A recruiter called me today from the marines and instead of saying I was busy I decided to listen to what he had to say.

From what he told me musicians don't get shipped out. And if they are in a different country they are on a base playing or something.

He said you get sent to a school where you study for 14 weeks before you start playing, after you finish boot camp.

Is anyone here in the military or know people with military experince in music?

Drum corp would seem pretty impossible since youd have to go right after high school for it. On the other hand having millitary experience would probably help focus in my musical studies more than anything really could. The dicipline aspect of it seems awesome.

What kind of degrees can you get in the millitary for music? I want to do education but I'm not sure if that is availible.

Who do you study with when you're there?

This is a 100% fabricated lie, band members operated howlitzers during the first Gulf War. Also, every Marine is a rifleman first.



No lies here



I did a term in the Marines in the airwing, but knew quite a few band/drum corps people



The rest of the musicians are no slouches either, there is still an audition process.



No degree out the door, but they will pick up tuition while you are active duty.

You can thank the No Child Left Behind Act for that. Requiring schools to hand over contact information of all juniors and seniors, or face the suspension of their federal funding.


Exactly what Derek_Esq said...


As you'll hear once you start talking to more people who have been in the military: you'll hear from both sides, good and bad. Me, I did 4 years in the US Navy as an IT (Information Systems Technician) and it was probably the worst 4 years of my life. Looking at the positive side, I did meet some of the coolest people I know while enlisted.


I have a friend who was a Musician in the Army. Overall, he liked it.


As Derek_Esq said, no degree, but they do assist with tuition while on active duty and you do have the Montgomery GI Bill (make sure you read the small print on the GI Bill...).

Check out the links in my signature...

Derek and Mike are more equiped to handle your questions than me but I did have two friends from college go on to play with service bands. One played with the Air Force band in Dayton and absolutely hated it. He doesn't talk about it too much but something scarred him. He did his time and hasn't played since. It's a shame, he was a great player.

Another friend went to the Army Field Band in Baltimore I believe. He's been there about 15 years and has made a nice career out of it. He enjoys it and plus he can retire in a few more years, collect his benefits, and then find somewhere else to play.

Please understand there is an audition process and these service ensembles are stocked with some very talented players. It's not like you can just sign up and go play. I know the military has a music school but I don't know too much about it. It's not a music school that awards degrees or anything though. They just prepare you for what you'll be doing with your ensemble.

The Marines are a little different as Derek alluded to. EVERYBODY going into that branch goes through basic training. Doesn't matter if you shoot a gun or practice law or play an instrument.

...such as Jeff Prosperie!



Now if you're gonna ask how he's able to do the whole military thing and DCA, I have no idea heh He is currently at West Point though, and I'm sure they're a little more lenient than other assignments who deploy regularly.

Jeff is a member of the Bayonne Bridgemen Alumni this season and is with the Hellcats at West Point... and he loves it. He's spoken a few times about how great it is and he's "home by noon every day". There's one guy between me and him on the snare line at B-men.

How can he do military and DCA? The question should be how can he do military, DCA and judge DCI? He's playing with the Bridgemen this year and he's a hoot. He's been late to rehearsals and had to miss a gig, but he's on par for most everything.

So how can he do it? Flexible scheduling/vacation time is my guess.


Edit: By the way, it's one thing to see a video of him perform his solo. It's another thing to see him perform his solo. It's a THIRD thing to drum with him in a line :-p.

i remember a recruiter coming to our percussion class during school and it sounds like they use bad drums, only one bass drum for a beat and broken cymbals to get a "cool" sound, in my opinion overall it sounds like going to a big college with a crappy drumline but instead you could go to war.

There is certainly a range in the quality of ensembles within the military. Some are obviously better than others, but the vast majority of them are at least competent and a number of them are downright excellent. There are stylistic differences too, some of which may not be apparent to the typical visitor to these forums until they get a little more experience.

These ensembles are recruiting vessels and the military doesn't want to put a bad product out there. SkyDog is right in that there varying qualities but I think you'll find that most of them are phenomenal groups. For some it can be a great place to play if that's what you want to do for a living. It's obviously not as competitive as finding a position with the Chicago Symphony or New York Philharmonic but it's still a tough audition process. There's been lots of great orchestral players come out of service ensembles. I believe Janice Potter played with the President's Own after graduating from Julliard.

If you haven't heard any of these ensembles then I suggest giving a listen. The Band of the Rockies is one of my personal favorites.

Obviously, the top ensembles are great. Yes, Janis Potter did play with The President's Own Marine Band for a while, and her husband Glenn Paulson (another Juilliard alum) does as well. However, The President's Own is different from the rest of the ensembles in that (if I remember correctly) the members do NOT have to do basic training (and are thus not at risk of getting shipped out), although they do have to maintain weight/health/appearance standards. Playing in The President's Own isn't as much something you find yourself doing prior to/instead of going to college, it's something that you kind of need an intense musical training in order to even stand a chance to get in.