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The United States Army has maintained multiple military bands in its over two centuries of service. These bands provides musical support for military camps and bases, military areas, and communities across the mainland United States and other territories such as Puerto Rico. United States military bands also serve in army units outside the country and in regions such as Western Europe or

Eastern Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. There are currently 88 army bands, which consists of 20 active duty regional bands, 13 reserve bands, 51 National Guard bands, and four premier bands. Many bandsmen are trained as part of Band of the Army School of Music at Virginia Beach before their assignment in these bands.

Premier ensembles

List of active regional bands

1st Cavalry Division Band - OIF 2 - Color Uncasing Ceremony

List of Army Reserve bands

List of Army National Guard bands

Notable bands that existed in history

Colored bands

During World War I, the mobilization of all African-American bands became common. Among them was the Band of the

369th Infantry Regiment The 369th Infantry Regiment, originally formed as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment before being re-organized as the 369th upon federalization and commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, was an infantry regiment of the New ...

(nicknamed the " Harlem Hellfighters Band") led by James Reese Europe who uniquely utilized black blues and jazz and notably introduced jazz to Europe. The 404th Armed Service Forces Band was the only all-black all-female band in military history. Other colored bands include the Band of the 107th Colored Infantry and the Band of the 805th Pioneer Infantry.

Women's bands

The first all-women military band, the Women's Army Band, was organized at Fort Des Moines in 1942 by Sergeant Mary Belle Nissly. By early 1943, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) had been at a capacity to where it could sport five bands: * 400th Army Band * 401st Army Band * 402nd Army Band * 403rd Army Band * 404th Army Band WAAC bands were later redesignated and officially activated in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in January 1944. For a long time, the only Army Band made up of women, was the 14th Army WAC Band, which reported to the Women's Army Corps Training Center at Camp Lee in August 1948.

Mounted bands

In the first 100 years of the country's existence, mounted bands were relatively common in the ranks of military units. Mounted bands began to be assembled in the 1840s, taking multiple years to assemble. Mounted band that existed have included the 3rd Cavalry Regiment Mounted Band and the Mounted Band of the

2nd U.S. Cavalry The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 2nd Dragoons, is an active Stryker infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army. The Second Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army Europe and Africa, with its garrison at the ...

. Mounted bands in the US Army were ultimately disbanded in the 1930s and 40s and by the end of the Second World War, there were no mounted bands left in the U.S.

Other bands

*Beginning in the 1880s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers maintained a band at the U.S. Army Engineer School (then the Engineers School at

Willets Point, New York Willets Point, also known locally as the Iron Triangle, is an industrial neighborhood within Corona, in the New York City borough of Queens. Located east of Citi Field near the Flushing River, it is known for its automobile shops and junkyards ...

). Then, it was led by Swiss immigrant Julius Hamper, and was dissolved in the early 1900s after over 20 years of service in Washington D.C. *Former service-wide bands include the

Military Intelligence Corps Band The Military Intelligence Corps Band (officially, the 62nd Army Band) was a military band maintained by the United States Army and associated with the United States Army Military Intelligence Corps, Military Intelligence Corps. Established in 1901 ...

, the

Signal Corps Band The Signal Corps Band (officially the 434th Army Band) was a military band maintained by the United States Army and associated with the United States Army Signal Corps. It was activated in 1943 as the band of the 4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade an ...

and the Army Ground Forces Band. *The

Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra The Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra was the only symphonic orchestral ensemble ever created under the supervision of the United States Army. Founded by the composer Samuel Adler, its members participated in the cultural diplomacy initiatives of ...

was the only

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

orchestral ensemble to operate in the United States Army, operating from 1952 to 1962. *The U.S. Army All-American Marching Band was an army-sponsored civilian marching band that recruited from high school

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

musicians from 2007 to 2019.

References

{{Reflist Bands of the United States Army Lists of United States Army units and formations