Anyone have experience with a millitary band?

RyRob813 · #1 06-09-2007, 02:15 PM

I'll be graduating high school in a year, and I'm nearly positive I'll be joining the Coast Guard. I didn't know untill recently that they have a band, and of course I'm interested!

I play both upright and electric, but electric is defintely my forte.

Is there much of a call for a bass guitarist in the uscg band, and if so, what requirements must be met to become involved, and what type of audition is held?

Thanks!

Steve · #2 06-09-2007, 07:04 PM

There are a couple of military players here that I'm sure will be along shortly.

The audition requirements have been posted and may be search able in the meantime.

They are friggan' fierce.

rfclef · #3 06-09-2007, 08:09 PM

It is darn competetive... If you can get in though, you are in awesome shape, though... Pete Revel, bassist for the Navy Commodores was bassist in my college jazz band... he had some chops on both bass guitar and Standup. So yeah, they have call for you... iffin' you gots the chops...

RyRob813 · #4 06-09-2007, 08:12 PM

so from the little bit I know, it's looking like a pretty tough group to get into. Any thoughts on preparation?

Busker · #5 06-09-2007, 08:57 PM

A good friend of mine has a son in the Marine Corps band (Orchestra is more like it, there must be 40 or more of them). His son plays woodwinds, mainly tenor saxophone I think. They play special gigs around Washington DC and probably other cities and events, even the White House when called. From what I gather, these are some very high calibre musicians. Chart reading, big time chops, and some kind of formal training are probably what you'd need for starters. I'd guess they might overlook the lack of formal training for the right player, don't know for sure.

Here's the link to the United States Marine Band, and yes, my friend's son is listed under saxophone.
http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/

Wowsa. i was reading some of these band member's bios. Seems like they all have at least a Bachelor's degree in music. Some even a Master's degree.

rfclef · #6 06-09-2007, 10:31 PM

Guy I studied under in college, Neal Corwell, played euphonium with the Presidents Own... he is truelly one of the best in the world... Also a great composer. I had the privelige of playing with him, even performing one of his Tuba/Euphonium duets with him. he used to go out in the field on his farm in Maryland and play his horn... Local TV station came out, did a story, AP picked it up, and he wound up in Dennis Miller's cable show... Off topic, no one cares, but I ramble sometimes.

RyRob813 · #7 06-10-2007, 05:26 AM

Haha off topic is fine. But getting back to relevancy, I'm also gathering here that a college music education is a big part of any military band requirement wise- not something I had planned on.

For someone that was pretty sure they were going military active-duty straight out of high school, and has one year left to decide, how would one prepare for a college music education? (to prepare for the uscg band that is)

Busker · #8 06-10-2007, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyRob813

For someone that was pretty sure they were going military active-duty straight out of high school, and has one year left to decide, how would one prepare for a college music education? (to prepare for the uscg band that is)

Were it me, I'd get into college the fall semester after you graduate high school, with a music major if this is really what you want to do. You'd probably start out with Music Theory 101, maybe also music appreciation, perhaps take bass lessons at college, or university. You may already be a great player and could give the teacher a lesson or two, or you may already know music theory, but you're getting required classes out of the way is the idea.

I went to college but never finished. Don't make the same mistake I did. If you start college, finish! If you don't finish, you'll regret it.

I was a first year music student. My instrument then was classical guitar. That's what I wanted, to play like Segovia, John Williams and Julian Bream (famous classical guitarists). But I was too young and dumb to keep with it. Oh, I still played the guitar, but did not put in the required time on practice and technique to play at a high enough level. Too much rock and roll all night and party every day got in the way.

Now I play bass in a rock band.

Hey, it's fun though. I love it. And when I feel like it, I can still play the guitar for my own enjoyment.

**MAJOR METAL** · #9 06-10-2007, 12:50 PM

Getting the oppertunity to study for a week at the Armed Forces Schoold of Music in Norfolk VA was one of the best oppertunities I had to grow with other Musicans.

RyRob813 · #10 06-10-2007, 04:01 PM

Thanks guys! Yes, I've already taken a high school theory class that touched on all the major points of theory; Chord theory, intervals, scales, cadences, non-harmonic tones, ect....what aspects of theory do college classes take furthur?

rfclef · #11 06-10-2007, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyRob813

Thanks guys! Yes, I've already taken a high school theory class that touched on all the major points of theory; Chord theory, intervals, scales, cadences, non-harmonic tones, ect....what aspects of theory do college classes take furthur?

Harmony, counterpoint, composition, ear training... man, been a while... My college had a tough theory program... grad students were coming back and saying what they were doing was easy compared to our theory,.,.... I don't know how all of the military stuff actually works... I don;t know if you can audition before college, and get em to pay with a promise of going in afterwards, or if they will take you before college if you got the chops. I know that the cats I know who DID go in had the college ed already. Yeah... get into the theory stuff in college quick... sounds like music is your thing... if so, are you looking at a performance or ed degree? or composition? Just a note: I had a good friend who had mad sax chops... he got the performance degree, but competition for gigs is fierce... then he wanted to teach, but had all sortsa red tape to go through, had to go back to school for more. The point: you may want to keep the ed option open. If you got chops, you will get hired to play, no matter what your degree says. BUT: hard to get the teaching gig no matter how good you are if you ain't got the little piece o paper. I know this is a bit off from the military thing, but sumpthing to think about.

RyRob813 · #12 06-10-2007, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfclef

Harmony, counterpoint, composition, ear training... man, been a while... My college had a tough theory program... grad students were coming back and saying what they were doing was easy compared to our theory,.,.... I don't know how all of the military stuff actually works... I don;t know if you can audition before college, and get em to pay with a promise of going in afterwards, or if they will take you before college if you got the chops. I know that the cats I know who DID go in had the college ed already. Yeah... get into the theory stuff in college quick... sounds like music is your thing... if so, are you looking at a performance or ed degree? or composition? Just a note: I had a good friend who had mad sax chops... he got the performance degree, but competition for gigs is fierce... then he wanted to teach, but had all sortsa red tape to go through, had to go back to school for more. The point: you may want to keep the ed option open. If you got chops, you will get hired to play, no matter what your degree says. BUT: hard to get the teaching gig no matter how good you are if you ain't got the little piece o paper. I know this is a bit off from the military thing, but sumpthing to think about.

Oh yes, I've gone back and forth several times on the matter. For the past at least 3 years I've been decided that college is defientely not the thing for me at all, as high school isn't all that much to my liking anyway- public education just functions slightly off my wavelength. But anyway, these notions made me look into other options career wise, recently the Coast Guard being a great alternative to college, which I still think it is. I hadn't even considered that they have a band, and when I found out of course I was interested; a decent salary, military benefits, getting to play music professionaly, AND no college?! What could be better right? Then after talking to several people I find that college is a near-required side stop on the way to the band; sucky cirlce eh? As far as the major is concerend if I did go the route of college, like you said counting out the ed. is probably a bad idea, but at this point in my life it's just not something I can see myself doing, I just love performing way too much, so performance would most likely be the route I'd go.

So after all this research and alumni testimony, the uscg band may be a little out of reach at least at this point, but I love music and the bass more than anything, and I'll be happy as long as I can keep performing for as long as I can. My private instructor is a professional who plays in several different groups and gives lessons on the side. Unfortunetely we've been missing each other schedule wise for quite a while now and I haven't been able to pick his brain, so I'll ask the crowd here:

As I've said I want to perform always. What's the best way to get involved in a local music scene reguardless of where "local" is?

thanks for the feedback!