Recently, Republican Congresswoman from Arizona, Martha McSally, slammed the Air Force's in-house ensemble saying that players should "put down the tuba and pick up a wrench or gun" while speaking at a House Armed Services Committee hearing about manning levels in the military. Apparently, the elected official believes that if the armed forces truly had a manning crisis, it would be easily remedied by defunding the bands and putting the players in the open job slots.
However, as Colonel Larry H. Lang remarked, this isn't the first time someone has called into question the merits of the armed forces having a participating ensemble. And for some of the band's players, their devotion to music and their instrument is one that cost them most of their life to perfect,
But to dismantle the military bands would be to send off its professional musicians without a place to perform. Military bands, as it's been noted, are one of the largest employers of musicians in the country (particularly on the elite level).
The ensemble, then, is comprised of players instead of soldiers. For them to wield a wrench or a gun would be a misstep as the players aren't considered killing machines.
The in-house orchestra does require its performers to go through basic training, but that doesn't mean they are skilled or trained in combat or military skill beyond that level.
No matter the explanation, Col. Lang posits that this is an age-old debate that he has always had to combat. He said in an interview:
"I've been doing this for 24 years. I can't remember a time when we weren't defending ourselves. It's nothing new. It's like in the civilian sector, arts and music in schools are always under attack by people who think they're extracurricular when you and I would think they're primary. It's the same in the military. We believe we bring an important role, and keep defending ourselves. The detractors will never go away."
Comparing the military's problem with its bands to public schools who have been trying to defund the music sector is a correct allegory for this kind of situation. It is in dealing with the overall misunderstanding that music is more of a hobby than a career.
However, as it's been proven, music is a source of artistic expression as well as personal growth. The endless benefits of the military maintaining its orchestra could be something worth considering in the debate.
Check out what a military band is all about with a video below.
