Playing as a career

[MVE]

The first rule of a career in the military is that YOU don't get to CHOOSE your job.
If you are lucky enough to get choosen to try out for a band...great. But, don't count on it.

 

[HolmeBass]

The military bands are great bands. I have opened for the Navy Commodores, a jazz band with a great wide-ranging repertoire. Their bassist doubled, doing the swing and bop on db, then using a 6-string electric for the Yellowjackets tune and some other more fusion material. Great band with a cool set list and some sweet gigs.

 

[Buffalo ill]

I remember my drill sergeant saying EVERYONE in the Army is infantry if poopie hits the fan. Just keep it in mind.

 

[Hoobajesse]

I studied with a bass player that plays in the Coast Guard band. He has nothing, but good things to say about it. Constantly gigging, multiple ensembles and multiple styles with upright and electric bass. Pretty sweet gig considering you retire early with a pension. But yeah, you have to be a great player to get in, otherwise they just throw you in with the rest of the infantry

 

[whatizitman]

I caught an Army band performance at the local VAMC about a year ago, and was REALLY impressed by the talent, skill, showmanship, and professionalism. I don't remember which specific group it was, but it had horns and keys, and multiple top notch singers. The bassist was incredible, as were all of them. Kind of contemporary R&B and Gospel-ish set up. Everything, including the sound/PA team, was excellent. They all looked like lean and mean, professional soldiers in fatigues, who were top shelf musicians and performers to boot. Military obviously takes their music programs seriously, which means the competition must be something fierce.

Think best of the best.

Being a civilian I can't really speak for military life. But I do think if you can audition and get a firm yes or no before enlistment, you're better off. I do know that once you commit to enlist there is no backing out.

 

[Stick_Player]

OP, if you are REALLY/TRULY good, and offer something unique, you don't need the military route.

Ifin' you play both DB (with a bow), and Slab exceedingly well, you will have more work than any other instrumentalist.

Just sayin'.

 

[Pacman]

The first rule of a career in the military is that YOU don't get to CHOOSE your job.
If you are lucky enough to get choosen to try out for a band...great. But, don't count on it.

absolutely incorrect. It's like you've never even been around the military.

 

[Pacman]

OP, if you are REALLY/TRULY good, and offer something unique, you don't need the military route.

Ifin' you play both DB (with a bow), and Slab exceedingly well, you will have more work than any other instrumentalist.

Just sayin'.

If you want stability, health insurance, paid vacations, and a pension it's worth considering. Some of the finest musicians in the world are in the service bands. And they're quite happy with the gig.

 

[Stick_Player]

Some of the finest musicians in the world are in the service bands. And they're quite happy with the gig.

Yes, I've played with several, and always a glowing recount of their experience.

 

[MVE]

absolutely incorrect. It's like you've never even been around the military.

I stand corrected.

 

[neptoon]

absolutely incorrect. It's like you've never even been around the military.

...what he said

i have had a huge voice in nearly every assignment i've ever had - it's like that, for the most part across the career fields in all the services...we aren't draftees/conscripts anymore...much of the military leadership want to keep their _volunteers_ around, and in some fields, are willing to pay top dollar to keep folks _in_ the military...the last couple of senior sailors (Chief of Naval Operations) have had their eyes on having the Navy as a Fortune 500 company, and a lot of the senior leadership really try to propel the military service in that direction...their is conflict, sure, and there always will be, and it's awful some of the places that military units deploy to, but we are all first and foremost combat units...you also have to bear in mind that we are self-sustaining units, so not every soldier, sailor, airman and marine is a combat troop (put the marines as first on the list to be an exception to that)...we are certainly not going to send non-combat troops into combat, believe that...being a bandsman would be a hell of a fulfilling and rewarding career, and i wish OP the best



Jon - did you retire, man?

