Command Performers

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Performers Drum corps veterans are among the elite musicians who proudly serve in the U. S. Armed Forces.

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oday’s drum corps performances may boast a theatrical flair worthy of the Broadway stage, but when the first civilian corps began to march after World War I, their music and marching style were in lock step with the military drum and bugle corps that had been their inspiration.

Much has changed since the days of Doughboys and valveless bugles. Like modern drum corps, the musical ensembles in today’s U.S. Armed Services have evolved, and now include a diverse group of marching and concert ensembles that range from small combos to units numbering in the hundreds. Traditional military fare may remain part of the repertoire, but it’s performed alongside classical, rock, jazz and even country music.

The military’s most elite ensembles, the ultra-competitive Premier Bands, include a high percentage of conser vator ytrained musicians, and the level of formal training is also high at the many regional and specialized ensembles around the country. In addition to music programs at the military academies, the Navy has its own music school, which trains musicians in all branches of the A rmed Services.

Musicians in uniform come from

U. S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps

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many backgrounds, but according to Staff Sgt. Adam Lessard of the U.S. Army Band, drum corps experience combats the fear some musicians may have about the demands of military life. “There are probably about 10 drum corps alumni in our unit, and lots of us throughout all the services,” says Lessard, a baritone player who marched with the Spirit from JSU. “The military aspect might be a deterrent to some musicians, but if you’ve done drum corps, you know you’ll be able to deal with challenges.”

Navy Musician Second Class John Wheeler, center on Trumpet

From a Corps to “The Corps”

The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps is nicknamed “The Commandant’s Own” because of its affiliation with the highest-ranking officer of the Marine Corps. The group was formed in 1934 to complement the United States Marine Band (“The President’s Own,” which was formed in 1798 by an act of Congress and is the oldest professional musical organization in the country). Members of the Commandant’s Own are distinguished by their white gauntlets and silver-colored brass instruments.

Sergeant Chip Mullins, Jr., a contrabass bugler with the Commandant’s Own, marched with Jersey Surf from 19962002 before majoring in music performance on the tuba at the University of Delaware. Mullins credits his time with the Surf for helping him achieve the high level of presentation required of a Marine. “Surf always tried to clean up our housing sites and leave places better than we found them,” he says. “In the Marines, we’re really focused on professionalism and maintaining good relationships with people and places we go, and having marched in drum corps for so long, it’s like second nature.”

Mullins sees many similarities between playing in a junior drum corps in the military. “In the Marines we have a drill show that consists of six songs, one of which is a drum solo,” he says. “Our rehearsals are also very similar to those in junior corps. We have sectionals [where all of the low brass works together], then brass ensemble, and full ensemble.

Some techniques are the same too, like the 8 to 5 marching step [eight steps in a span of five yards] and some similar horn moves.”

The Commandant’s Own may be in the mold of the tra-

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ditional drum and bugle corps, but the multifaceted Quantico Marine Corps Band demonstrates the diversity of military music. Established in 1918 and operating out of the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, the unit consists of a ceremonial band and a concert band—as well as a brass quintet, a woodwind quintet, a rock band, and a jazz combo.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Benjamin Bartholomew, who has served in the Marines for two decades, is currently the outfit’s Director/Officer in Charge. In high school, he marched with the Troopers (Casper, Wyo.), and after graduating in 1988, with the Cadets (then based in Garfield, N.J.) before studying at the Nav y School of Music in Little Creek, Virginia.

Bartholomew says that the musicality and discipline he gained in the corps have helped him succeed in uniform. “I am absolutely convinced that had I not marched those two years in a drum corps, I would not have passed the audition to enter the USMC music program,” he explains.

“The top-notch instruction I received during those two summers exponentially improved my playing ability. In addition, my summer with Quantico Marine Corps Band Garf ield def initely eased the pain of boot

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camp—I actually got three square meals and a good night’s sleep at [Marine Corps Recruit Depot] Parris Island!”

While Bartholomew concedes that the range of music performed by Quantico’s musicians goes into territory he never explored in drum corps, he maintains that there are many connections between his summers on the field and his military life, including “discipline, structure, pride in belonging—and ruthless enforcement of ‘the standard.’”

Sergeant Leann Splitter, a trumpeter who marched with the Colts in 2001 and ’02, is also a member of the Quantico unit. And although it’s not a primary focus, marching is still part of the repertoire at some Quantico performances. “We do a ‘corps st yle’ show once a year for t he Virginia International Tattoo [an annual three day festival of military music featuring 850 performers, including groups from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard],” she says. “My drum corps performance and teaching background has really allowed me to help out the rest of the Marines learn the show.”

