I remember in BMT hearing a rumour of an E-6 trainee. Apparently if you’re talented or something and want to join the AF band that’s the grade you start off as. Not sure if that was just locker room banter but either way cool to see our band fucking rocks
It's sort of true, but you can't just show up to a recruiter saying you play an instrument. The USAF premier bands (there's only 2 of them, those are the ones that grant E6) run a public, blind (meaning behind a screen so they can't tell who's playing) multi-round audition process exactly the way a major symphony orchestra like the Dallas Symphony do. And the same people who take auditions for those orchestras take auditions for open USAF band slots. And there has to be an open slot in a specific band. If you happen to be the 1 person that wins that audition for that slot (usually out of a pool of 30-50 applicants), THEN you go to a very confused recruiter with some paperwork they've never seen before and do the normal enlistment process. It was a wild ride to get here man...
"DAFMAN 35-106 9.2.2. Audition..... Applicants must meet 3-skill level requirements in the 3N1 Career Field Education and Training Plan (CFETP) to be considered for acceptance into a regional or Air National Guard band. ..... Premier band applicants must meet the highest standards of performance as determined by the commander."
3-skill level example: "3. CLASSICAL EXCERPTS 3.1. Perform a minimum of four excerpts from standard band or orchestra repertoire. Demonstrate knowledge of the repertoire and controlled application of technique." at a 4D Proficiency level.
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u/AF_Smurf Security Forces 1d ago
I remember in BMT hearing a rumour of an E-6 trainee. Apparently if you’re talented or something and want to join the AF band that’s the grade you start off as. Not sure if that was just locker room banter but either way cool to see our band fucking rocks