these people I decided to - PDF document

these people I decided to try my hand at a military The result was a four- year enlistment with the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West. My time with the band afforded me performance opportunities and experi - ences I could never have imagined. Be assured this article is no recruiting tool, it is simply a mes - sage to all the percussion students who graduate every May: military bands have a lot to offer percussionists in their performance careers and beyond. THE AUDI BY JONATHAN LATTA In the case of an Air Force band, they wish to see your abilities on drumset, classical per - cussion, and rudimental percussion. Don’t be concerned if you are primarily a drumset player; simply prepare what you can on your specialty and in the other areas and go to bands have training programs to assist you in your areas of weakness. Upon arrival in the Air Force you are assigned a trainer who will help you in the areas that need growth. In other branches of the military you may attend music school to help you grow in the areas needed. Simply be up front with your strengths and weaknesses, and if they feel \RXZLOOÀWLQWKHLURUJDQL]DWLRQ Upon winning the audition, my recruiter arranged my basic training date and gave me some guidance to prepare for the experience. Aside from a few special circumstances, all the military bands expect musicians to attend basic training. This experience is not meant to be pleasant. The purpose of basic training is not punishment; it is to inform the individual of the values, history, and structure of the military. It is meant to build as you enter into your career. Depending on the branch of the military, basic training can last from seven to thirteen weeks. A friend of mine completed Air Force basic training a week before I was to start. He told me where their band is located. This means that there is no schooling after basic train - ing. That is not true for all branches of the military, but in the Air Force you get time for house hunting and then it is off to work. My musical responsibilities began very quickly. Within one month of completing basic training I was on tour with the concert band, and that included time in the studio for recording a CD to celebrate the centennial RISRZHUHGÁLJKW,ZDVWRUHFRUGSHUFXVVLRQ parts that I hadn’t even played in rehearsal. That simply goes to show that the Air Force hires professional musicians to do a profes - sional job.