimming with a pack & rifle), learned some things that are probably useful anywhere (quick decision-making, organizing on the fly, flexibility, strong self-discipline), and got to watch a bunch of kids turn into a highly motivated & cohesive platoon of Marines.

But, I swear that my grammar has gone to heck.. lol

Oh yeah -- the way I see it, ensemble musicianship is more military-friendly than anyone seems to think. Both require you to mostly set aside what you think is best (your interpretation of marcato, or whether you should use this or that formation when attacking a hill), but you're still required to do your job to the best of your ability. And, to improve the result, you infuse the act with just enough individuality to make it better than it was before.

Music & military are remarkably similar. Well, except for the bullets & bombs part.