Playing as a career

[Leo Smith]

Nick, thank you for chiming in on this. It's informed FIRST-HAND info.

I had a guaranteed-job contract before going to basic training. I'm sure Packard / Pacman did too. It's how the military bands have hired people for the last 20-25 years, if not more.

Good luck in basic training. Enjoy the small moments when they come.

 

[Pacman]

Nick, thank you for chiming in on this. It's informed FIRST-HAND info.

I had a guaranteed-job contract before going to basic training. I'm sure Packard / Pacman did too. It's how the military bands have hired people for the last 20-25 years, if not more.

Good luck in basic training. Enjoy the small moments when they come.

Correct - I was guaranteed my job in both the Army and the Air Force before I signed my contracts. I joined the Army in 1987, and it had been common practice for years at the time.

 

[neptoon]

I had a contract, as well, in the navy...non-musical field, but I say that to show that the military and having a contractual job isn't just limited to bandsmen

 

[Pacman]

I had a contract, as well, in the navy...non-musical field, but I say that to show that the military and having a contractual job isn't just limited to bandsmen

Oh yeah! Hope I didn't lead anyone to believe this to be the case.

 

[neptoon]

Oh yeah! Hope I didn't lead anyone to believe this to be the case.

for the informed, i don't think that's the case, but for the uninformed, maybe...

lots of folks seem to think that recruiters walk through the streets raking up young men and women to fill the needs of a particular service, but that isn't reality at all...i said earlier in this thread that a lot of the services are adopting business models to retain their members...the military isn't a force of conscripts, and it hasn't been for over 40 years...it's a great work environment, big picture, and the sevices do their best to make it worthwhile to keep guys like us wearing a uniform until retirement, in my mind...being a bandsman is no different, though the application/audition process is a lot more rigorous and -competitive- than just enlisting and getting a contract in another field, say infantry, medical, security forces, airborne or submarines...music is a career field that, once you get selected, you can pretty much take it to the bank that you will be able to make yourself very comfortable that it will be your only focus...i believe that people are thinking that the TOP is going to come through the band room and grab a young sergeant by the scruff of his neck and tell him to pack up because he's infantry now...not the case...military musicians are VERY specialized and extrememly valuable...you don't take prized assets like that and send them to man a post with a weapon over in Afghanistan - unless they volunteer...there are enough volunteers to man infantry units, anyway...it's a waste of time, training, and money...we try not to waste what little we have...

going back and looking at this thread, i think it could've gotten out of hand had you not policed up some of the opinions...none of that was directed at you, Jon, I already know you know your stuff - just to the folks reading...thanks, this is a good one

 

[andysvec]

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

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.

Hey Jim, did you replace Vern Wade at the SOM as the bass instructor? I went through in '85 with Vern as my teacher, always wondered what ever happened to him, great player! Also heard your name many times when I was in, even without the internet seems like we knew about the other MUs especially all the other USN bassists at the time.

 

[neptoon]

Hey Jim, did you replace Vern Wade at the SOM as the bass instructor? I went through in '85 with Vern as my teacher, always wondered what ever happened to him, great player! Also heard your name many times when I was in, even without the internet seems like we knew about the other MUs especially all the other USN bassists at the time.

navy bass player around '85? you probably know Scott Williams...I served with him at NPC...he was a Master Chief when I transferred...beast of a bass player...still plays that ken smith 6