There are 15
military bands
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...
of the Bundeswehr, including those of the
German Army,
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
,
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, and joint bands. Before 2009, the military musicians of the
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
constituted a joint specialist service, the Military Music Service (german: Militärmusikdienst), subordinate to the
Armed Forces Office (german: Streitkräfteamt). In 2009, as part of a larger reorganisation of the Bundeswehr, the organization of the Military Music Service was replaced by the new
Military Music Center of the Bundeswehr
The Military Music Center of the Bundeswehr (german: Zentrum Militärmusik der Bundeswehr, ZMilMusBw) is the office in charge of managing the military bands of the Bundeswehr. It was established on 25 August 2009 as part of a restructuring of the ...
(german: Zentrum Militärmusik der Bundeswehr) in Bonn, and several bands were disbanded. The bands of the Bundeswehr provide music for official ceremonies such as the
Großer Zapfenstreich
The ("Grand Tattoo", "Beating Retreat") is a military ceremony performed in Germany and Austria. It is similar to the military tattoo ceremony performed in English-speaking countries, and is the most important ceremonial act executed by the Ger ...
and the swearing-in of new recruits. In addition to their traditional