From Surf to Sail

Navy Musician Second Class John Wheeler marched with the Jersey Surf from 1992-98, and is currently with the 35-member U.S. Navy Band New Orleans, one of 11 Navy Fleet

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bands, eight of which are based around the U.S. There are also two Premier Naval ensembles: The 66-member Naval Academy Band, which was established in the 1850s, and the U.S. Navy Band, a 172-member unit based in Washington, D.C. Overall, Wheeler sees many parallels between life in drum corps and in the services.

“The drama, being responsible, planning ahead, doing your best not to let your friends down—and picking them up when things go sour—it’s really the same deal—with more accountability,” he says.

Previously stationed with the San Diego-based Navy Band Southwest, Wheeler currently plays with three of Navy Band New Orleans’ five ensembles, including its Ceremonial Band, Show Band South, and a traditional New Orleans-style brass band. “In a typical week, I might play lead on a big band job and do two New Orleans jazz band gigs,” he says. The same week might also include “two or three military ceremonies—where I might play f irst, second, or third cornet parts—and playing taps at a funeral.”

For Wheeler, success in the Navy Band is due to more than his instrumental skill; it’s also about interpersonal relationships, something he was first encouraged to work on while with the Surf. “I learned how to deal with people, how to work with them—and depend on them—even if you don’t like them or you don’t see eye-to-eye on big personal issues,” he says. “Conflict resolution, mutual respect, and tolerance are all important life lessons that drum corps prepared me for.”

Guard Duty

The United States Coast Guard Band was founded in 1925 and represents both the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Considered one of the Premier Bands in the U.S. military, it tours the U. S. and the world.

Adam Crowe, Principal t uba player Adam principal tuba player, Crowe marched w it h t he Coast Guard Band S out hw i nd D r u m a nd Bu gle Corps, then based in Alabama. “When I marched with Southwind I think I was one of the youngest, if not the youngest member of the corps at age 14,” he recalls. “Some of my high school-band friends had been members of the corps in previous years and loved it, so naturally I wanted to be a part of what they had been doing. I

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remember being surprised by the demands set by the staff and the veteran members, especially during everyday playing and at extended camps. I had never worked so hard or so long on anything up to that point!”

Playing in Southwind helped solidify the brass techniques that have served Crowe well to this day. “I believe a strong education in brass playing fundamentals was a tremendous help to my playing, especially as a young student,” he says.

“Breathing exercises, mouthpiece buzzing, long tones, f lexibility exercises—all of MILITARY BANDS those things I either learned or were further reinforced in UNITED STATES MILITARY dr um corps. At t he same ACADEMY BAND time, being able to work long usma.edu/band hours, which I first did at UNITED STATES ARMY Southwind, is a hugely valuBAND “PERSHING’S OWN” able skill that still benefits me usarmyband.com in the Coast Guard Band.”

UNITED STATES Crowe majored in music AIR FORCE BAND education at the University usafband.af.mil of Alabama, but his experiUNITED STATES COAST ence on t he f ield w it h GUARD BAND Southwind sparked his desire uscg.mil/band UNITED STATES NAVY BAND to keep performing after college. A f ter tak ing lots of navyband.navy.mil auditions, entering competiUNITED STATES MARINE tions, and attending conferDRUM & BUGLE CORPS “THE COMMANDANT’S OWN” ences, Crowe found a place drumcorps.mbw.usmc.mil in the Coast Guard Band in 1999, a gig that has taken his UNITED STATES MARINE musicality to all new levels.

DRUM & BUGLE CORPS “THE PRESIDENT’S OWN” “Southwind was a good thing marineband.usmc.mil for me as a young brass player, but the Coast Guard Band continues to challenge me

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even after playing tuba for 20 years,” he says. “The level of artistic excellence here—as in many other [military] performing organizations—continues to rise as so many great musicians seek out jobs.”

Mission Statement

The corps’ connection to military bands doesn’t just go in one direction. Master Sgt. Tom Rarick of the Air Force Band has worked with the Bluecoats and Troopers. Staff Sgt. Robert Marino is an in-demand percussion clinician and instructor for the Cadets when he’s not touring the nation as a member of the U. S. Army Field Band.

And according to The A rmy Band’s Staf f Sgt. Lessard, it’s this opportunity to bring world-class music to citizens—and to fellow ser v ice men and women—that makes being part of a military ensemble like “Pershing’s Own” so satisfying. “We fall under The U.S. Air Force the categor y of morale, Concert Band welfare, and recreation,” he says. “We tour Iraq and Afghanistan and play for the troops on the holidays. We just formed a rock band geared toward younger soldiers.”

Yet, even as all the military bands continue to broaden their musical repertoires, the tradition of patriotic music remains an important part. “The crowd response is pretty amazing,” says Lessard, who admits the marching experience from his drum corps days comes in handy during the band’s ceremonial duties. “Our mission is to be the musical face of the Army to the American people and promote patriotism. It’s really gratifying to see how much they enjoy hearing the music.”

U.S. Army Ceremonial Band

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