WEBVTT 00:00.640 --> 00:02.450 - [James Holt] My name is Gunnery Seargent James Holt 00:02.450 --> 00:04.390 and I'm a musician placement director 00:04.390 --> 00:06.860 for the Marine Corps Music Program. 00:06.860 --> 00:09.160 My job is to hire all the musicians 00:09.160 --> 00:11.900 for the Marine bands in the northeast. 00:11.900 --> 00:13.030 I've been a musician for the 00:13.030 --> 00:15.760 United States Marine Corps for the past 15 years 00:15.760 --> 00:18.020 and I absolutely love my job. 00:18.020 --> 00:20.820 The Marine Corps music program really is a great option 00:20.820 --> 00:22.650 for individuals who are interested 00:22.650 --> 00:25.740 in making music performance their profession. 00:25.740 --> 00:29.890 Not just a hobby or a part time gig, but a full-time career. 00:29.890 --> 00:32.270 What you're about to witness over the next few minutes 00:32.270 --> 00:33.870 could change your life 00:33.870 --> 00:36.860 if you're interested not only in making music your career 00:36.860 --> 00:39.053 but also service to this great country. 00:40.565 --> 00:43.065 (drum music) 00:44.860 --> 00:45.693 - I'm a tuba player. 00:45.693 --> 00:46.526 - Saxophone. 00:46.526 --> 00:47.359 - Clarinet. 00:47.359 --> 00:48.192 - Percussion. 00:49.710 --> 00:50.543 - Flute Player. 00:50.543 --> 00:51.502 - Bassoon. 00:51.502 --> 00:52.335 - Trumpet player. 00:52.335 --> 00:53.168 - Piano. 00:53.168 --> 00:56.133 - I'm a trombone player in a Marine band and I'm a Marine. 00:58.540 --> 01:00.150 - You have to be perfect at what you do. 01:00.150 --> 01:02.620 You have to be the best at your instrument 01:02.620 --> 01:04.220 as well as being a Marine. 01:04.220 --> 01:06.050 - It's the few and the proud for a reason. 01:06.050 --> 01:07.520 We're the most highly trained. 01:07.520 --> 01:08.460 - [Victor Miranda] It's not easy 01:08.460 --> 01:11.060 but everybody becomes a Marine musician. 01:11.060 --> 01:14.620 MEOP stands for Musician Enlistment Option Program. 01:14.620 --> 01:16.410 - [Robert Szabo] We have 10 field bands 01:16.410 --> 01:18.550 eight within Continental United States 01:18.550 --> 01:22.210 one in Hawaii and another in Okinawa, Japan. 01:22.210 --> 01:24.110 - [Richard Dengler] There's 50 members in each band. 01:24.110 --> 01:26.670 They make up all of the different performing ensembles. 01:26.670 --> 01:29.600 The contraband would be everybody in the unit. 01:29.600 --> 01:31.690 We have a ceremonial band which would be 01:31.690 --> 01:34.350 minus our rhythm section, and our smaller ensembles 01:34.350 --> 01:36.830 will have brass quintets, woodwind quintets 01:36.830 --> 01:39.140 or jazz combo, we have a party band 01:39.140 --> 01:40.680 sometimes we'll have a show band. 01:40.680 --> 01:41.980 You're on the stage, you're having fun 01:41.980 --> 01:42.813 you'll put on a show. 01:42.813 --> 01:46.100 - [Victor] The Commandant's Own is a drum and bugle corps. 01:46.100 --> 01:47.713 It is also part of our program. 01:50.650 --> 01:52.630 - Before you even sign your contract 01:52.630 --> 01:54.300 you have to take a field audition. 01:54.300 --> 01:55.780 - Once the audition is passed and 01:55.780 --> 01:57.770 they meet the qualifications, they are 01:57.770 --> 01:59.650 slated to go to recruit training. 01:59.650 --> 02:00.600 - Recruit training. 02:01.672 --> 02:03.980 - This is a physical training event! 02:03.980 --> 02:05.420 - Simply no joke. 02:05.420 --> 02:07.810 - Becoming a Marine is hard and it's hard on purpose. 02:07.810 --> 02:10.780 Only people who truly want it will be successful. 