Re: Re: Re: Marine auditions


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Posted by Frank on September 16, 2001 at 14:17:57:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Marine auditions posted by I disagree a lot..... on September 15, 2001 at 21:10:06:

I wish to respond to "I disagree a lot" who obviously has an axe to grind but not the courage to use his or her real name.

I spent 27 years with "The President's Own" and know the process intimately. The facts are:

Members of the United States Marine Band ARE fully fledged active duty members of the United States Marine Corps who enlist under a contract "for duty with the U.S. Marine Band only." They take the same oath, have the same I.D. card, have the same status as any other Marine. Because the nature of their duties is exclusively musical, they are exempt from recruit training. New members of the U.S. Marine Band arrive fully trained (at personal expense, not government expense) for their duties and to send them to recruit training is not a wise use of training spaces or government dollars. The average profile of those who have won jobs over the past 10 years or so is about 27 years old with a Masters degree in performance.

As for whether this privilege is offered to "any schmuck off the street," go grab your horn and come audition, my friend. Show them your stuff. The ones who make the cut are the cream of the crop, not anyone off the street.

As for another individual's comment about a friend who did not make finals, I can state for the record that these are blind auditions and that the committee has no idea who is playing. Candidates are not even weighed until AFTER they are chosen as finalists and even then the audition committee is not privy to any of that information until after they have made their decision on a strictly musical basis. The Marine Band wants the finest players possible and has allowed people who were over max weight at the audition to lose the weight before enlisting. Of course, one must keep it off...the other challenge.

The weight standards are very strict, as are personal appearance standards, but it is an important part of the job. So is marching, pressing your uniform, and getting your hair cut. If that bothers you, it's probably not where you should be. But I know a LOT of players who would cut off more than one appendage to sit in that tuba section just once.

I should also point out that the audition committees for every instrument are incredibly picky about all musical details. This is not just a "weight thing." 95% of players who come through the door (advanced degrees included) cannot give a fine rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

To adapt a famous comment once made by Bud Herseth about the CSO, "Playing tuba in the Marine Band is the most fun you can have with your clothes on."

And as for whether these are "real Marines" or "paper Marines," ask that question of Marine Corps Commandant General James Jones. I know the response is a emphatic and unequivocal YES.

It's a fantastic job. Good luck to all who audition.


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