 

[Arturo+music]

Other points not covered: you can still do military work without necessarily being in the military but it would be less financially secure and you can fit in civvy jobs too.
If you are really keen, you must be totally focused on sight reading as an Army bandsman. That will be all important for the initial audition.
Also, totally ignore the remarks on drink and drugs. You would not be able to fork out the cash anyway and could end up in financial difficulties and a dishonourable
discharge. Much of my work was military and a large proportion was for he U.S. Army & Air-force in Germany. At home, in U.K. work was mixed R.A.F, Army & a couple of Royal Navy gigs.
mixed in with civilian work. Either way, you do much the same work - just in the Army work, the uniform is slightly different. No long hair in our days.
I would also work on a chord type instrument, if I were you. Guitar or piano/keyboard. One of my Army bandsman buddies played trumpet/cornet and cello. He is now on his last legs
in hospital. Another, a Royal Marine bandsmen in his day, learnt all the ins and outs of all brass instruments. Sadly he succumbed to cancer last year.
With U.S military, you have so many work opportunities more than most, including the British military. Ignore any denigrating remarks about your decision to enlist. They are only
envious because they don't have the balls to get up and go.
Good luck, soldier! Hope it works out for you.

 

[jhfishn]

Well .............. I served with Pacman

I was an 8 year Navy Musican followed by 13 years in the Nj Army National Guard

Give me a chance to go back and I will in a heartbeat. I've been station in Japan, Seattle, Charleston and Virginia Beach as a former Armed Forces School of Music Bass instructor.

I got the instruction of my life while in the Military Band program and got to see all of Asia from China to Australia .... let me say I was playing the entire time.

There are on 2 "floating" bands left in the Navy and the rest are shore stations. My GQ station was either my rack or rehearsal room .......... pretty much they wanted us to just get out of the way.

It is true you do have to qualify with a fire arm in the Armay and Marine Corp ... don't know about the Air Force but Pacman can tell you about that but your primary mission is support of the troops.

I have made more friends that keep in touch from my military days than any other time in my life ............. and they are men and women from all over the country ... you get a good cross section of musicians.

My take on what the individual services were stronger in is as follows:

Concert Band - Army
Marching and Ceremonial - Marine Corp
Big Band/Rock Band - Navy
All of the above - Air Force

Now remember .... it is a military situation so you will have to do ALL of the above from ships parties to jazz combos to change of command ceremonies to open concerts .... and that's the beauty .... no form of music is off the table. And each of the services had their strong points and that's what I listed ... in my opinion of course.

And lets not forget the military Academy bands as well as the premiere Washington DC outfits of which all the services have.

One other thing to check out .... look at some of the professor qualifications at your school or others like Berklee, Shenendoah etc and you will see military bands in their portfolios

While at the Armed Forces School of Music I got to work with guests such as Randy Brecker

Check this clip out and tell me if it looks like I wasn't having a blast!:
With Randy Brecker:

"In the 80's"

"Pools"



At any rate .......... do check what Pacman has to say ........... he's retired WITH a pension (and how many musicians can say that) as well as is an endorser for some serious gear and pursing a recording career with an outrageous band ............... can't argue with that.

Really though .......... if you take the advice of those who never experienced it it would be like asking a single guy what married life is like ... you dig? oh ... and in that I have just spawned another topic rife for discussion LOL

Some guys have had bad experiences and some wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Best of luck in your decision too. You know you can always visit a band and see what they are about too.

One word of caution ............. Recruiter = Evil! Talk to a bandsman and NOT a recruiter if you'd like to find out about the band program.

 

[neptoon]

if you decide to consider the navy, I know the folks that review the auditions and I can put you in direct contact, re: Recruiters...

 

[Leo Smith]

I've been doing the Air Force Band thing for the last 19 years, and I'm due to retire in 10 months. In that time I've had five 'permanent' assignments, two deployments, and loads and loads of trips / concerts. It's been a very interesting trip!

I've met Jon (Pacman) and have worked with some of his colleagues. The AF band program is kind of small, and every one knows almost everybody somehow.

All the AF band auditions are listed here - Link Removed - As I'm writing this, there are no bass openings. My position will be the next opening. There are about 16 bass players in the AF field bands, and another 6 in the band in Washington D.C. (Will double-check my numbers later.) The point is, the Air Force spots are kind of sparse. There's a bass audition in DC maybe every 6 to 10 years lately, and only slightly more frequently in the field bands.

To get some more info about the "life", call a band, visit a band. Don't ask the recruiter about the band. Very few realize that it exists.

(An aside - I'm writing this at the office, on government time in my uniform, when I should be doing a PhotoShop project related to an upcoming AF concert. oh distractions... That's why I'm not getting too in-depth at the moment, and YES I've read the whole thread.)

I'll write some more later. The Photoshop is calling.