02:10.780 --> 02:11.903 - To finally have yourself called a Marine 02:11.903 --> 02:13.823 was one of the best days of my life. 02:15.710 --> 02:17.420 - Their next step is going to the 02:17.420 --> 02:19.110 Armed Forces School of Music. 02:19.110 --> 02:23.063 It's intense, they train every day in many different facets. 02:28.211 --> 02:30.520 - [Richard] One of the biggest things a MEOP Marine 02:30.520 --> 02:33.590 has is the opportunity to travel. 02:33.590 --> 02:35.270 - I've been to Thailand, I've been to Korea 02:35.270 --> 02:36.350 I've been to Cambodia. 02:36.350 --> 02:37.880 - I've played for heads of state 02:37.880 --> 02:39.840 for presidents of the United States. 02:39.840 --> 02:42.970 - The opportunities for the musician are quite numerous. 02:42.970 --> 02:45.960 - [Richard] You can become a conductor, a drum major 02:45.960 --> 02:50.073 a repair technician, a small ensembleer or a band master. 02:58.950 --> 03:01.970 - The reward is when you see the people around you 03:01.970 --> 03:04.640 show you respect for not only being a Marine 03:04.640 --> 03:06.680 but being a musician as well. 03:06.680 --> 03:08.600 - The reaction you get from people 03:08.600 --> 03:10.090 when you're done playing, that 03:10.090 --> 03:12.340 they appreciate what we do so much 03:12.340 --> 03:14.740 as a Marine and as a musician. 03:14.740 --> 03:18.090 That's something I'll have with me for the rest of my life. 03:18.090 --> 03:20.410 - [Richard] If you love music, follow the music 03:20.410 --> 03:21.480 and see where it leads you. 03:21.480 --> 03:23.170 Chances are that the Marine corps bands 03:23.170 --> 03:24.870 can be a very good option for you. 03:28.330 --> 03:31.300 - My musical story probably sounds a lot like yours. 03:31.300 --> 03:33.960 I started playing the saxophone back in middle school 03:33.960 --> 03:36.394 and I had a lot of success early on. 03:36.394 --> 03:38.060 I even did really well in the High School 03:38.060 --> 03:40.600 All-State Music Program, so well, in fact 03:40.600 --> 03:42.257 that I started to tell myself 03:42.257 --> 03:44.943 "Maybe I could make a career in music" 03:45.960 --> 03:47.570 and I ended up earning my bachelor's degree 03:47.570 --> 03:49.370 in Music Education, which is one of 03:49.370 --> 03:51.363 the proudest moments of my entire life. 03:52.370 --> 03:54.280 During my student teaching semester 03:55.300 --> 03:57.000 I started to realize just how much 03:57.000 --> 03:59.160 I enjoyed performing on the saxophone. 03:59.160 --> 04:02.490 So much so that I started to look into those options. 04:02.490 --> 04:05.770 My research led me to the Marine Corps Music Program 04:05.770 --> 04:08.710 and I can safely say that, after 15 years 04:08.710 --> 04:12.470 over 14 countries of travel and 20 states later 04:12.470 --> 04:15.000 that music has been more than just a hobby for me. 04:15.000 --> 04:17.890 It's been my career, and throughout it all 04:17.890 --> 04:20.510 my wife and kids have been my number one fans 04:20.510 --> 04:24.160 not only for me as a musician, but as a Marine musician. 04:24.160 --> 04:26.090 Hey, but listen, enough about me 04:26.090 --> 04:29.947 You already love music, maybe you've even said to yourself 04:29.947 --> 04:33.390 "How awesome would it be to earn a living as a musician?" 04:33.390 --> 04:36.020 If that sounds like you, then I challenge you 04:36.020 --> 04:38.230 to take the audition, reach out 04:38.230 --> 04:40.630 and request those audition excerpts. 04:40.630 --> 04:44.990 Put your future in your hands and follow the music. 04:44.990 --> 04:47.160 My contact info is on the screen. 04:47.160 --> 04:48.910 I look forward to hearing from you.