The United States Naval Academy Band was officially founded in November 1852. Previously, there had been a band since the founding of the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pr ...

in 1845, consisting of a

fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

r and a

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

mer. The band consists of US Navy career musicians. The band is required to blend tradition and change into a wide variety of

musical style Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the n ...

s. The Naval Academy Band is one of two Navy premier bands. The Washington DC Navy Band and the Academy Band is staffed based on auditions not limited to military personnel. Winners of the auditions are required to attend boot camp. Upon completion they are awarded the rank of E-6, Petty Officer First Class. They have been granted an exemption to wear the same uniform as a Chief Petty Officer to maintain a consistent appearance. The crest on their hats are a musician's

lyre The lyre () is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it ...

. Their career can be entirely at this one duty station. The Directors are the only officers and the only members who are subject to transfers. The band has been termed "the Chiefs Band" by midshipmen to distinguish it from the Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, which is staffed by midshipmen.

Performances

The United States Naval Academy Band leads a column of Midshipmen on

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

before dignitaries on Worden Field, advances into Navy/Marine Corps Stadium for a contest in

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

, escorts a fallen shipmate to his final resting place, or represents the Navy and Naval Academy on “Main Street, USA” in their

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

celebration. The Concert Band performs a year-round concert series. Performances include programs of light classics, popular melodies, patriotic songs, and marches. It performs at special events including the Side-By-Side concert with local high school musicians chosen to play with the band under the baton of a special guest conductor, and the annual Finale Concert featuring all Naval Academy Band ensembles and closing with

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

’s “

1812 Overture ''The Year 1812, Solemn Overture'', Op. 49, popularly known as the ''1812 Overture'', is a concert overture in E major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon I ...

”, complete with live cannon fire. Smaller ensembles are featured in the Chamber Music Series, a variety of

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide var ...

s planned and presented by individual band members. The Electric Brigade, the Navy’s premier

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

Band, aids recruiting by acquainting young Americans with the Navy and the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

, in addition to performances for the Brigade of Midshipmen in functions ranging from formal occasions such as the Graduation Ball during Commissioning Week to informal dances, pep rallies, and company

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

s. From its 66 members, the band has two

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

groups, brass and woodwind quintets,

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

and

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

quartets,

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

ensembles, and two reception combos. A succession of 26 leaders and hundreds of instrumentalists have been members of the band.

External links

United States Naval Academy Band (official site)

USS Arizona's last band
{{United States military bands, state=collapsed Musical groups established in 1852 Military units and formations established in 1852 1852 establishments in Maryland Wind bands American Athletic Conference marching bands College marching bands in the United States United States Naval Academy Musical groups from Maryland Bands of the United States Navy Ceremonial units of the United States military Military academy bands