 

[Pacman]

Well .............. I served with Pacman

That right there is the understatement of the decade! Jim is the reason I can say I make my living as a musician! He literally taught me how to play - I was a punk kid who thought he had his poop in a group until that guy there showed me the truth. I'll be forever in debt to you, Jim!

 

[RSey716]

I made the decision a while ago that I'd like to make a career out of playing bass. I've gotten tons of help and advice from guys on and off of this website and learned a lot! But today in class, my orchestra director told me about a new idea I hadn't thought of before: military band. He said you have to pass the audition (and he thought I could pass it easily) plus whatever physical fitness exam they require (shouldn't be a problem). He told me that you get to travel all over the world playing in various military ensembles, and after serving 20 years you can retire around age 40 and receive health benefits + retirement checks for the rest of your life. So my plan might be this:

-Enlist in the army band on bass guitar when I graduate high school, age 18
-Play in the army band and use the financial aid for college and such to get my masters while in the US (my teacher said you could do that, but it doesn't sound right)
-Retire from the army band after 20 years around age 40 w/ a masters degree in electric bass
-Find a college where I can teach (He said army band career + masters is a good resume for a college gig)
-Do studio/teaching/sit-in work in addition to receiving retirement checks to live off of

How many gaps are in this plan? Assuming I'm a good enough player, is this a somewhat realistic plan or am I dreaming here?

Any help/career advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

ndthorpe, Your post caught my attention with not only the topic but also your sense of direction and game plan. I am also retired military and spent 20 years in the Air Force. Although I didn't play in the band I did spend five years as a recruiter. Three of the five were actually in the office recruiting and the final two were spent as the Senior Liaison at the Buffalo, NY MEPS so I do know the system. However my younger brother, three years younger, did spend ten years with the Air Force Band of the West located at Lackland AFB, TX. I followed his career from the start and was absolutely amazed at the level of musicianship he was associated with. My brother spent 4 years in college with a music scholarship and he was amazed himself. I could easily spend a good amount of time writing about this very topic however it is Friday night, it's an off night for me and the wife rented a movie. Pacman's experiences mirror my brothers so what he is talking about isn't off base at all. The advice I will give you though is prepare for the audition. They are not easy and do not get discouraged if the audition doesn't go well. Learn from it, tighten up the loose ends and you can audition again. This is a good forum to get in contact with service bass players and you can get a ton of info from them. Remember everyone on the forum that has spent time in the military doesn't have a thing to gain whether you join or not so you aren't going to get sunshine blown at you for their benefit. Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.

 

[Pacman]

ndthorpe, Your post caught my attention with not only the topic but also your sense of direction and game plan. I am also retired military and spent 20 years in the Air Force. Although I didn't play in the band I did spend five years as a recruiter. Three of the five were actually in the office recruiting and the final two were spent as the Senior Liaison at the Buffalo, NY MEPS so I do know the system. However my younger brother, three years younger, did spend ten years with the Air Force Band of the West located at Lackland AFB, TX. I followed his career from the start and was absolutely amazed at the level of musicianship he was associated with. My brother spent 4 years in college with a music scholarship and he was amazed himself. I could easily spend a good amount of time writing about this very topic however it is Friday night, it's an off night for me and the wife rented a movie. Pacman's experiences mirror my brothers so what he is talking about isn't off base at all. The advice I will give you though is prepare for the audition. They are not easy and do not get discouraged if the audition doesn't go well. Learn from it, tighten up the loose ends and you can audition again. This is a good forum to get in contact with service bass players and you can get a ton of info from them. Remember everyone on the forum that has spent time in the military doesn't have a thing to gain whether you join or not so you aren't going to get sunshine blown at you for their benefit. Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.

I was in the Band of the West for 7.5 years! When was your brother there?

 

[jpbass5]

That right there is the understatement of the decade! Jim is the reason I can say I make my living as a musician! He literally taught me how to play - I was a punk kid who thought he had his poop in a group until that guy there showed me the truth. I'll be forever in debt to you, Jim!

I'm thinking this is the same Jim that I served with in the 7th Fleet Band. I was a trombone player. He introduced me to bass guitar, changed my life.

 

[RSey716]

I was in the Band of the West for 7.5 years! When was your brother there?

I want to say from 89 to 99. I know from 89 because I stayed with him when I went through recruiting school. He was a trumpet player first name Danny.